Objectives: To examine short-term test-retest reliability of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 (SCAT5). Design: Longitudinal study. Methods: Sixty-two professional male ice hockey players (mean age = 22.5, SD = 3.2) completed a preseason baseline test twice over a two-week interval. Half of the players were tested by the same assessor on both testing sessions. Spearman`s correlations (rs) were used to determine linear agreements, and Wilcoxon signed rank tests (sig r) were used to determine mean differences, between testing sessions. Results: Symptoms had high test-retest reliability (Score: rs = 0.85, p < 0.001, sig r p < 0.001; Severity: rs = 0.84, p < 0.001, sig r p < 0.001). The reliability coefficients for the SAC (rs = 0.58, p < 0.001, sig r: p = 0.412), and mBESS (rs = 0.40, p = 0.001, sig r: p = 0.607) were considerably lower than symptoms. More than half (52%) of the athletes reported at least one baseline symptom (Md = 1, M = 2.2, SD = 3.3). The most commonly reported symptoms were fatigue or low energy and neck pain. The broad ranges of SAC total scores (range = 28-45, Md = 35, M = 35.4, SD = 4.2) and SAC test-retest change scores (range -7 to +11) were mostly due to variability on the memory performance, tested using 10-item word lists. The number of mBESS single leg stance errors (Md = 1, Md 3.2, SD = 4.0) was greater than Tandem stance errors (Md = 0, Md = 2.0, SD = 3.6). Conclusions: The two-week test-retest reliability of the SCAT5 baseline scores varied from moderate to high. However, there was considerable individual variability on the SAC and mBESS scores and most players have notable short-term fluctuation on performance even if uninjured. Recommendations for interpreting change on the SCAT5 are provided.
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