Accurate preoperative evaluation of the consistency of intracranial tumors is very important for the selection of surgical approaches and the evaluation of prognosis. At present, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is mainly used to predict the consistency of intracranial tumors. This article reviews and analyzes the studies on conventional MRI, diffusion MRI, magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), and other MRI techniques in predicting tumor consistency. We believe that there are still controversies over the effectiveness of conventional MRI and diffusion MRI in predicting tumor consistency. Since there are few research data on magnetic resonance spectroscopy, perfusion-weighted imaging, and fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition, it is difficult to draw an effective conclusion. MRE is the most effective evaluation index to predict tumor consistency.