What are the nine cognitive domains Cognassist measures?

Cognassist measures nine cognitive domains, grouped under three cognitive indexes. Language & Numbers: Literacy, Verbal Reasoning and Reading Decoding. Visual & Fluid: Numeracy, Executive Function, Visual Perception and Visual Information Processing Speed. Memory: Verbal Memory and Non-Verbal Memory. Nine domains across three indexes (3, 4 and 2).

What does the Cognassist cognitive assessment measure?

It measures how a learner thinks and learns, not what they already know. The assessment is performance-based and completed by every learner at onboarding in about 35 to 40 minutes, producing a cognitive profile across the nine domains and three indexes. To see it in practice, visit the cognitive assessment page; for the evidence behind it, see the science page.

Why nine cognitive domains?

Because the set is grounded in the Cattell-Horn-Carroll model and the three-index structure is empirically derived through factor analysis, not assumed. Each domain measures a distinct ability. Together the nine cover a wide spectrum of the cognition that matters for learning, broad rather than a complete map of all human cognition.

What is cognitive diversity?

Cognitive diversity is the natural variation in how people think and learn, and it is far broader than neurodiversity. Cognitive diversity affects 9 in 10 people; neurodiversity affects 1 in 5. (Cognitive diversity here means one or more of the nine cognitive domains falling at least one standard deviation from the population norm.) That is why the assessment is for every learner, not only those who disclose.

Is a domain result a diagnosis?

No. A domain or index result is a signal to inform a professional's judgement, never a diagnosis or a verdict. It measures the cognitive differences associated with specific learning differences, and it does not by itself establish disability under the Equality Act 2010.

Cognitive domains

What the Cognassist cognitive assessment actually measures

Nine cognitive domains, across three cognitive indexes. What each one measures, why these nine, and why that is what lets you trust, explain and defend it.

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It measures how you think and learn, not what you already know

The assessment is performance-based: it measures how a learner thinks and learns, not what they already know. Every learner completes it at onboarding in about 35 to 40 minutes, with no specialist needed to run or read it.

The usual path waits for a learner to disclose a difficulty, often only after they have already struggled and been referred on.
A whole-cohort assessment at onboarding surfaces cognitive diversity from the start, for every learner, not only those who disclose.
Cognitive diversity affects 9 in 10 people; neurodiversity affects 1 in 5. (Cognitive diversity: one or more of the nine cognitive domains falling at least one standard deviation from the population norm.)

The nine domains

Nine cognitive domains, across three cognitive indexes

Knowing exactly what the assessment measures is what lets you trust it, explain it upward and defend it. Read the three indexes first for the broad picture, then the domains beneath each for where a learner's profile takes shape. Nine domains in total, across three indexes.

Language & Numbers

Literacy: read and understand written information, linking it to what you already know.
Verbal Reasoning: understand and work with words and language; solve problems, follow instructions and express ideas clearly.
Reading Decoding: recognise written words and turn them into sounds; sound out unfamiliar words accurately and fluently.

Visual & Fluid

Numeracy: understand and work with numbers; calculate, spot patterns and apply maths to everyday tasks.
Executive Function: plan, organise and manage tasks; stay focused, switch between activities and keep track of what needs doing.
Visual Perception: make sense of what you see; notice shapes, patterns and differences in charts, signs or diagrams.
Visual Information Processing Speed: quickly understand and respond to visual information.

Memory

Verbal Memory: remember spoken or written information; recall words, instructions or facts read or heard.
Non-Verbal Memory: remember images, patterns and locations.

Why these nine, and not some other set

The set is not arbitrary, and you can say exactly why.

Grounded in the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model, the internationally recognised taxonomy of cognitive ability, with the Baddeley-Hitch model as a complementary anchor for working memory.
The three indexes are empirically derived, not assumed: factor analysis of the assessment data extracts the three factors that become the three cognitive indexes.
Each domain measures a distinct ability, confirmed by the inter-task correlation pattern (.01 to .59).
Together they cover a wide spectrum of the cognition that matters for learning: broad, not a complete map of all human cognition, and not the depth of a formal diagnosis.

I wish I'd had this at school. I knew that about myself, but I didn't know this.

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A signal for professional judgement, never a diagnosis

A domain or index result is a signal to inform a professional's judgement, never a diagnosis or a verdict.

It measures the cognitive differences associated with specific learning differences; it does not detect or diagnose a condition, and it does not by itself establish disability under the Equality Act 2010.
Every domain is shown relative to the learner's own profile: relatively easier or relatively harder, never as a deficit.
The assessment is built to recognised psychometric standards and reviewed by PATOSS against the JCQ scientific-validity requirements. The full evidence is on the science page.

See the science and evidence

FAQ

Questions about what the assessment measures

What are the nine cognitive domains Cognassist measures?
Cognassist measures nine cognitive domains, grouped under three cognitive indexes. Language & Numbers: Literacy, Verbal Reasoning and Reading Decoding. Visual & Fluid: Numeracy, Executive Function, Visual Perception and Visual Information Processing Speed. Memory: Verbal Memory and Non-Verbal Memory. Nine domains across three indexes (3, 4 and 2).
What does the Cognassist cognitive assessment measure?
It measures how a learner thinks and learns, not what they already know. The assessment is performance-based and completed by every learner at onboarding in about 35 to 40 minutes, producing a cognitive profile across the nine domains and three indexes. To see it in practice, visit the cognitive assessment page; for the evidence behind it, see the science page.
Why nine cognitive domains?
Because the set is grounded in the Cattell-Horn-Carroll model and the three-index structure is empirically derived through factor analysis, not assumed. Each domain measures a distinct ability. Together the nine cover a wide spectrum of the cognition that matters for learning, broad rather than a complete map of all human cognition.
What are the three cognitive indexes?
Language & Numbers, Visual & Fluid, and Memory. Read the indexes first for the broad picture, then the domains beneath each for where a learner's profile takes shape.
What is cognitive diversity?
Cognitive diversity is the natural variation in how people think and learn, and it is far broader than neurodiversity. Cognitive diversity affects 9 in 10 people; neurodiversity affects 1 in 5. (Cognitive diversity here means one or more of the nine cognitive domains falling at least one standard deviation from the population norm.) That is why the assessment is for every learner, not only those who disclose.
Is a domain result a diagnosis?
No. A domain or index result is a signal to inform a professional's judgement, never a diagnosis or a verdict. It measures the cognitive differences associated with specific learning differences, and it does not by itself establish disability under the Equality Act 2010.

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