The present study was an attempt to develop a model of a discipline-specific cognitive profile inventory for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. To do so, a sequential exploratory mixed-methods study was designed. In its qualitative phase, 30 (i.e., 18 male and 12 female) EFL instructors with master's (n = 22) and PhD (n = 8) degrees in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) were interviewed in terms of their attitudes concerning the components of a cognitive profile model for EFL learners. The data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed in line with Braun and Clarke’s (2024) thematic analysis. The results revealed a pattern for the cognitive profile of EFL learners. The results were used to develop a Cognitive Profile Inventory for EFL learners, paving the way for the quantitative phase of the study. The psychometric features of the survey (i.e., construct validity and reliability) were estimated through analyzing the data collected by administering the survey among 303 randomly selected EFL learners from different institutes in Tehran city, Iran. To elucidate the fundamental latent constructs measured by the 30-item Cognitive Profile Inventory (CPI), an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted, and results revealed that the six factors of engagement, relationship, persistence, critical thinking, planning, and purposive learning could represent the cognitive profile of EFL learners. Then, Cronbach's alpha was used to estimate the inventory's reliability. The present study findings have implications in teaching foreign languages, especially EFL, to L2 learners with both cognitively high and low active profiles.