Twelve Questions Without a Score

Key takeaway

P-3 sums symptoms in 12 questions members used when they were trying to identify themselves. Nothing in that description gives you a score. Someone else's grade is not membership. This is separate from the illustrated pamphlet. The only requirement is a desire to stop drinking. You can sit tonight without a number.

Last updated: Tue Oct 06 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Someone took the twelve questions and scored them. Maybe they counted checks. Maybe they decided a high number meant you were finished, or a low number meant you were dramatic. They said you failed. You have been sitting with that number like it was mailed from an office.

It was not. Is A.A. for You?, pamphlet P-3, sums up symptoms in twelve questions most A.A.s had to answer to identify themselves. The questions stay in the pamphlet. They are not listed here, and they are not a test with a published score. Nothing in the description of P-3 gives a passing mark or a failing mark. The number in the margin is something a person invented.

A tally is not identification

Members used those questions to recognize themselves. That is a private kind of honesty. It is not a worksheet a partner, a parent, or a friend gets to finish and then announce. You might have marked one line and felt seen. You might have marked several and felt accused. You might have refused the pencil. All of that can happen at a kitchen table. None of it is an official result, because the pamphlet's description has no result to report.

You do not have to match every question. A single line that sounds like your week is not a quota, and a line that does not sound like you is not a rejection slip. Identification is messy. People in A.A. did not become members by hitting a secret total. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Desire is not a point system. You can want to stop and still argue with half the questions.

There are no dues or fees while you sort that out. You are welcome regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, income, or profession. A private scoring system laid on top of the questions is not an extra requirement. You can be unsure you belong and still sit down.

This is not the picture version

There is a different pamphlet. P-36, Is A.A. for Me?, is the illustrated easy-to-read version. If someone handed you pictures and you treated them like an entrance exam, that fear already has a page: The Quiz Pamphlet Is Not a Test. Read that one if the drawings are what shook you.

The paper in this story is P-3. Plain questions, no illustrations doing the talking, still no score. Do not let anyone merge the two into a single exam with a grade on top. You can ignore both pamphlets tonight. You can also read one later, alone, without a person across the table keeping score. Groups often leave pamphlets out for the taking. You are not late if you have not studied yours.

What you do instead of reporting a number

Meetings are where people share what drinking did, what they did to stop, and how they live now. The point is experience, strength, and hope. You can listen. Introducing yourself is not mandatory, so you never have to say, I got a seven, or whatever number they stuck on you. You need not join a prayer. After the meeting, talk is optional. If someone asks how you found the rooms, you can say a pamphlet, and stop there.

The group sets the format. Discussion, speaker, beginners, Step, Tradition, Big Book: any of those can be the hour. A speaker talks about what they were like, what happened, and what they are like now. You are not auditioning to be that speaker. Some groups prefer speakers to have some continuous sobriety. That preference is the group's, with no national number attached, and it is not a score from P-3.

Closed meetings are for members, or for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. Open meetings are for anyone interested, and nonalcoholics may attend as observers. If the person who graded you wants to come and watch you pass something, that is not how an open meeting works. You can go alone. You can also tell them the hour is not a retake.

Meetings are in person, online, or by phone. Video off and dial-in exist if you do not want a face on you after being examined. aa.org is not a meeting finder. Start at the meetings search and confirm the time. Those listings are not verified.

A number on paper is not a medical reading

Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. Feeling flunked is painful. It is not the same as withdrawal. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. NIDA says mutual-help groups such as A.A. are peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. The meeting is peer support, not detox. FindTreatment.gov lists programs. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in English and Spanish.

Sit down without a total

Tonight, leave the scored page where it is. Find a meeting and listen. You can want to stop drinking without knowing how many questions you matched. If the desire is small and angry, bring that. The chair does not have a column for their number. You do not have to win an argument about the pamphlet before you are allowed to hear someone tell the truth.

Call (800) 653-9376 if you need treatment; the call is free to you, treatment providers pay for the referral, the line is not an intergroup, and the line is not A.A., and it is not SMART Recovery.

Additional Resources

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Common Questions

Did I fail A.A. if someone scored the 12 questions?

No. P-3, Is A.A. for You?, sums symptoms in 12 questions most A.A.s had to answer to identify themselves. The questions stay in the pamphlet. The description of it includes no score, no passing mark, and no failing mark. A number someone wrote in the margin is their invention. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. You can feel flunked and still take a chair. You can listen without announcing how they graded you.

Is this the illustrated quiz pamphlet?

No. The illustrated easy-to-read version is a different pamphlet, P-36. If pictures made you feel tested, that belongs on the page about the quiz pamphlet not being a test. P-3 is the plain set of questions members used to identify themselves. Easier pictures and plain questions are both still questions, not grades. You do not have to match every line in either pamphlet. A desire to stop drinking is the line that lets you in.

What if I only recognized myself in one question?

One question can sting, and eleven can feel like someone else's life. Neither result is published as a score. Identification is something members did for themselves. It is not a tally a friend, a partner, or a stranger gets to finish for you. You can go to a meeting unsure. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. There are no dues or fees. You are welcome regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, income, or profession.

Can I go tonight if I refuse to count the answers?

Yes. Leave the pencil in the kitchen. Meetings are in person, online, or by phone. Video off and dial-in are real options if you do not want to be watched. Closed meetings are for members, or for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop. Open meetings welcome anyone interested. aa.org is not a meeting finder. Use the meetings search and confirm the time, because those listings are not verified. You need not join a prayer.

What if I feel physically awful while they are adding up my answers?

Put the tally down. Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. A homemade score cannot manage that. NIDA says mutual-help groups such as A.A. are peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. A meeting is peer support, not detox. FindTreatment.gov lists programs.