Almost every IQ test is built from five kinds of question: matrices, number series, verbal analogies, spatial items and working-memory tasks. Below are twelve example puzzles, two or three of each kind, each with the answer and a worked explanation of the rule behind it. They were written for this page, so they are not questions from our tests or anyone else’s. Done practising? Take the free IQ test: it is free to take, so you can see where you stand.
The five kinds of IQ test question
An IQ score sums up several abilities, and each kind of item is there to measure one of them. Knowing which is which helps you read your own strengths and weaknesses afterwards.
| Item type | What you do | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Matrices | Find the figure that completes a 3×3 grid | Fluid reasoning: spotting a rule you have never seen before |
| Number series | Find the next number in a sequence | Quantitative reasoning: patterns in numbers |
| Verbal analogies and odd one out | Find the word with the same relation, or the word that does not fit | Verbal reasoning and vocabulary (crystallised knowledge) |
| Spatial items | Rotate, turn or track a figure or a route in your head | Visual-spatial processing |
| Working memory | Hold a short list in mind and rearrange it | Working memory: keeping and manipulating information for a few seconds |
Matrices get the most attention because they need almost no language or school knowledge; their history and the rules they use are in Raven’s matrices explained. Try each puzzle below before you open the answer, and give yourself about a minute per item: that is roughly the pace of a real timed test.
12 example IQ test questions with answers
Matrices
1. Which arrow replaces the question mark?
| ↑ | → | ↓ |
| ← | ↑ | → |
| ↓ | ← | ? |
A ↑ B → C ↓ D ←
Show answer
A, ↑. Read the grid like a page, left to right and top to bottom: every arrow is the previous one turned a quarter turn clockwise (up, right, down, left, up …). The row does not restart at the start of a new line, which is the trap: if you look at each row on its own, nothing seems to repeat. The cell before the question mark points left, so the next one points up.
2. Which set of symbols replaces the question mark?
| ★ ● ■ | ● ■ ▲ | ★ ▲ |
| ▲ ● | ● ★ | ▲ ★ |
| ■ ★ ▲ | ★ ● | ? |
A ■ ▲ ● B ■ ▲ C ★ D ■ ★ ▲ ●
Show answer
A, ■ ▲ ●. In each row the third cell keeps the symbols that appear in exactly one of the first two cells; a symbol that is in both cancels out. Row 1: ● and ■ are in both, so ★ and ▲ remain. In row 3, ★ is in both cells and cancels, leaving ■ and ▲ from the first cell and ● from the second. This “cancel what is shared” rule is one of the harder matrix rules, because counting the symbols gives no clue.
Number series
3. What comes next? 5, 8, 14, 26, 50, ?
A 74 B 96 C 98 D 100
Show answer
C, 98. Each number is the previous one doubled, minus 2: 5 × 2 − 2 = 8, 8 × 2 − 2 = 14, and 50 × 2 − 2 = 98. A quick check is the differences: 3, 6, 12, 24. They double each time, so the next difference is 48, and 50 + 48 = 98.
4. What comes next? 2, 12, 4, 10, 6, 8, ?
A 4 B 6 C 8 D 10
Show answer
C, 8. Two series are woven together. The numbers in the 1st, 3rd and 5th place go up by 2 (2, 4, 6), and the numbers in the 2nd, 4th and 6th place go down by 2 (12, 10, 8). The seventh number belongs to the rising series, so it is 8. When the differences jump up and down, try reading every other number.
5. What comes next? 3, 4, 8, 17, 33, ?
A 49 B 57 C 58 D 65
Show answer
C, 58. The differences are 1, 4, 9 and 16: the square numbers 1², 2², 3², 4². The next difference is 5² = 25, and 33 + 25 = 58. If the first differences do not reveal a rule, ask whether they themselves form a series you know.
Verbal reasoning
6. Shepherd is to flock as conductor is to …?
A baton B orchestra C score D stage
Show answer
B, orchestra. Say the first pair as a sentence: a shepherd leads a flock. Apply the same sentence: a conductor leads an orchestra. Baton and score are things a conductor uses, which is a different relation; that is exactly why they are among the options.
7. A grain of sand is to a beach as … is to a forest?
A leaf B tree C path D moss
Show answer
B, tree. A beach is made of a great many grains of sand; a forest is made of a great many trees. A leaf is part of a tree, not the unit a forest is made of, so it breaks the relation by one step.
8. Which word does not belong? whisper, murmur, shout, mutter
Show answer
Shout. All four are ways of speaking, but whisper, murmur and mutter are all quiet and hard to hear; shout is the only loud one. Odd-one-out items test whether you find the most specific shared feature, not just the first one that comes to mind.
Spatial reasoning
9. You walk 4 blocks north, 3 blocks east, 2 blocks south and 3 blocks west. Where are you compared with your starting point?
A 2 blocks south B where you started C 2 blocks north D 3 blocks east
Show answer
C, 2 blocks north. East and west cancel out (3 − 3 = 0). North and south leave 4 − 2 = 2 blocks north. Splitting a route into its two directions is faster and safer than picturing every turn.
10. A wall clock is hung upside down: turned 180°, not mirrored. Its hour hand seems to point at the 2. Where does it really point?
A 4 B 8 C 10 D 2
Show answer
B, 8. Half a turn on a clock face is six hours, so every position moves to the one opposite: 2 + 6 = 8. Note the difference with a mirror image, which flips left and right instead (a mirror would turn 2 into 10). Telling a rotation from a reflection is what most spatial items are really about.
Working memory
11. Read these digits once, cover them, then say them backwards: 7 3 9 1 5
Show answer
5 1 9 3 7. Repeating digits in order mostly tests how much you can hold; repeating them backwards also makes you work on the list while holding it. Most adults can reverse about four or five digits. A useful trick is to split the list into two chunks (7 3 9 / 1 5) and reverse the chunks one by one.
12. Read this once, cover it, then say the numbers from low to high followed by the letters in alphabetical order: K 4 B 9 A 2
Show answer
2 4 9 A B K. You have to hold six items, sort them into two groups and order each group, all without looking. Items like this separate working memory from plain memory: it is not hard to remember six things, but it is hard to rearrange them in your head.
Why practising puzzles does not raise your score much
Doing puzzles like these before a test helps a little, and mostly for one reason: the format no longer surprises you. The research on retesting puts numbers on that.
- About 4 IQ points on average. A meta-analysis of 50 studies with 134,436 participants found an average gain of 0.26 standard deviations when people took a cognitive ability test again (Hausknecht and colleagues, Journal of Applied Psychology, 2007). On the IQ scale, where one standard deviation is 15 points, that is roughly 4 points. Gains were larger with coaching and when exactly the same test was used again.
- The gain stops after a few attempts. A later meta-analysis of 122 studies found real score gains on retesting, but no further gains after the third time the test was taken (Scharfen, Peters and Holling, Intelligence, 2018).
Those gains come from familiarity with the test, not from more reasoning ability, which is why supervised tests use different forms and ask for a gap between attempts. Practice items on a page like this are useful for one thing: making sure a first test measures you rather than your surprise at the format. The full preparation plan, including what does not work, is in how to prepare for an IQ test.
How timing works, and why speed counts
Most IQ tests are timed, because reasoning quickly is part of what they measure. Some give a fixed limit for the whole test; others give a time per question. Our standard test gives a time per question: it has 25 questions and 45 seconds for each, and a question you do not answer in time counts as wrong. The Fast & Accurate IQ test has 30 puzzles with up to 60 seconds each, so it takes 30 minutes at most.
Speed counts, but rushing does not pay. In our data study of 3,834 completed tests, the median time was 7 minutes 58 seconds, and people who finished in 3 to 8 minutes scored highest. Practical rules for the test itself:
- Give each item about a minute. If you are stuck, eliminate what you can, pick the best remaining option and move on.
- Do not leave answers blank: on most online tests a wrong answer costs nothing extra.
- Start rested, on a screen big enough to see the figures, with notifications off.
Frequently asked questions
Are these the questions in the real IQ test?
No. The twelve puzzles on this page were written for this page and are not taken from our tests or anyone else’s. They show the five item types that most IQ tests use, so the format will not surprise you; the items in a real test are different.
How many questions does an IQ test have?
Online IQ tests commonly have 15 to 45 questions; our standard test has 25 and the Fast & Accurate test 30. A full clinical intelligence battery is built from ten or more subtests with many items each and takes 60 to 90 minutes with a psychologist.
Can you study for an IQ test?
You can get used to the formats and the time pressure, which is worth a few points on a first test. You cannot learn the answers to a well-made test, and practice does not raise the ability the test measures. A large meta-analysis puts the average gain from retaking a cognitive test at about a quarter of a standard deviation, around 4 IQ points.
What kind of questions are on an IQ test?
Most IQ tests mix five kinds of item: matrices (find the missing figure in a grid), number series, verbal analogies and odd-one-out words, spatial items such as rotation and direction, and working-memory tasks such as repeating digits backwards. Each kind measures a different ability.
Ready for the real thing?
The theiqtests.com IQ test is free to take: timed puzzles of the kinds above, and you see where you stand when you finish.
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