Thinking Style Assessment Test

Designed for quick self-reflection, the Thinking Style Assessment Test takes about 8 minutes and contains 40 yes-or-no questions. Its results describe four style dimensions-visual-imaginative, verbal-logical, abstract-symbolic, and practical-action-alongside creativity, which measures novel, nonstandard solution generation. Creativity may coexist with any of the four styles, clarifying your profile of ideas, problems, and learning.

Questions: 408 minutes

Thinking Style Assessment Test: sample question card

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

CreativityC

Measures the tendency to think imaginatively and generate unconventional solutions when solving tasks.

example score5/8

5/8Moderate creativityexample score

0 – 3Lower creativity

4 – 5Moderate creativity

6 – 8Higher creativity

A score of 5 indicates a moderate level of creativity, with a generally good ability to generate new ideas that may become more consistent in supportive conditions.

Visual-Imaginative ThinkingVIT

Measures how strongly a person relies on visual images and imaginative representations when processing information and generating ideas.

example score4/8

4/8Moderateexample score

0 – 3Low

4 – 5Moderate

6 – 8High

A score of 4 indicates a moderate tendency to use visual imagery, suggesting images can support thinking but are not the dominant mode.

Verbal-LogicalVL

Measures how effectively a person uses language-based reasoning to formulate, structure, and communicate ideas.

example score4/8

4/8Moderateexample score

0 – 3Low

4 – 5Moderate

6 – 8High

A score of 4 indicates a moderate level of verbal-logical thinking, with generally adequate ability to express and reason through ideas in words while still having room to strengthen verbal precision and argument structure.

Abstract-SymbolicAS

Measures how comfortably a person works with abstractions such as symbols, formulas, and coded or rule-based representations.

example score4/8

4/8Moderateexample score

0 – 3Low

4 – 5Moderate

6 – 8High

A score of 4 indicates a moderate level of abstract-symbolic thinking, suggesting basic comfort with formulas and symbolic representations with room to strengthen more complex abstraction.

Practical-Action ThinkingPAT

Measures how strongly a person relies on practical, action-oriented thinking to plan and carry out tasks in the physical world.

example score5/8

5/8Moderateexample score

0 – 3Low

4 – 5Moderate

6 – 8High

A score of 5 indicates a moderate tendency toward goal-directed, hands-on problem solving, with practical action being a common but not exclusive approach.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

School psychologists and counselors

41%OF USERS

They use it for quick screening to understand a teen’s thinking strengths and plan targeted support or interventions.

Teachers and homeroom leads

34%OF USERS

They take it to adapt lessons and assignments to how students process information and to boost engagement in class.

Parents of teenagers

25%OF USERS

They use it to better understand their child’s learning style and choose study strategies that fit at home.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

CreativityC

You?

Average6

Typical rangeTypical4.6 – 7.4

Possible0 – 8

Visual-imageryV

You?

Average3.4

Typical rangeTypical2.3 – 4.6

Possible0 – 8

Verbal-logicalV

You?

Average2.5

Typical rangeTypical1.3 – 3.6

Possible0 – 8

Abstract-symbolicA

You?

Average2.2

Typical rangeTypical0.9 – 3.4

Possible0 – 8

Goal-directed behaviorGb

You?

Average5.7

Typical rangeTypical4.5 – 7

Possible0 – 8

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Each person tends to have a predominant thinking style. This questionnaire is designed to help identify your thinking style. If you agree with a statement, respond “Yes”; otherwise, respond “No.”

- Yes
- No
- Yes
- No
- Yes
- No

These are 3 of the 40 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Thinking Style Assessment Test - Description and methodology of the test

creativity

thinking style

type of intelligence

People who want to understand how they approach ideas, problems, and learning can use this Thinking Style Assessment Test to examine recurring preferences rather than seek a single label. It is suited to self-reflection, study planning, and considering cognitive preferences in study or work. Results link everyday choices with four style dimensions and a separate creativity dimension for generating novel solutions.

What This Assessment Explores

Questions cover imagery, language, symbols, practical activity, experimentation, and improvement. Four thinking styles describe tendencies; creativity measures novel, nonstandard solution generation and may coexist with any style. The profile supports personal learning and problem-solving. The dimensions are:

Creativity (0-8) assesses generating novel, nonstandard solutions; Lower creativity 0-3, Moderate creativity 4-5, Higher creativity 6-8.
Visual-Imaginative Thinking (0-8) assesses creating and mentally representing images; Low 0-3, Moderate 4-5, High 6-8.
Verbal-Logical (0-8) assesses verbal intelligence used to formulate and communicate ideas; Low 0-3, Moderate 4-5, High 6-8.
Abstract-Symbolic (0-8) assesses work with mathematical codes, formulas, and abstractions; Low 0-3, Moderate 4-5, High 6-8.
Practical-Action Thinking (0-8) assesses learning through hands-on activity and movement and applying ideas; Low 0-3, Moderate 4-5, High 6-8.

Methodology and Evidence Base

Each item is a Yes-or-No self-report statement about imagery, language, symbols, practical activity, or improving familiar methods. Responses form separate dimension scores, producing a profile rather than one overall score. The online bands are descriptive; no item weights or reverse-scoring rule is stated.

Rezapkina's Type of Thinking (2005) distinguishes visual, verbal, abstract, and practical orientations. The questionnaire is conceptually consistent with that instrument and with Lutskovich’s 2013 discussion of thinking types. Bruner, Goodnow, and Austin offer a broader account of concept formation, while Sternberg addresses preferred ways of deploying abilities. These sources support interpretation of the themes, not a claim of direct adaptation or validation.

Because the profile has no stated population norms, its bands are descriptive rather than clinical cutoffs. Yes-or-no self-report compresses nuance, and results may shift with mood, experience, self-awareness, or context. Read the thinking style profile as a prompt for reflection, then compare it with observed behavior and wider context.

Author: Robert J. Sternberg

Literature:

Rezapkina, Galina V. Selection for Specialized Classes: Methodology "Type of Thinking." Moscow: Genesis, 2005.
Lutskovich, Vyacheslav V. "The Specifics of the Relationship Between Types of Thinking and Subjective Features of Understanding." Experimental Psychology, vol. 6, no. 3, 2013, pp. 53-61.
Bruner, Jerome S., Jacqueline J. Goodnow, and George A. Austin. A Study of Thinking. New York: Wiley, 1956.
Sternberg, Robert J. Thinking Styles. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. 10.1017/CBO9780511584152

Updated: 2025-10-02