Objective The aims of this study were to examine the performance of eating disorder (ED) patients on the Rey Complex Figure Test and to investigate the validity of the Q‐score as a new method for measuring central coherence (CC). Method Forty‐one patients with anorexia nervosa, 40 patients with bulimia nervosa and 40 healthy controls completed the Rey Complex Figure Test, which was scored both quantitatively and qualitatively. Results Both ED groups scored lower than the healthy controls on copy, recall and the Q‐score. For the anorexia nervosa group, performance on the Central Coherence Index was associated with the nadir body mass index. Performance on the recall measures was independently associated with the nadir body mass index and depressive symptoms for the bulimia nervosa group. There was a strong correlation between the Q‐score and the Central Coherence Index (r = 0.77). Discussion The study reveals different levels of CC and suggests that the Q‐score might be an applicable method for measuring CC in ED patients. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.