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Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)3

Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Test

With 86 questions and an estimated completion time of 16 minutes, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Test explores everyday executive-function skills such as emotional regulation, planning, working memory, and impulse control. Your profile can highlight strengths and areas for self-reflection in organization, task management, and behavioral regulation.

Questions: 8616 minutes

Behavior Rating Inventory: situation and reply bubbles

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

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3,010 completions

2,315 likes

Daniel Hall Psychologist · Test reviewer

2,315 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Negativity ScaleNS

Assesses response validity by detecting a tendency toward overly negative or biased ratings when completing the questionnaire.

example score3/9

3/9Typical rangeexample score

0 – 4Typical range

5 – 9Elevated negativity

A score of 3 falls in the typical range, suggesting no notable negative response bias on this validity check.

Cognitive ControlCC

Assesses how well a child monitors and evaluates task performance and reflects on how their behavior affects others.

example score3/3

3/3Highexample score

1 – 1.9Low

2 – 2.9Moderate

3High

A score of 3 falls in the High range, suggesting strong day-to-day self-monitoring, reflection, and cognitive control in everyday situations.

Organization of MaterialsOoM

Assesses how well the child maintains order and organization in their work or play environment.

example score3/3

3/3Well-organizedexample score

1Needs support

2 – 3Well-organized

A score of 3 falls in the Well-organized range, suggesting strong everyday skills for keeping belongings and activities orderly.

Plan/OrganizeP

The Planning scale measures the ability to anticipate events, set goals, and organize steps to achieve them in everyday situations.

example score3/3

3/3Strong planningexample score

1Basic planning

2Developing planning

3Strong planning

A score of 3 suggests well-developed planning and organizational skills, with consistent ability to set goals and follow structured steps.

Behavioral Regulation IndexBRI

Measures how well a child can inhibit impulses, shift between activities, and regulate emotional responses in everyday situations.

example score2/3

2/3Moderate difficultiesexample score

1 – 1.9Lower difficulties

2 – 2.4Moderate difficulties

2.5 – 3Higher difficulties

A score of 2 indicates a moderate level of difficulty with behavior regulation, suggesting occasional challenges with impulse control, switching tasks, or managing emotions.

General Executive Function IndexGEFI

This index summarizes overall executive functioning, combining behavior regulation and metacognitive skills such as planning, flexibility, and self-control in everyday life.

example score2/3

2/3Moderate overall EFexample score

1 – 1.9Lower overall EF

2 – 2.9Moderate overall EF

3Higher overall EF

A score of 2 indicates a moderate level of overall executive functioning, suggesting generally adequate self-regulation and planning with potential inconsistencies across situations.

Emotional ControlEC

Assesses how well a child regulates emotional responses to match the demands of the situation in everyday life.

example score1/3

1/3Lower emotional controlexample score

1 – 1.9Lower emotional control

2 – 3Higher emotional control

A score of 1 falls in the lower emotional control range, suggesting more difficulty adjusting emotional reactions to fit different situations.

ShiftS

Assesses how well a child can flexibly shift between tasks and adapt behavior when conditions or demands change.

example score2/3

2/3Moderate switchingexample score

1 – 1.9Low switching

2 – 2.4Moderate switching

2.5 – 3High switching

A score of 2 suggests a moderate level of cognitive and behavioral flexibility, with some shifting skills present but not consistently strong across situations.

Working MemoryWM

This scale measures the child’s ability to hold and manipulate information in mind long enough to complete tasks and follow through on instructions.

example score3/3

3/3Higherexample score

1Lower

2 – 3Higher

A score of 3 falls in the Higher range, suggesting comparatively strong working memory skills in everyday task demands as rated by the respondent.

InhibitI

The Braking scale measures a child's ability to inhibit impulses and stop inappropriate behavior when needed in everyday situations.

example score1/3

1/3Lower self-controlexample score

1 – 1.9Lower self-control

2 – 2.4Developing self-control

2.5 – 3Strong self-control

A score of 1 falls in the Lower self-control range, suggesting more frequent difficulty inhibiting impulses and stopping behavior at the right moment.

InitiateI

The Initiative scale measures how independently a child starts tasks and generates ideas in everyday situations.

example score2/3

2/3Moderate initiativeexample score

1 – 1.9Low initiative

2 – 2.4Moderate initiative

2.5 – 3High initiative

A score of 2 suggests a moderate level of initiative, with the child sometimes starting tasks and proposing ideas independently but not consistently across situations.

Metacognition IndexMI

The Metacognitive Index reflects how well a child can plan and organize tasks, sustain goal-directed activity, and hold information in working memory during problem solving.

example score3/3

3/3Higher difficultiesexample score

1Lower difficulties

2 – 3Higher difficulties

A score of 3 falls in the “Higher difficulties” range, suggesting more frequent challenges with planning/organization, sustaining activity, and working memory in everyday situations.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Parents of school-age kids

46%OF USERS

Parents take it to understand daily struggles with attention, planning, and emotional control at home and school.

Teachers and school staff

32%OF USERS

Educators use it to document classroom behaviors like impulsivity, disorganization, and difficulty shifting between tasks to support learning plans.

Child psychologists and researchers

22%OF USERS

Specialists complete or collect the ratings to build an executive-function profile for monitoring progress and research comparisons.

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

Negativity ScaleNS

You?

Average6

Typical rangeTypical4.5 – 7.5

Possible0 – 9

Cognitive ControlCC

You?

Average2.4

Typical rangeTypical2.1 – 2.7

Possible1 – 3

Order in ThingsOiT

You?

Average2.3

Typical rangeTypical1.9 – 2.6

Possible1 – 3

PlanningP

You?

Average2.5

Typical rangeTypical2.1 – 2.8

Possible1 – 3

Behavior Regulation IndexBRI

You?

Average2.3

Typical rangeTypical1.9 – 2.6

Possible1 – 3

Overall Executive Function IndexOEFI

You?

Average1.8

Typical rangeTypical1.4 – 2.1

Possible1 – 3

Emotional controlEc

You?

Average1.9

Typical rangeTypical1.5 – 2.2

Possible1 – 3

SwitchS

You?

Average2.2

Typical rangeTypical1.9 – 2.5

Possible1 – 3

Working MemoryWM

You?

Average2.4

Typical rangeTypical2 – 2.7

Possible1 – 3

BrakingB

You?

Average2.4

Typical rangeTypical2.1 – 2.7

Possible1 – 3

InitiativeI

You?

Average1.6

Typical rangeTypical1.3 – 1.9

Possible1 – 3

Metacognitive IndexMI

You?

Average2

Typical rangeTypical1.7 – 2.4

Possible1 – 3

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Below is a series of statements describing behavioral problems in children. We are interested in whether your student has exhibited these problems during the past 6 months. Please answer all questions honestly and do not skip any statements. After reading each statement, think about your student and mark your response.

- This behavior is almost never a problem
- Sometimes this behavior is a problem
- This behavior is often a problem
- This behavior is almost never a problem
- This behavior is sometimes a problem
- This behavior is often a problem
- This is almost never a problem
- Sometimes this is a problem
- This is often a problem

These are 3 of the 86 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Test - Description and methodology of the test

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deviations

Designed for an adult seeking a structured view of a child’s or adolescent’s everyday self-regulation, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Test organizes observations around planning, emotional control, flexibility, and impulse management. An executive function assessment can reveal patterns in task completion and behavior for closer reflection.

What This Assessment Explores

The profile maps observed behavior rather than assigning a single label. It suits an adult reflecting on a young person's routines, school demands, relationships, and responses to change. Its executive functioning skills are grouped below:

Validity: the Negativity Scale (0-9; typical 0-4, elevated 5-9) flags a negative response style that can color the rest of the profile.
Reflective control: Cognitive Control, the Metacognition Index, and the General Executive Function Index (each 1-3) cover self-monitoring and global executive functioning.
Organization: Organization of Materials, Plan/Organize, Working Memory, and Initiate (each 1-3) describe task setup, memory for instructions, and getting started.
Regulation: the Behavioral Regulation Index, Emotional Control, Shift, and Inhibit (each 1-3) reflect emotional modulation, flexibility, and impulse control in daily settings.

These groupings keep the many subscales readable without flattening them into one headline score.

Methodology and Evidence Base

Each item presents a concrete behavior rated as almost never or rarely a problem, sometimes a problem, or often a problem. The format covers interrupting, forgetting, unfinished tasks, and difficulty with change.

Displayed results are scale scores rather than a single total. Since each scale has its own definition and bands, a higher number cannot be assumed to mean better or worse functioning across the profile. The displayed ranges do not reveal item weights.

The questionnaire is conceptually consistent with BRIEF (Gioia et al., 2000), the published framework most directly connected to these domains. Gioia et al. (2002) provide factor-analytic context, while Roth et al. (2015) show why norms require careful interpretation. These studies do not establish identical standardization for this online version.

As an executive function questionnaire, it is best read as an observer-based snapshot. Ratings may shift with the rater’s perspective, the young person’s current context, and the situations considered; it is not a diagnosis.

Author: G. A. Gioia, L. Kenworthy, P. K. Isquith, S. C. Guy

Literature:

Gioia, G. A., Isquith, P. K., Guy, S. C., & Kenworthy, L. (2000). BRIEF: Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function: Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Gioia, G. A., Isquith, P. K., Retzlaff, P. D., & Espy, K. A. (2002). Confirmatory factor analysis of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) in a clinical sample. Child Neuropsychology, 8(4), 249-257. 10.1076/chin.8.4.249.13513
Roth, R. M., Erdodi, L. A., McCulloch, L. J., & Isquith, P. K. (2015). Much ado about norming: the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. Child Neuropsychology, 21(2), 225-233. 10.1080/09297049.2014.897318

Updated: 2025-10-02