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Sakinorva Test: The Cognitive Functions MBTI Assessment Explained

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Sakinorva Test: The Cognitive Functions MBTI Assessment Explained

The Sakinorva test is a free online assessment that measures Jungian cognitive functions to determine your MBTI type. Unlike 16Personalities and similar dichotomy-based tests, Sakinorva attempts to assess the eight cognitive functions directly—making it popular among MBTI enthusiasts who find simpler tests inadequate.

If you've typed as one thing on 16Personalities but feel it doesn't fit, Sakinorva might give different results. Here's what it measures and whether it's worth your time.

What Sakinorva Measures

Sakinorva assesses the eight Jungian cognitive functions:

Perceiving Functions (how you take in information):

  • Ne (Extraverted Intuition): Seeing possibilities, connections, and patterns in the external world
  • Ni (Introverted Intuition): Internal insights, future-oriented vision, synthesizing to a single conclusion
  • Se (Extraverted Sensing): Present-moment awareness, physical environment, sensory detail
  • Si (Introverted Sensing): Memory, internal sensations, comparing present to past experience

Judging Functions (how you make decisions):

  • Te (Extraverted Thinking): Organizing external world, efficiency, objective logic
  • Ti (Introverted Thinking): Internal logical frameworks, precision, categorical analysis
  • Fe (Extraverted Feeling): Social harmony, others' emotions, group values
  • Fi (Introverted Feeling): Personal values, authenticity, internal emotional experience

Each MBTI type theoretically uses four of these functions in a specific order, with the first (dominant) being strongest and the fourth (inferior) being weakest.

How Sakinorva Works

The test presents questions designed to measure each cognitive function independently. Your responses generate scores for all eight functions.

From these scores, Sakinorva calculates your likely type using multiple methods:

Grant function type: Based on the Harold Grant function stack model, assigning types based on your top four functions in order

Axis-based type: Looking at function axes (Ne-Si, Ni-Se, Te-Fi, Ti-Fe) to determine type

Myers function type: A slightly different calculation method

You often get different results from different methods—sometimes two or three different types suggested.

Why Results Vary by Method

The calculation methods rest on different theoretical assumptions about how functions stack. There's no consensus in the MBTI community about which method is correct because the underlying theory lacks empirical validation to resolve disputes.

This isn't a Sakinorva problem—it's a cognitive functions theory problem. When foundational concepts aren't rigorously defined, different interpretations yield different results.

Sakinorva vs. 16Personalities

The key difference: 16Personalities measures four dichotomies (I/E, N/S, T/F, J/P) directly. Sakinorva measures eight cognitive functions and infers type from those.

16Personalities approach: "Are you more introverted or extraverted?" Direct self-report on the dichotomy.

Sakinorva approach: "Do you use Ni more than Ne? Ti more than Te?" Infer I/E/N/S/T/F/J/P from function usage.

In theory, the Sakinorva approach is more sophisticated. It captures the Jungian mechanism behind type, not just surface behaviors. An INFJ and INFP differ primarily in their function stacks (Ni-Fe-Ti-Se vs. Fi-Ne-Si-Te), not just in the J/P dichotomy.

In practice, Sakinorva's approach inherits all the problems with cognitive function theory, which lacks the empirical validation of simpler trait-based models.

The Cognitive Functions Problem

Cognitive functions come from Carl Jung's psychological types theory, later adapted by Myers and Briggs. The theory is intricate and internally consistent—but poorly supported by empirical research.

Key problems:

Measurement difficulty: Cognitive functions are defined vaguely enough that different tests operationalize them differently. There's no agreed-upon way to measure "extraverted intuition."

Lack of validation: Studies trying to validate the function stacks find weak or inconsistent support. The expected patterns don't emerge cleanly in data.

Typing disagreements: Even within the MBTI community, people disagree about how functions manifest. Is that behavior Ne or Se? Experts diverge.

Binary where spectrums exist: You're supposed to use either Te or Ti as your dominant thinking function, not both. But most people show a mix, making categorical assignment arbitrary.

Sakinorva tries to solve this by showing you all eight function scores rather than forcing a type. But that creates its own problem—how do you interpret eight numbers that don't clearly map to a single type? For a broader look at MBTI alternatives with stronger empirical backing, several frameworks avoid these theoretical problems entirely.

Interpreting Sakinorva Results

When you complete Sakinorva, you see:

  1. Raw scores for all eight cognitive functions
  2. Type suggestions from multiple calculation methods
  3. Often, conflicting recommendations

If all methods agree, you probably match that type's theoretical profile. If they disagree, you're in the large gray zone where the theory doesn't map cleanly onto real humans.

What High Scores Mean

High scores indicate you endorsed items associated with that function. This might mean:

  • You actually use that function heavily
  • You aspire to use that function
  • The questions resonated for other reasons
  • Random variation

Without external validation, you can't distinguish these possibilities.

What Conflicting Results Mean

Many people get different types from different calculation methods. This happens because:

  • Your function scores don't fit any type's theoretical stack perfectly
  • The calculation methods weight things differently
  • Human personality doesn't actually organize into discrete function stacks

Conflicting results aren't a bug—they're revealing the limits of the underlying model.

Is Sakinorva Worth Taking?

Take it if you:

  • Already find cognitive functions theory useful
  • Want to explore which functions you identify with
  • Enjoy detailed personality analysis regardless of scientific validity
  • Have gotten inconsistent MBTI results and want another data point

Skip it if you:

  • Want scientifically validated personality measurement
  • Find multiple conflicting type suggestions frustrating rather than interesting
  • Need actionable insight, not theoretical exploration

Sakinorva is a deeper dive into MBTI theory than most free tests offer. But depth within an unvalidated framework doesn't make the framework more valid. If you're comparing platforms, see how Truity's multi-framework approach and the HIGH5 strengths-based model offer different angles on the same question.

Alternatives to Cognitive Functions Typing

If you want personality assessment grounded in stronger science, consider frameworks with better empirical support.

OCEAN (Big Five)

The most validated personality model in psychology. Measures five dimensions—Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism—with decades of research supporting their reliability and predictive validity.

Unlike cognitive functions, OCEAN dimensions are:

  • Consistently measurable across tests
  • Replicated across cultures
  • Predictive of real-world outcomes
  • Based on statistical analysis, not theory-first construction

Archetype-Based Assessment

Modern approaches map validated personality dimensions to intuitive archetype patterns.

The SoulTrace assessment measures a five-color psychological model, then matches results to 25 archetypes based on probability distributions. You're not forced into one box—you see which patterns you most resemble and to what degree.

This preserves MBTI's strength (intuitive pattern recognition) while adding:

  • Adaptive question selection using Bayesian methodology
  • Probability distributions instead of forced categorical assignment
  • Foundation in validated psychological dimensions

Direct Trait Measurement

Rather than inferring traits from theoretical functions, measure traits directly. "How organized are you?" is more straightforward than "Do you prefer Te or Ti?"—and produces more reliable results.

What Sakinorva Gets Right

Despite theoretical limitations, Sakinorva offers some genuine value:

Nuance over binaries: Showing eight function scores acknowledges that people don't fit neatly into 16 boxes. Real personality is more complex.

Multiple interpretations: Offering several type calculations admits that the theory doesn't yield definitive answers. That's more honest than false precision.

Deep engagement: For people interested in Jungian typology, Sakinorva enables exploration beyond surface-level dichotomies.

Free access: Quality personality content without paywalls.

The test is thoughtfully designed. The limitations come from the theory it's measuring, not the measurement implementation.

Making Sense of Your Results

If you've taken Sakinorva:

Don't over-index on type letters: The four-letter code matters less than understanding your actual patterns. Focus on which functions resonate, not which type you "are."

Look for consistent patterns: If you score high in Ne across multiple tests and life reflection, that's meaningful regardless of type assignment.

Hold results loosely: Any single test is one data point. Your self-knowledge matters more than test output.

Consider alternatives: If Sakinorva left you confused, different frameworks might work better for you.

Beyond Cognitive Functions

Cognitive functions offer one lens on personality. Other lenses exist—some with stronger empirical backing, others with different strengths.

SoulTrace's approach uses a five-color model mapping to psychological drives:

  • White: Structure, responsibility, fairness
  • Blue: Understanding, precision, mastery
  • Black: Agency, achievement, strategy
  • Red: Intensity, expression, authenticity
  • Green: Connection, growth, belonging

Twenty-five archetypes emerge from combinations of these colors. Unlike cognitive functions, the colors are defined behaviorally and measured directly.

The assessment uses adaptive Bayesian methodology—each question is selected to maximally inform your specific profile. Twenty-four targeted questions can achieve precision that fixed-question tests need 100+ items to match.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sakinorva accurate?

Sakinorva appears to measure cognitive functions consistently. Whether cognitive functions themselves are valid psychological constructs is more questionable—the theory lacks strong empirical support.

Why do I get different types on Sakinorva vs. 16Personalities?

Different measurement approaches. 16Personalities measures dichotomies directly; Sakinorva measures functions and infers type. Neither is definitively correct—they're different operationalizations of loosely defined concepts.

Which Sakinorva result should I trust?

If all calculation methods agree, that's your best answer. If they disagree, the honest answer is the theory doesn't fit you cleanly—you're in the gray zone between types.

Is Sakinorva better than 16Personalities?

More sophisticated, not necessarily better. Sakinorva offers more nuance but also more complexity and ambiguity. 16Personalities gives clearer (if oversimplified) results. Depends what you want.

Are cognitive functions scientifically valid?

Poorly supported empirically. The theory is internally coherent but hasn't been validated by rigorous research. It's psychologically interesting, not scientifically established.

Explore Your Personality

Sakinorva offers one path to self-understanding. If cognitive functions intrigue you, it's worth exploring.

For measurement grounded in stronger science, try the SoulTrace assessment. Adaptive methodology. Archetype matching. Probability distributions acknowledging uncertainty. Results you can actually use.

No cognitive functions required. Just 24 questions revealing which of 25 personality patterns you most resemble—and actionable insight for growth.

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