What Kind of Questions Are on an IQ Test?

Common question types

• Pattern recognition: you're shown a sequence of shapes or figures and pick the one that comes next. This is the core of tests like Raven's Progressive Matrices.
• Logical reasoning: deduce a conclusion from given rules, or spot which item doesn't belong in a group.
• Spatial reasoning: mentally rotate a shape, fold a flat pattern into a 3D object, or match a rotated figure.
• Verbal reasoning: analogies ("cat is to kitten as dog is to _"), synonyms and antonyms, and word relationships.
• Numerical reasoning: number sequences (2, 4, 8, 16, _), simple math logic, and quantitative patterns.
• Working memory: recall or reorder sequences of digits or items.

How scoring works: results are standardized so the average score is 100, with most people falling between 85 and 115. A test doesn't just count right answers — it compares your performance to a large sample of people your age.

Good to know: professional tests like the WAIS (Wechsler) and Stanford-Binet are administered by psychologists and cover multiple areas, while free online "IQ tests" are usually just pattern and logic quizzes and aren't a reliable measure. Culture-fair tests such as Raven's lean on shapes and patterns to reduce the effect of language and education.

You may also want How Many English Questions Are on the ACT? or How Many Questions Are on the BCBA Exam?.

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