Start with overall IQ and the general level
You can complete all nine tasks and receive your overall IQ and brain type report for free. The detailed report includes the five domain scores, all nine task scores, GAI, and CPI.
Overall IQ combines the results of all nine tasks. It uses a scale with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, showing the result’s general standing relative to the comparison group.
When the five cognitive domains differ substantially, overall IQ alone cannot distinguish the task formats that produced stronger and weaker performance. If verbal comprehension is high and processing speed is lower, for example, combining them can produce an overall IQ between the two.
After checking overall IQ, move to the differences across the five domains. Reading the overall score and the domains separately distinguishes profiles that share the same overall IQ but have different internal patterns.
How BrainTypeIQ calculates IQ scores explains the overall-IQ scale. To see these elements on an actual result screen, open the sample report as you read.
The five domains show which task formats produced stronger performance
BrainTypeIQ reports five cognitive abilities alongside overall IQ.
| Domain | Ability shown |
|---|---|
| Gc | Using vocabulary and knowledge to understand, make judgments, and express ideas |
| Gf | Finding relationships and rules in an unfamiliar problem |
| Gv | Working with shapes and spatial relationships in the mind |
| Gwm | Retaining information temporarily while processing it |
| Gs | Making quick judgments about visual information and producing accurate responses |
A more circular radar chart indicates smaller differences among the domains, while sharper peaks indicate larger differences. Find the highest and lowest domains first to see which task formats account for the main difference.
Domain scores and task scores use different scales
The report contains two types of score.
- Domain scores — an IQ scale with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15
- Task scores — a standardized scale with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10
A domain score of 110 and a task score of 55 are both slightly above average on their respective scales. The numerical values cannot be compared directly. To compare them on the same basis, use the percentile rank shown for each score.
How nine tasks measure five domains shows which tasks contribute to each domain.
What the “±4” beside a domain score means
The “±4” displayed beside each domain score is a guide for reading the score as an estimate rather than as a fixed, exact value. It does not mean that every domain has exactly four points of measurement error.
If the displayed score is 112, read 112 as an estimate that includes measurement variation, not as an exact point with no uncertainty. A small difference such as 108 versus 112 is therefore not enough on its own to define a clear strength and weakness. Start with the largest domain difference, then check whether the nine task scores show the same pattern.
BrainTypeIQ reliability explains the measurement variation and reliability evidence in more detail.
The nine tasks show what lies behind each domain difference
After checking a domain score, examine the tasks that contribute to it.
Check whether the tasks within the same domain move together or differ from one another. If only one of the two Gwm tasks is lower, examine the conditions specific to that task before treating the whole working-memory domain as a weakness.
The lowest task in an otherwise high profile may still be above average. Conversely, a task can be clearly higher within a generally lower profile. Read each task in two ways: its position compared with the norm group and its position within the person’s own profile.
Compare GAI and CPI
GAI combines Gc, Gf, and Gv, while CPI combines Gwm and Gs.
- GAI is higher than CPI — comprehension, reasoning, and visuospatial scores are higher than retention and processing-speed scores
- CPI is higher than GAI — retention and processing-speed scores are higher than comprehension, reasoning, and visuospatial scores
- The difference is small — the two groups of abilities are at similar levels
The GAI/CPI comparison shows whether the result was relatively stronger on tasks that require an answer to be developed through understanding and reasoning, or on tasks that require information to be retained and processed within a time limit.
The difference between GAI and CPI explains the two composites in detail.
Read the brain type after the scores that determine it
The brain type summarizes the score relationships across GAI/CPI, Verbal/Visual, and Gwm/Gs. Reading the type after overall IQ, the five domains, and the nine tasks makes the basis of the classification clear.
BrainTypeIQ brain types explains the 9 main types, the Gwm/Gs sub-axis, and the 27 profiles.
Turn the profile into one change in learning or work
Finally, compare the score differences with actual learning and work.
- Increase the use of task formats that draw on the higher domains
- Add time, a visible procedure, or a tool to support the lower domains
- Identify where the largest domain difference appears in daily activity
If Gwm is lower, divide several instructions into written steps. If Gs is lower, allow more time for rapid scanning, matching, or output. The report becomes useful when it leads to a concrete change in conditions rather than ending with a review of the scores.
What is a cognitive profile? explains how to apply cognitive-profile differences to everyday life and work.
Guides to specific cognitive-profile patterns
Browse all cognitive-profile guides for other patterns.