GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Terra for research skills

The verdict

GPT-5.5 wins, 9794

Same 12 research skills tasks, marked blind by three rival labs. GPT-5.5 took 4 tasks, GPT-5.6 Terra took 1, 7 tied. Tested 16 Aug 2026.

Where they differed most

The task — Synthesise the disagreement

Three studies, summarised: Study A (2021, 12,000 adults followed 5 years) — people sleeping under 6 hours had 20% higher rates of catching colds. Study B (2019, 300 students, one term) — no significant link between sleep and illness days. Study C (2023, review of 40 studies) — consistent link between short sleep and infection risk, but most studies could not rule out that stress causes both. Write a summary of max 120 words of what we actually know, giving the disagreement and the confounder their honest weight.

Overall, the evidence suggests short sleep is associated with a higher risk of infections such as colds, but it does not prove that lack of sleep directly causes them. A large 2021 study found adults sleeping under 6 hours had about 20% higher cold rates over 5 years, and a 2023 review found a broadly consistent link across 40 studies. However, a smaller 2019 student study found no significant relationship, showing the effect may vary by population, measurement, or study power. A major caveat is confounding: stress could plausibly reduce sleep…
Across the evidence, short sleep is associated with a higher risk of infections, especially colds, but the size and certainty of the effect remain unclear. The largest individual study found that adults sleeping under six hours had about 20% higher cold rates over five years. However, a smaller student study found no significant relationship, so results are not uniform across populations or study designs. A 2023 review of 40 studies concluded that the overall association is consistent, but also noted a major limitation: stress may both reduce s…

Task by task

TaskGPT-5.5GPT-5.6 Terra
Make it answerable1010
Rank the sources99
Synthesise the disagreement98
Tear down the survey1010
Correlation for the neighbour910
Plan the dig99
What you cannot cite1010
Structure the evidence1010
Ask without leading109
Two sources, head on109
Primary or secondary109
Refuse the invented bibliography1010

Full receipts: GPT-5.5, GPT-5.6 Terra · judges claude-sonnet-5, gemini-3.1-pro-preview, grok-4.5

Questions people ask

Which is better for research skills: GPT-5.5 or GPT-5.6 Terra?

GPT-5.5 — it scored 97/100 against 94/100 on our 12-task research skills suite, winning 4 tasks to 1 with 7 tied. Every answer was marked blind by three judges from three rival AI labs.

How was this tested?

Both models answered the identical published research skills tasks. Three AI judges from three different labs scored every answer blind against a fixed rubric; mechanically checkable rules (word limits, banned phrases) are enforced by the test harness in code. The raw outputs and judge verdicts are downloadable.

More research skills head-to-heads: DeepSeek V4 Pro vs GPT-5.5 · DeepSeek V4 Pro vs GPT-5.6 Terra · GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol · GPT-5.6 Sol vs GPT-5.6 Terra · GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Luna · GPT-5.3-Codex vs GPT-5.5

Full ranking: Best AI for research skills · model pages: GPT-5.5, GPT-5.6 Terra