Free IQ Test

How this IQ test works

The test below has 29 questions split across five categories that show up in most general cognitive ability tests: number sequences, verbal analogies, odd-one-out classification, simple pattern recognition and short logic puzzles. Answer one question at a time by clicking an option; the test automatically moves to the next question, so there is no submit button to hunt for and nothing to fill in by hand. A progress bar at the top always shows exactly where you are, and a "Back" button lets you revisit a question before the test finishes.

Once you have answered every question, your result appears immediately: an estimated IQ score, an approximate percentile, a descriptive range (for example "Average" or "Superior", the same category names used across published intelligence scales), and a breakdown of how many questions you got right in each of the five categories. Nothing is uploaded anywhere. The scoring happens entirely in your browser using plain JavaScript, and no answers, scores or personal data are sent to a server, see our privacy policy for the full detail.

How your score is calculated

We believe a free tool should be honest about exactly how its number is produced, rather than presenting a black-box score. Your raw result (how many of the 29 questions you answered correctly) is converted into an estimated IQ using the standard convention that IQ scores are normally distributed with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. That convention itself, not any specific test's questions, is public, decades-old psychometric practice used across every major published intelligence scale. Answering roughly half the questions correctly on this mixed-difficulty test maps to the average score of 100; each meaningful step above or below that maps up or down the scale in either direction.

This is a transparent estimation model built for a free, instant, browser-only tool. It is not a clinically validated diagnostic instrument, it has not been normed against a large, representative population sample the way a professionally administered test is, and it should be treated as an entertaining, directional self-assessment rather than a medical, educational or legal measurement. If you need a score for a clinical, educational or legal purpose (a learning assessment, a gifted program application, a workplace accommodation), only a test administered and interpreted by a licensed psychologist is appropriate; see our IQ score chart for more on what these ranges typically mean and why a single online result should never replace professional evaluation.

What the five question categories measure

Cognitive ability tests generally sample several distinct reasoning skills rather than a single one, because "intelligence" is not one uniform ability. This test's 29 questions cover five categories on purpose:

• Number sequences: spotting the mathematical rule behind a series of numbers or letters and predicting what comes next, a core numerical reasoning skill.
• Verbal analogies: recognizing the relationship between a pair of words and applying the same relationship to a new pair, testing verbal/relational reasoning.
• Odd one out: identifying which item in a group does not share the category the others share, a basic but reliable classification and categorization skill.
• Pattern recognition: continuing a repeating or growing sequence of shapes or symbols, a lightweight stand-in for the visual-spatial matrix reasoning used in many published tests.
• Logic: short syllogisms and simple deduction problems (if A is true and B is true, what follows), testing straightforward logical reasoning rather than general knowledge.

Worked example

Say you answer 20 of the 29 questions correctly. That is roughly 69% correct, comfortably above the midpoint the scoring model treats as average. The result screen would show an estimated IQ in the "High Average" to "Superior" range (depending on exactly which category the extra correct answers land in, since the score is calculated from your raw total, not weighted per category) along with an approximate percentile and a per-category breakdown, for example "Number sequence: 8/10, Verbal analogy: 6/7, Odd one out: 5/6, Pattern recognition: 2/3, Logic: 3/3". That breakdown is often more useful than the single number: it shows you at a glance which reasoning style you are strongest in, rather than reducing everything to one score.

Tips for taking the test

A few honest tips, not tricks: this test rewards careful reading more than speed.

• There is no timer. Take the time you need on each question rather than guessing to move faster; a rushed guess and a considered wrong answer count identically against your score, so slowing down only helps.
• Read number sequences from left to right and look for a consistent rule (add a fixed amount, multiply, alternate between two operations) before picking an answer.
• For odd-one-out questions, name the category the majority share out loud (even mentally); the one item that does not fit that specific category is the answer, even if another option also "looks" different at a glance.
• If you are unsure between two options, eliminate the ones you are confident are wrong first, then decide between what is left rather than staring at all four at once.
• Retaking the test immediately will show you the exact same 29 questions in the same order (see the FAQ below for why), so a meaningfully different second attempt usually means waiting and trying again another day with a clearer head, not clicking answers randomly to see a new number.

A short, honest history of IQ testing

Standardized intelligence testing dates back to work by French psychologist Alfred Binet in the early 1900s, originally designed to identify schoolchildren who needed extra academic support, not to rank the general population. The concept of an "intelligence quotient", originally a ratio of "mental age" to chronological age multiplied by 100, was introduced shortly after by German psychologist William Stern; the modern deviation IQ scale (mean 100, standard deviation 15, the same convention this test uses) replaced that original ratio method by the mid-20th century because it scales more sensibly for adults, whose "mental age" stops being a meaningful concept the way it is for children. Since then dozens of published, professionally administered tests (the Wechsler scales, Stanford-Binet, Raven's Progressive Matrices, and many others) have each built their own item banks and validation research; this free browser test does not use, copy or claim equivalence to any of them; it is an independent, original tool built for a quick, honest, no-signup self-assessment, using the same general public-domain scoring convention those tests share.

Common myths about IQ tests

A short, honest test like this one works best if you go in with realistic expectations. A few widely repeated claims about IQ testing do not hold up well:

• "IQ is fixed for life." Research on cognitive ability generally shows scores can shift over time with education, health, sleep, stress and even practice effects from repeated testing; a single number on a single day is a snapshot, not a permanent label.
• "A free online test gives a clinically precise score." No free browser test, including this one, replaces a professionally administered, individually scored assessment with a trained examiner. Treat any online result, from any site, as directional rather than exact.
• "IQ measures everything about intelligence." Traditional IQ tests focus mainly on logical, verbal and pattern-based reasoning. They do not directly measure creativity, emotional intelligence, practical problem-solving, or specific talents like music or art.
• "A low score on one test means a low score everywhere." Scores can vary meaningfully between different tests, on different days, under different amounts of stress or tiredness; one result, from any source, is one data point.
• "Higher IQ always means more success." Long-term outcomes like career success, relationships and wellbeing are influenced by a wide range of factors (persistence, social skills, opportunity, health) far beyond a single cognitive score.