9-Hole Peg Test
What It Measures
The 9-Hole Peg Test (9-HPT) is a short, timed test of hand and finger dexterity — how quickly and precisely a person can pick up and place small objects. The person sits at a table with a shallow container holding nine pegs and a board with nine empty holes. When timing starts, they move all nine pegs into the holes one at a time as fast as they can, then take them out one at a time and return them to the container. The total time to finish is the score. Each hand is tested twice: two trials with the dominant hand, followed by two with the non-dominant hand.
Because the result is a simple time, it gives occupational and physical therapists an objective baseline that is easy to repeat and compare across an episode of care. It is used in hand therapy and across neurorehabilitation caseloads, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease, with clients ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics. The test takes about three minutes, needs no special training to give, and requires very little space or setup — so it travels well between outpatient clinics, inpatient rehabilitation, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health visits.
Additional Notes
Equipment Note: The 9-HPT requires a standardized pegboard with nine pegs. Commercially available kits cost roughly $30.
