Privacy · 2026-05-25 · 6 min lesetid
By Brain Test Editorial · Last updated 25 May 2026
You finish a 30-minute IQ test, click "see my result" — and then a wall of "enter your email to unlock". A few weeks later the same site has shared your address with a dozen marketing partners. There is a better way. Here is what to look for before you sit through any online test.
1. No email or account required to see the result
If the result is gated behind a sign-up, the business model is data collection, not the test. Walk away. A respectable test shows your result immediately on the same page where you answered the last question.
2. A clear, specific privacy policy
Generic boilerplate ("we take your privacy seriously") is a red flag. A trustworthy policy names:
- Who runs the site
- What data is stored (and what is not)
- How long data is kept
- How to contact them for deletion
- Whether data is shared with third parties
3. A real cookie banner, not a fake one
The banner should have separate "Accept all", "Reject all" and "Customise" options. Pre-checked boxes are not consent under GDPR. Tracking scripts should not load before you click "Accept".
4. Reasonable data retention
Cognitive test results do not need to be kept forever. Look for a retention period under one year, and ideally well under six months. Brain Test deletes test results after at most 90 days and server logs after 30 days.
5. No surprise integrations
Some "free" tests embed Facebook Pixel, TikTok Pixel, hotjar session replay or fingerprinting scripts. Open the page in a privacy-focused browser like Brave or Firefox with strict tracking protection — if the protection counter shoots up to 10+ blocked trackers, that tells you what the site is really doing.
6. Optional sharing, not forced
It is fine for a test to offer a "share your result" link. It is not fine if sharing is the only way to see your score.
A short checklist
- Result visible without an account ✅
- Privacy policy with concrete data points ✅
- Cookie banner with reject-all option ✅
- Retention under one year ✅
- No marketing pixels in the page source ✅
If a test ticks all five, you can take it with reasonable peace of mind. If it fails one or two, ask yourself whether the score is really worth the trade-off.
To see how we apply these principles, read our privacy policy and cookies page, then try the Brain Test.