Brain Dominance Test

Use our Brain Dominance Test to help practitioners assess thinking styles, brain dominance, and cognitive tendencies, enabling tailored interventions for your clients.

By Liliana Braun on Aug 2, 2025.

Fact Checked by Gale Alagos.

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What is a Brain Dominance Test?

A Brain Dominance Test is a tool used to explore which hemisphere of the brain—left or right—plays a dominant role in an individual's thinking, behavior, and cognitive preferences. This concept states that the left side of your brain and the right side of your brain specialize in different functions. While the left hemisphere is typically associated with logical reasoning, analytical thinking, and structured problem-solving, the right hemisphere is linked to creativity, intuition, and emotional expression.

These tests assess how individuals process information and approach tasks, offering insights into their thinking style and natural inclinations based on certain functions. For example, someone with left-brain dominance might excel in strategy games or tasks requiring organization. In contrast, those with right-brain dominance may thrive in creative pursuits and holistic problem-solving.

The delineation of "left" and "right" brains is not just an idea thrown around. Although it is based on early scientific research, such as split-brain research, modern neuroscience highlights that both hemispheres work together to perform most tasks (Nielsen et al., 2013). Despite this, the Brain Dominance Test remains a popular method for self-reflection, offering a deeper understanding of how different hemispheres contribute to unique ways of thinking and learning.

Brain Dominance Test Template

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How to use our Brain Dominance Test template

Our Brain Dominance Test template is based on the Open Hemispheric Brain Dominance Scale (Jorgenson, 2015) and provided only for descriptive and self-reflection purposes.

While the biological model of strict left-brain/right-brain division has been discredited with scientific proof (Nielsen et al., 2013), the personality framework and descriptive system associated with "brain dominance" remains a popular and potentially useful tool for understanding different thinking styles.

The following is a step-by-step guide on how to use this test.

Step 1: Download the template

Access the Brain Dominance Test template from this page by clicking on "Use template" to open and modify the template within the Carepatron platform or "Download" to get a PDF copy.

Step 2: Answer the questions

For each statement in the brain test, have them rate their agreement with each statement, where 1 is disagree, 3 is neutral, and 5 is agree.

Step 3: Complete all questions

Ensure that the client answers all questions, as each response plays a role in determining their brain dominance.

Scoring and interpretation

The scoring system utilizes two composite scores (A and B) derived from specific questionnaire items. These values are then incorporated into a final calculation that yields the overall dominance score (X).

The scoring procedure follows these steps:

Calculate score A by summing responses from items Q1, Q2, Q3, Q5, Q8, Q10, Q11, Q12, Q14, Q18, and Q20
Calculate score B by summing responses from items Q4, Q6, Q7, Q9, Q13, Q15, Q16, Q17, and Q19
Apply the formula: X = 66 - A + B

The final score (X) will fall between 20 and 100, with the following interpretive ranges:

20-55: Indicates a preference for analytical, sequential processing
56-64: Suggests balanced processing preferences
65-100: Indicates a preference for holistic, simultaneous processing associated with right-brain people

These scores should be considered alongside other assessment data and client history.

Next steps after conducting this test

After completing the Brain Dominance Test, it’s important to guide the client in understanding how their results reflect their thinking style or preference rather than the sole dominance of one hemisphere. For individuals with left-brain dominance, the practitioner should explain how this group processes information logically and excels in tasks requiring structure, analysis, and organization. These individuals often gravitate toward careers in mathematics, science, or strategy-based fields, where logical reasoning is essential.

Understanding left-brained and right-brained thinking: In contrast, right-brained individuals are typically more creative and intuitive, with a holistic approach to problem-solving. These clients may thrive in artistic, entertainment, or other imaginative fields where abstract thinking is key. Explaining this contrast to the client can help them recognize the tendencies they may have based on their dominant brain hemisphere.
Leveraging brain dominance insights: Clients who show a balance between left and right brain functions suggest a versatile thinking style. They can approach tasks creatively and logically, providing flexibility and adaptability, especially when making important decisions. This balanced thinking can be particularly valuable in dynamic environments.
Applying results to daily life: Encourage clients to reflect on how their results can be applied to various aspects of their lives, whether in work, intimate or romantic relationships, or personal growth. By leveraging their dominant brain preference, they can optimize communication, find like-minded individuals, and enhance problem-solving capabilities. Understanding brain dominance can also help improve decision-making and help clients focus on areas where they can maximize their strengths.
Enhancing performance with a balanced approach: Consider guiding clients to consider how they can use these insights to enhance their performance. If clients exhibit a more balanced brain dominance, they may benefit from integrating logical and creative approaches to tasks. This balance can improve efficiency in scenarios requiring both types of thinking and can provide a more comprehensive approach to problem-solving and decision-making.

References

Jorgenson, E. (2015, April 29). Open Hemispheric Brain Dominance Scale 1.0. Open Psychometrics. https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/OHBDS/development/OHBDS1.0.pdf
Nielsen, J.A., Zielinski, B. A., Ferguson, M. A., Lainhart, J. E., Anderson, J. S. (2013). An evaluation of the left-brain vs. right-brain hypothesis with resting state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging. PLoS ONE 8(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071275

Commonly asked questions

A "left-brain person" is often stereotyped as being analytical, methodical, and logical, traits traditionally associated with the left hemisphere's functions such as language and reasoning. However, recent research has discredited the notion of strict left-brain dominance, showing that both hemispheres work collaboratively across various cognitive tasks, and individual differences in personality cannot be attributed to one side being more dominant than the other.

A "right-brained person" is typically characterized as creative, emotional, and intuitive, reflecting the right hemisphere's association with artistic and spatial abilities. Yet, this classification is also misleading; studies indicate that while certain functions may be localized in one hemisphere, there is no evidence that individuals predominantly use one side over the other in a way that defines their personality or cognitive style.

Left-brain and right-brain tests are designed to assess an individual's cognitive preferences based on these stereotypes. However, such tests have been criticized for lacking scientific validity, as they rely on outdated theories of brain function that have been debunked by modern neuroscience.