Methodology · What We Measure

The six capability axes

AIQCAT is not an IQ-style intelligence test. It quantitatively measures the ability to solve real tasks with generative AI, across six capability axes — each graded on actual work, not multiple choice.

The term

AIQ — and why it is not IQ.

"AIQ" (an AI IQ) is used loosely across the market. Some use it for AI-literacy quizzes that test whether you can name tools or recall prompt tricks; some use it for a model's own "intelligence" in a benchmark; some use it as a marketing score with no defined construct behind it. AIQCAT uses the term for one specific, measurable thing: your demonstrated ability to get real work done with generative AI.

IQ — general intelligence

A broad cognitive measure: abstract reasoning, working memory, and pattern recognition, assessed independently of any tool and largely stable over a lifetime. It says nothing about whether you can actually ship useful work with AI — and it is not what AIQCAT measures.

AIQ — capability with AI

A practical, learnable capability: how effectively a person directs AI, judges and corrects its output, iterates, and delivers work that survives professional review. Measured from real artifacts rather than self-report, and — unlike IQ — it improves with deliberate practice and better workflows.

AIQCAT's definition: AIQ is a quantitative measure of demonstrated task-solving capability with generative AI. Each of the six capability axes below is graded 0–100 from real work and averaged — all six weighted equally — into a single result. The assessment is delivered adaptively — see CAT Methodology — and graded by a consensus of AI evaluator engines with examiner sample review. It is a score of what you can produce, not a rank of how clever you are.


What we measure

Capability with AI, made measurable.

AIQCAT measures a practical, compound capability: how effectively a person directs AI, evaluates its output, iterates, and ships work that holds up to review. That capability is decomposed into six axes. Each axis is scored on a 0–100 scale from graded artifacts, and the six — all weighted equally — are averaged into a single quantitative result.

I.

Abstract Manipulation

Operating on abstract structure across domains.

How it is scored
  • Recognises the underlying analogy
  • Maps entities and constraints correctly
  • Re-applies with valid adjustments
  • Documents the abstraction explicitly
II.

Swarm Intelligence

Orchestrating multiple AI agents.

How it is scored
  • Defines distinct, justified agent roles
  • Specifies clear message contracts
  • Reaches a convergent or arbitrated outcome
  • Handles failure modes
III.

Generative Art

High-quality multimodal artifacts.

How it is scored
  • Adheres to the brief
  • Demonstrates technical execution
  • Shows editorial judgement
  • Documents iteration
IV.

Practical Application

Real business problems, end to end.

How it is scored
  • Delivers a working artifact
  • States assumptions transparently
  • Makes pragmatic trade-offs
  • Produces stakeholder-ready output
V.

Generative Coding

Working code, verified.

How it is scored
  • Functional correctness
  • Review-ready style
  • Evidence of verification
  • Edge-case handling
VI.

Social Implementation

Ethics, law, and societal effects.

How it is scored
  • Identifies specific risks
  • Cites legal / regulatory grounding
  • Proposes concrete mitigations
  • Documents residual risk

Not an IQ test

A practical, quantitative measure — not an intelligence quotient.

AIQCAT does not measure general intelligence. It does not rank people on an abstract scale. It quantifies a specific, observable, job-relevant capability — producing real outcomes with generative AI — and reports it per axis and in aggregate so an organization can act on it.

See Dimensions for the full rubric, and CAT Methodology for how the assessment adapts to each candidate.