Gender Tests

This section of the site has links to so-called gender tests. You should be aware that there is NO specific psychological or physical evaluation for determining gender identity. Nonetheless, non-scientific "tests" for it exist. Gender tests are not only unreliable, they can be potentially dangerous for younger and less educated members of the community who might take the results seriously.

THE FOLLOWING TESTS ARE FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PSYCHOANALYSIS WITH A MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL.

THE TESTS

The COGIATI

Probably the best known of the "gender tests." The name stands for Combined Gender Identity and Transsexual Inventory. It was written by Jennifer Diane Reitz, who is not a psychotherapist or gender researcher, however she is a transsexual woman. The cheif complaint against this test is that it contains "sexist" questions. Also, that it is targeted at people who already self-identity as male-to-female transsexuals. You can take the online version of the COGIATI at her web site at http://www.transsexual.org/Ttestpages1.html

The Moir-Jessel Brain Sex Test

Perhaps much of the reason that the questions in the COGIATI are perceived as "sexist" comes from it's partial basis on the Moir-Jessel Brain Sex Test. The purpose of the Moir-Jessel Brain Sex Test is "to determine whether your brain functions within the normal range for a male or a female." This test gives two scores of which the participant selects the correct one for their genetic sex. The interpretation of these scores, breaks the male and female scores each into three categories.

• Males scoring less than 0 are "Extremely Masculine."
• Males scoring between 0 and 60 are "Normal Males."
• Males scoring greater than 60 are "Feminine Males."
• Females scoring less than 50 are "Masculine Female."
• Females scoring between 50 to 100 is "Normal Female."
• Females scoring greater than 100 is "Extremely Feminine."
  

The book on which the test is based is highly contraversial and the test itself has never been validated by actual male or female sample groups, and certainly has not been validated for use with transsexuals. If you want, though, you can take a truncated version of it online at: http://transsexual.org/cgi-bin/mj-test.exe?

The Bem Sex Role Inventory

The BSRI or "Bem Sex Role Inventory" is the product of Sandra Lipsitz Bem, who began researching sex roles since the early 1970's. The Bem test indicates the degrees of absorption of cultural definitions of gender, as reflected in the user's personality. This test provides independent assessments of masculinity and femininity in terms of the respondent's self-reported possession of socially desirable, stereotypically masculine and feminine personality characteristics. This can also be seen as a measurement of the extent to which respondents spontaneously sort self-relevant information into distinct masculine and feminine categories.

Problems the test poses for use with transsexuals:

• Relys on sterotypes of gender that can be recognozed by the person taking the test.
• Self-reporting, rather than observation, will influence the outcome.
• The test supposedly can identify androgynous behaviors, but transsexuals often will force themselves to act in very sterotypical gender roles.
• The Bem test has not been validated for use with transsexuals.

The test is not available for taking online (at least not legitimately). Copies of the test can be purchased in paper or electronic form at: http://www.mindgarden.com

The Spark Gender Test

This one is actually fairly well known too, but it is "just for fun" and definitely not to be taken seriously at all! You can take the test at: http://test3.thespark.com/gendertest/

The SAGE Test

Similar to the COGIATI, the Sex And Gender Explorer (SAGE) test is an online, javascripted questionaire. It also draws from other tests, like the Bem and Moir-Jessel, as well as incorporates test materials used in neurological studies. It can be considered a "derivitive" version of the COGIATI and, therefore, shares many of the shortcomings of that test. The scope of the SAGE test is much broader, with questions worded in a more "neutral" way to allow men, women, and intersexed people to take it, and it makes no assumptions that the test taker has any gender identity conflicts at all. It should also be able to accommodate female-to-male gender dysphorics. Nonetheless, many people have complained about the test being "sexist" or the questions being too limiting. Scoring is based on the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for Gender Identity Disorders.

Not that it particularly matters, but you may be interested to know the author of this web site created the SAGE test specifically to fill in the COGIATI's gaps. However, it is most likely no more accurate than ANY "gender test" available. Please read the disclaimer and instructions carefully if you decide to take the SAGE test. >> GO TO THE SAGE TEST <<