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Reasoning and knowledge

IQ 16

A sixteen item general ability screener. Short by design, and correspondingly rough.

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Your answers might be used for scientific research and/or building reference data for psychological tests. Privacy notice

At a glance

Questions
16
Typical time
Under 30 min
Time limit
60 min
Age
18+
Compared with
Adults generally

6 or 8 presented answer choices

IQ 16

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What it reports

Reported as one overall score rather than as separate scales.

What it measures

Sixteen hard items, weighted toward figural reasoning. Short to sit, slow to solve.

How a result is read
Very low2%Low14%Average68%High14%Very high2%

Your score is read against adults generally. The bands below come from the shape of a normal distribution, which is the model the scoring assumes rather than a count from a reference sample. Most people sit in the middle and both ends are rare by definition, so a band is a position in a distribution, not a verdict.

Good uses

  • A short format that still stretches you.
  • Seeing where you sit relative to adults generally.
  • Comparing your result against the other forms on this site.

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Known limits

  • An unsupervised online test is not a clinical assessment and is not an IQ certificate.
  • Sixteen items is a thin basis for an overall estimate.
  • Tiredness, interruptions and previous practice all move the score.

Other tests

Covering similar ground: IQ 50 and Classic IQ.

How it works

Three steps, then a result

  1. You answer

    16 questions, under 30 min. There is no penalty for stopping early, but leaving the page loses your answers.

  2. It is scored

    Scoring happens the moment you finish. Nothing is queued, emailed later or charged for.

  3. You read it against adults

    Your score is placed against adults generally, which is the one comparison group held for this test.

Length, against others measuring the same thing
General Knowledge, 32 questions Spatial Reasoning Test, 6 questions Logical Reasoning Test, 9 questions Abstract Reasoning Test, 11 questions Verbal Reasoning Test, 16 questions Classic IQ Test, 60 questions Mensa IQ Test, 35 questions IQ 50, 50 questions

6 this test: 16 60

How you answer

Disagree Agree

What you get

Your results, and their limits

As soon as you finish

You see your score on each scale the test measures, together with a short note on what that scale refers to and how to read the number. There is no charge.

Scores are read against adults generally. That is a way of interpreting the score rather than a percentile against a normed sample, so it tells you what the score means rather than where you rank among people of your age, occupation or country.

What it will not tell you

It is not a diagnosis and not a clinical assessment. It will not tell you whether you are suited to a particular job or course, and a score is not a verdict on you.

Results depend on how carefully and honestly you answer. If a result concerns you, or you are struggling, speak to a doctor or a licensed psychologist. Terms of use.

The rest of the collection

Every free test, by what it measures

Reasoning and knowledge 9

Ready when you are

16 questions | Under 30 min | free | scored immediately

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