Free practice test

Free IQ test practice

A short IQ test in English for adults: 20 questions in 12 minutes. You get matrices, figure sequences and number sequences, the same question types as in the aptitude test of a job application.

You see your result straight away: the percentage of correct answers, with an explanation for every answer. This is not an official IQ test and you get no IQ number. You don't need an account.

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Free IQ test

Click the button below to start the test. The timer starts immediately after.

What does an IQ test measure?

An IQ test measures how well you reason: spotting patterns, working out rules and using them to solve a problem you have not seen before. The best-known question types use shapes and numbers, so language and knowledge matter little.

This test has 20 questions: 7 matrices, 7 figure sequences and 6 number sequences. The same three question types appear, for example, in GITP's Connector Ability. An official intelligence assessment is done by a psychologist, under fixed conditions and with norms for your group. This test is not that.

How to approach the IQ test

  1. For each question, first check what is asked: which shape is missing, which shape comes next or which number comes next.
  2. Matrices: look at the rows first, then the columns. The missing shape fits both.
  3. Figure sequences: follow one element at a time: rotation, movement, count, colour.
  4. Number sequences: start with the differences between the numbers, then look at multiplying and alternating.
  5. You get 36 seconds per question on average and cannot go back to a previous one. If you are stuck, pick an answer and move on.

Practise each question type

Each question type has its own free practice test with explanations.

Example IQ test questions with answers

Every row of a matrix has a circle, a square and a triangle. From left to right each shape has one dot more: 1, 2, 3. The bottom row shows a triangle with 1 dot and a circle with 2 dots. What is missing?

Show answer

A square with 3 dots

Each shape appears once per row, and the number of dots goes from 1 to 3 in every row.

In a matrix, the first row has 1, 2 and 3 lines, the second row 2, 4 and 6. The third row shows 3 and 6 lines. How many lines are missing?

Show answer

9 lines

In every row the third shape is the first plus the second: 3 + 6 = 9.

A square first has 1 black corner, then 2, then 3. The black corners are added clockwise, starting top left. What does shape 4 look like?

Show answer

All four corners black

One black corner is added per step: after top left, top right and bottom right comes bottom left.

5 – 8 – 14 – 26 – ?

Show answer

50

The differences double: +3, +6, +12, so next +24.

2 – 6 – 4 – 12 – 10 – ?

Show answer

30

Alternately times 3 and minus 2: 10 × 3 = 30.

Practise more per section

Frequently asked questions

Is this an official IQ test, and are online IQ tests reliable?
No, this is not an official IQ test. An official IQ test is given by a psychologist, under fixed conditions and with norms for your age or group. This test is not an intelligence assessment: it gives an indication of how you score on three question types from aptitude tests. Online tests without a psychologist and a norm group give an indication at most.
What does my score mean?
Your score is the percentage of correct answers: 15 out of 20 is 75%. You get no IQ number. Once at least 100 participants have finished the test, you also see what percentage of them you outscored, rounded down to 5%.
What is an average IQ?
IQ scales put the average at 100. On the usual scale about two thirds of people score between 85 and 115. This test gives no IQ number: you see the percentage of correct answers.
What kind of questions are in an IQ test?
Often matrices, figure sequences and number sequences, and sometimes verbal questions such as analogies and syllogisms. This test has 7 matrices, 7 figure sequences and 6 number sequences. You practise verbal questions in a separate test. Read more: Practise verbal reasoning for free.
How is it different from an aptitude test?
They largely measure the same thing: how well you reason. An employer uses an aptitude test in a job application, with a time limit per section. Test providers use the words loosely: an aptitude test is sometimes called an intelligence test. Read more: Free aptitude test practice.
Can you practise for an IQ test?
A little. If you know the question types and the time pressure, you lose less time understanding the task and show better what you can do. It does not change your ability to reason.
Do I need to sign up?
No. You take the test without an account and without paying. When you finish, you see your score and the right answer to each question with an explanation.