The Census · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Grouped by topic — if your question isn't here, write to [email protected].
The practice
What am I describing if the target is secret?
You're not told. A Target arrives as a bare code — no image, no category, no hint. You describe whatever comes to you about the image you'll eventually be shown; the platform never tells you, before or after, what the target itself represented.
Why can't I see the result immediately?
Your session is sealed the moment you lock it in, and the reveal only happens after the underlying uncertainty actually resolves — sometimes minutes later, sometimes longer. Seeing the result early would let you, or anyone, game the instrument; sealing first is what makes the score mean anything.
How do reveals work?
Once a Target's uncertainty resolves, its Session unseals: you see the winning image, your score for that session, and which of your answers matched it. You still never learn what the image represented — only whether your description favored it.
Scores & the line
What does the 0–1000 rating mean?
Your rating is a decay-weighted estimate of how consistently your sessions favor the winning image, discounted for luck. It moves slowly on purpose: a single lucky streak nets close to nothing, because the rating is built to filter chance out, not reward it. It rises only with real, sustained volume.
What is the 600 line?
600 is the earn line — the point on the 0–1000 scale where a viewer's rating is considered evidence enough to contribute paid work rather than buy it. Below 600 you can commission your own sessions; at or above it, sessions you complete earn points instead.
What are points?
Points are the pilot's only currency — not money. You spend them to commission sessions below the earn line, and you earn them for accepted sessions above it. There's no cashout in the pilot, and no promise that there ever will be.
The platform
Is this gambling?
No. Nothing is staked, and there's no chance-based prize to win — every session's score is a graded measurement, not a bet. Cognisentum is a skill-evidence platform: your rating reflects a sustained pattern, not a single roll.
What are Novitius / Probatus / Electus?
Novitius, Probatus, and Electus are the Order — the platform's access tiers, not pay multipliers. Novitius covers qualifying trials, Probatus opens access to paid Events, and Electus holds the platform's highest-rate contribution opportunities for as long as recent performance earns it.
Who posts targets?
Requesters do — the party behind each Target's underlying uncertainty. They stay anonymous to you, and you stay anonymous to them. You never learn what a target represents, and that isn't a limitation of the product — the blindness is the method itself.
When do commissions open?
Commissions open once the first cohort of viewers is established above the earn line. See the Commission page for the waitlist and current status.
Data
What happens to my voice or audio?
None is stored — quick-mode sessions are tap-only, so there's no audio to begin with. No recording of you exists on Cognisentum at any stage.
Can I change my Handle?
Yes, anytime, from Settings. Your Handle and Seat are your public identity; your email address never appears alongside them.