MeasurementSpeak & #ThinkHand: making your own wooden 9-HPT

I love the idea of MSers making their own ‘hand-made’ 9-hole peg tests; a demonstration in itself of how important hand function is. Just Do It! #ThinkHand #MSBlog

“For all DIY enthusiasts; yes, you can make your own 9-hole peg test. All you need is a square board with 9 holes. The holes are spaced 3.2 cm (1.25 inches) apart with each hole being 1.3 cm (.5 inches) deep. The 9 wooden pegs should be 0.64 cm (.25 inches) in diameter and 3.2 cm (1.25
inches) long. A container that is constructed from 0.7 cm (.25 inches) of plywood, sides are
attached (13 cm x 13 cm) using nails and glue
The peg board should have a mechanism to decrease slippage. Self-adhesive
bathtub appliqués, or silicon or rubber non-slip adhesive strips, are ideal.”



“The study below shows that the DIY versions is as good as the commercial version. What is important is that if you start using a particular version for self-monitoring you should stick with it for consistency. People who have test-driven both the commercial plastic version of the 9-HPT and our cardboard version prefer our test because the pegs with the cardboard version are wooden and ridged and easier to manipulate. The latter allows some people to complete the test slightly quicker. This is not a problem as we are interested in serial changes over time and not one test in time.”


“If any of you go ahead an make your own can you please send us pictures of the finished product? Thanks.”


Oxford Grice et al. Adult norms for a commercially available Nine Hole Peg Test for finger dexterity. Am J Occup Ther. 2003 Sep-Oct;57(5):570-3.



The Nine Hole Peg Test is commonly used by occupational therapists as a simple, quick assessment for finger dexterity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interrater and test-retest reliability of the commercially available Smith & Nephew Rehabilitation Division version of the NineHole Peg Test, and to establish new adult norms for the Nine Hole Peg Test for finger dexterity utilizing this particular version. Two of the researchers established interrater and test-retest reliability by evaluating 25 occupational therapy student volunteers. Seven hundred and three subjects, ranging in age from 21 to 71+ years, were tested to establish norms, using the standard protocol. Results showed high interrater reliability and only moderate test-retest reliability. Scores obtained by using the commercially available version were not statistically different from previously published norms (Mathiowetz, Weber, Kashman, & Volland, 1985). This study supports the original norms and further assists occupational therapists to evaluate dexterity accurately.

6 thoughts on “MeasurementSpeak & #ThinkHand: making your own wooden 9-HPT”

  1. Could a template of the cardboard 9-HPT be made? Then we could download it, print it off on card, cut it out, fold and glue together. I think it could be fairly simple to put together, then we could just buy pegs or golf tees for pegs.

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  2. Having difficulty with left hand, will we be able to buy a 9-HPT from the stand at Excel this weekend?

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  3. Speaking as someone who has lost so much hand function that I can't even cook now, I don't think there's any chance that I could make my own 9-HPT. But I might ask my son's DT Resistant Materials teacher (that's woodwork teacher in old money) if my son could have a go at this …

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