Online reasoning test or consultation with a psychologist
Both talk about IQ, but they answer different questions. Knowing which is which keeps you from using a number for a decision it can't support.
In this article
Two things with the same name
An online reasoning test, like IQNorth's, is an educational estimate. You answer on your own, at your own pace, and get a number with a margin of error, compared with people your age. It helps you understand how reasoning is measured and where you did better or worse.
A consultation with a psychologist is a process led by a psychologist to answer a concrete question: why this child can't keep up with the class, whether there was memory loss after an illness, whether a candidate is fit for a regulated role. An intelligence test can be one of the pieces, but it isn't the whole process.
The underlying difference is the question. The online test answers the curiosity of the person taking it. The consultation answers a question that has consequences, which is why it surrounds every number with other information before concluding anything.
What differs, side by side
| Aspect | Educational online test | Consultation with a psychologist |
|---|---|---|
| Who conducts it | No one; you answer on your own | A psychologist licensed by the professional council |
| Setting | Your home, unsupervised | A controlled room, with the professional present |
| Instrument | Original questions, provisional norm | Tests with a favorable SATEPSI rating, with Brazilian norms |
| Length | About 20 minutes | Several sessions, with a full battery |
| Other sources | None | Interview, history, observation, reports from family or school |
| Result | Estimate with a 95% range, for personal use | A technical document, such as a formal report, with conclusions and recommendations |
What the rules say in Brazil
Law 4,119 of 1962, which regulates the profession, reserves the use of psychological methods and techniques to psychologists. In practice, psychological intelligence tests may be used only by psychologists. CFP Resolution No. 31/2022 sets the guidelines for consultation with a psychologist and regulates SATEPSI, the Federal Council of Psychology's system that evaluates tests and publishes the list of those with a favorable rating for professional use.
The formal report has its own rules, defined by CFP Resolution No. 06/2019, which covers documents written by psychologists. It integrates test results with the interview and history, and answers the question that prompted the consultation.
IQNorth is not a psychological test in that sense and does not issue formal reports. That's why we present ourselves as an educational estimate of reasoning.
When to see a psychologist
Some situations call for professional care, and no online test replaces that step.
- Learning difficulties that persist despite support at school.
- Suspected giftedness when the school needs to decide something, such as grade acceleration or specialized services.
- Changes in memory, attention or reasoning after an illness or injury, or with aging; in that case, a neuropsychologist and a physician.
- A formal requirement, such as the consultation with a psychologist required for a driver's license, a firearms permit or some civil service exams.
- Any question about a child's mental health, attention or development.
In these cases, bring the question to the professional, not the number from an online test. The psychologist will choose the instruments suited to the question.
What an educational test is for, and what it isn't
A test like IQNorth's is useful for satisfying curiosity with a method that is explained, getting to know the formats reasoning tests use, seeing which areas you did better in relative to your own result, and tracking, with the proper margin, whether something changed on a retest.
It is not meant for deciding on hiring or promotion, school admission or placement, or any health matter. A 20-minute number, unsupervised and with a provisional norm, can't bear the weight of those decisions, and using it that way would be unfair to the person being evaluated.
The reason is technical. In a decision about a person, measurement error stops being a statistical detail and becomes a real chance of harming someone. That's why international testing standards require every use of a test to have validity evidence for that specific purpose (AERA, APA and NCME, 2014). A test designed for educational use doesn't have that evidence for selecting employees or placing students, and shouldn't be treated as if it did.
The right question for an online test is what it teaches you about how you reason. Decisions about someone's life call for a different tool.
See also: Our principles.
Read next: How can I find out my IQ?
Sources
- Brasil. Lei nº 4.119, de 27 de agosto de 1962. Dispõe sobre os cursos de formação em psicologia e regulamenta a profissão de psicólogo.
- Conselho Federal de Psicologia (2022). Resolução CFP nº 31/2022. Estabelece diretrizes para a realização de avaliação psicológica no exercício profissional e regulamenta o Sistema de Avaliação de Testes Psicológicos (SATEPSI).
- Conselho Federal de Psicologia (2019). Resolução CFP nº 06/2019. Institui regras para a elaboração de documentos escritos produzidos pela psicóloga e pelo psicólogo no exercício profissional.
- AERA, APA & NCME (2014). Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.
