ImPACT's value is more to keep athletes off the playing field. It is weak at determining recovery levels beyond a very basic level.

In the early days of ImPACT, players often returned to play based on their own desire to play and willingness to ignore or hide symptoms. ImPACT created a system where the player can not fake his condition. It became the backbone of 'stay off the field' decisions. It became a default 'return to play' system even though the researchers admitted it was not complete enough to determine a broader recovery level. It is a system to establish a bare minimum of improvement before returning to play.