What BrainTypeIQ measures
BrainTypeIQ is an online IQ test that visualizes the profile of cognitive abilities. It reads not only overall IQ, but also where ability tends to appear and where load tends to rise across 5 cognitive domains.
The 5 domains are organized using CHC theory as a reference.
| Domain | Abbreviation | What it reads |
|---|---|---|
| Crystallized intelligence | Gc | Word knowledge and meaning understanding |
| Fluid reasoning | Gf | Reasoning through new problems and finding patterns |
| Visual-spatial processing | Gv | Spatial understanding and figure manipulation |
| Working memory | Gwm | Temporary holding and manipulation of information |
| Processing speed | Gs | Speed and accuracy of simple processing |
These 5 domains are measured through 9 tasks. In principle, each domain is read through two tasks so the result does not depend too heavily on one task.
For details on the 9 tasks: The 9-task x 5-domain structure
Why the profile matters
Overall IQ is useful for seeing the general level. However, overall IQ alone averages differences across domains and can make them harder to see. Even with the same overall IQ, some people understand more easily through words, some through figures, some show ability more easily in deep thinking, and some in short timed judgment.
BrainTypeIQ shows overall IQ and the five-domain cognitive profile together. It also provides brain type classification as a way to connect the profile with conditions that feel easier or more effortful in daily situations.
How it is designed
Theoretical basis - The five-domain structure is based on CHC theory. CHC theory is a framework that reads intelligence not as only one ability, but as several broad abilities. It is also useful for understanding major intelligence tests. BrainTypeIQ organizes its domains in line with this framework.
Task design - Each task is designed by referring to task formats used in psychometric research while adapting them for stable online administration. The aim is not to copy in-person test tasks directly, but to read the same ability domains in forms suitable for online use.
Scoring method - Raw scores are calculated from response data, then converted into IQ-scale scores while considering task difficulty. Age bands are also considered, and relationships among tasks are used to calculate composite scores: 5 domains, GAI, CPI, and FSIQ.
For scoring details: How scores are calculated
Relationship with major intelligence tests
To understand the position of BrainTypeIQ, it helps to know what major in-person tests are designed to prioritize.
| Battery | Structure | Features |
|---|---|---|
| WAIS-IV | 4 indexes, 10 core subtests, 60-90 minutes face to face | A standard in clinical practice, designed together with in-person administration and standardized procedures |
| WAIS-5 | 5 primary indexes, FSIQ built from 7 subtests | Separates visual-spatial processing and fluid reasoning more clearly, closer to a 5-domain CHC structure |
| WJ IV COG | Explicitly uses CHC theory as a design basis | Publishes mappings between broad and narrow abilities |
| SB5 | 5 factors x verbal/nonverbal | Designed for assessment across a wide age range |
Major in-person tests do not select tasks only because they are theoretically ideal. They select tasks that can satisfy theory, clinical practice, administration, and standardization at the same time.
The relationship with CHC theory also differs by battery. WJ IV COG explicitly uses CHC theory as a design basis, while independent research has sometimes reported factor structures that differ from the publisher's assumptions. WAIS-family tests are easy to organize using CHC terms, but they do not necessarily present CHC as their entire official design basis.
BrainTypeIQ uses the 5 domains commonly used in CHC-based interpretation: Gc, Gf, Gv, Gwm, and Gs as a shared framework, and selects task formats that can be administered more stably online. It does not reproduce in-person subtests; it reads the same ability domains in an online-oriented design.
Online administration
Online administration has constraints that differ from in-person testing.
- Device differences - Smartphones and PCs differ in display and operation conditions. Processing-speed tasks include design considerations for these device differences.
- Environment differences - Noise, lighting, interruptions, and other home-environment factors cannot be fully controlled.
- Identity confirmation - Because the test is unsupervised, it cannot strictly verify that the test taker is the person operating it.
At the same time, online administration has properties that in-person testing does not have.
- Response logs - It can record not only answers, but also reaction time and process information.
- Automatic scoring - Scoring procedures are applied consistently.
- Immediate visualization - The domain-level profile can be returned immediately.
This does not mean online testing is superior. In-person and online testing have different strengths and different points that require caution.
Situations where BrainTypeIQ fits
The situations where BrainTypeIQ is useful and the situations where clinical testing is needed are different.
- Situations where BrainTypeIQ fits - You want to first visualize overall IQ and the cognitive profile. You want clues for thinking about learning or work adjustments. Before moving to in-person assessment, you want language for describing your own tendencies.
- Situations where clinical testing is needed - You need a basis for diagnosis, support arrangements, formal documentation, or accommodations.
BrainTypeIQ is not a substitute for clinical testing. When diagnosis or formal decisions are needed, assessment through medical or psychological services is more appropriate.
On the other hand, when you first want to understand overall IQ or cognitive profile differences, you can take the 9-task online IQ test in BrainTypeIQ and read the result as a profile. Knowing the profile is not the end point. What matters is what you adjust after seeing it.