Hemisphere Dominance Inventory

The idea of left and right hemisphere dominance has been around for a while, but with modern technology and our ability to gather more precise data on brain activity, the idea has been debunked. Regardless, personality surveys and brain hemisphere tests do have some entertainment value and can be used for introspection.

1. ____ If you had to give someone directions to your house, which of the following methods would you most likely use?

a. Write a paragraph that explains where and when to turn
b. Draw a road map

2. ____Which of the following are you better at solving? a. Jigsaw puzzle b. Crossword puzzle

3. ____Do you remember faces easily? a. Yes b. No

4. ____Do you think you'd earn higher grades in a geometry class or in an algebra class?
a. geometry b. algebra

5. ____Imagine that you're vacationing at a resort. Which of the following would you most likely do?
a. Obtain a brochure of local attractions and plan what you'd like to do for the day
b. Drive around without a plan and decide what you'd like to do as you drive along

6. ____Was it usually easy or difficult to learn grammar in school? a. difficult b. easy

7. ____Imagine enrolling in a music course. You and a partner in the course must write a song. Which of the following would you prefer to do?
a. Write the lyrics b. Compose the melody

8. ____When you read a new chapter in a textbook, which of the following are you most likely to do?
a. Skim through the entire chapter first to get a general idea of what the chapter is about
b. Read the chapter from beginning to end without doing much skimming

9. ____ In which of the following English classes would you most likely enroll?
a. Journalism
b. Creative writing

10. ____ Imagine that you volunteered to work for the school newspaper. Which of the following would you rather do?
a. Cut and paste and lay out the stories and decide which stories should appear where
b. Write one or two of the stories

11. ____ After reading a new chapter in a textbook, which of the following would you rather do?
a. summarize the chapter b. outline the chapter

12. ____ if you had an important project due in a class, would you prefer to work? a. in a group b. alone

13. ____Which of the following classroom situations do you prefer?
a. A teacher announces assignments on a weekly basis and sets specific weekly due dates
b. A teacher announces all the assignments at the beginning of the course and allows you to complete them at any time before the end of the course

14. ____ Which of the following statements best applies to you?
a. I'm good at guessing a person's mood by his or her body language
b. I'm not good at guessing a person's mood by his or her body language

15. Which of the following would you rather play? a. Scrabble b. Checkers

16. With which of the following statements do you most agree?
a. We should continue exploring outer space since one day this exploration may benefit us
b. We should continue exploring outer space only if we can be sure ahead of time of certain benefits we would receive

Scoring

How many "a" answers did you have for odd-numbered questions? ___________
How many "b" answers did you have for even-numbered questions? ___________
LEFT HEMISPHERE TOTAL _______________

How many "a" answers did you have for even-numbered questions? ___________
How many "b" answers did you have for odd-numbered questions? ___________
RIGHT HEMISPHERE TOTAL _______________

Left-Hemisphere Dominance (left total = 10 or more)

Your score indicates that you are generally a highly organized person. If you are sloppy, even your mess makes sense to you. When given a job to do, you like to approach the task one step at a time rather than plunging into it. If you are involved in extra-curricular activities, you are probably well-disciplined. For example, if you are a musician, you probably follow a practice schedule well. In the future, you'd probably do well in one of the following area: accounting, engineering, or computer programming

Right - Hemisphere Dominance (right total = 10 or more)

Your total indicates that you use intuition and creativity to achieve certain goals, rather than an outlined, detailed plan of action. You feel that too much planning tends to limit possibilities. If you are involved in extra-curricular activities that require practice or drilling, you perform well when inspired but otherwise do not enjoy the routine of practicing ever day. Chances are good that you are interested in one of the following areas: music, art, athletics.

Balanced Hemispheres (both totals = less than 10)

As indicated in the previous descriptions, left-hemisphere people prefer structure; right-hemisphere people do not. Your score indicates that you fall somewhere between these two extremes. When given a job to do, you may prepare yourself by making lists (something a left-hemisphere person would do), but the lists may not be highly organized (which a right hemisphere person may prefer.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses logic detail oriented facts rule words and language present and past math and science can comprehend knowing acknowledges order/pattern perception knows object name reality based forms strategies practical safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses feeling "big picture" oriented imagination rules symbols and images present and future philosophy & religion can "get it" (i.e. meaning) believes appreciates spatial perception knows object function fantasy based presents possibilities impetuous risk taking