Developed in the early 20th Century, the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test is used as a measure of a person’s intelligence. Such tests are popular, although even the man credited with devising the first test, French psychologist, Alfred Binet, did not consider the test accurate because it does not incorporate any means of measuring creativity or emotional intelligence.
That said, IQ tests can be used as a way to measure mental acuity and to measure and maintain a baseline of your cognitive function.
Below are 15 of the best free IQ tests found online. You may have to give your email address to receive results, but you shouldn’t have to pay a cent to take the test or receive the results.
Best Free IQ Tests Online
1. Free-IQTest.net
The Free-IQTest.net test is a 20 question quiz. Enter your date of birth and you will be able to answer the questions. Giving your age is an important part of measuring your IQ. The original IQ test calculated the ratio of your mental age compared to actual, chronological age.
If a child’s mental age was calculated to be 13 and his actual age was 10, this gave an IQ score equivalent to:
(13/10) * 100 = 130
This is why an average IQ score is said to be 100 because this means that a person’s mental age is the same as their actual age.
Although modern IQ tests like the Free-IQTest.net one do not calculate mental age, anymore, age is still an important consideration.
Free-IQTest.net also displays a bell curve of intelligence scores so that you can see where your IQ result falls compared to other people. There is also a chart of high IQ people that would be considered to have genuine level IQ.
The calculation of brain age has long since been dropped, primarily because IQ is said to peak at the age of 20, and gradually declines thereafter. This means that a mental age of 20 would signify a higher IQ than a mental age of 22, rendering the calculation useless.
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2. Brain Metrix
The Brain Metrix test is a 20 question test that the website itself states should not take longer than 15 minutes to complete.
Although some websites incorporate a timer to ensure that participants complete the quiz within a certain time, Brain Metrix does not.
Some experts claim that the time to complete an IQ test does not matter, as long as it is completed in a single sitting. Although some physical tests do have a time limit, these may have been implemented for the sake of convenience: testing centers cannot remain open indefinitely, and examiners can’t sit with subjects overnight.
On the other hand, having a time limit does introduce an additional element of skill and it tests a person’s cognitive ability when under some pressure. One of the ways in which our brains are said to diminish with age is in their alertness, and time to answer is a good measure of this.
The Brain Metrix test does not require your age and you do not even have to add an email address to receive your results. It is arguably the most convenient of the tests on the list, for these reasons.
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3. See My Personality
It has long been assumed that a person’s IQ score remains roughly constant throughout their lives: at least throughout their adult years. However, recent research, especially by Susanne M. Jaeggi and Martin Buschkuehl, suggests that training our working memory can help improve our IQ score.
Working memory is the area of memory where we store problem-solving information. There are many ways to improve working memory but one of the key factors is to train and challenge multiple aspects of intelligence and memory.
Children are taught to play games, including card games, as well as active reading, in a bid to improve this area of the brain. Try similar tasks, and don’t get hung up solely on your IQ level because this fixation could hamper your progress.
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4. Fun Education
Fun Education has a free IQ test that claims to give instant Ph.D. certified results. The site also has a separate IQ test for kids under the age of 17.
Fun Education states that its test is primarily a verbal IQ test with some spatial IQ elements. A verbal IQ test concentrates primarily on logic and reasoning using words. While some tests include questions with no words to explain the problem or ask the question, Fun Education is word-heavy.
Some people find verbal IQ tests easier, while others prefer image-based spatial tests easier to understand. Comprehensive tests will usually incorporate both aspects, and if a test only includes one element over another, the results should be adjusted.
All IQ tests should be applied to a standard deviation to give a more accurate IQ test, and the accuracy and reliability of the deviation dictate how reliable the IQ measure is.
You do have to fill in a short form at the end of the IQ test to get your results, but this isn’t uncommon with free online tests and quizzes.
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5. Memorado
The Memorado quiz is, as the website says, quicker than most other IQ tests. It is also well laid out and has an attractive look. It combines spatial and verbal IQ questions to get a good indication of your intelligence level and gives you a standardized measure of your intelligence quotient while also telling you what percentile of the population your intelligence falls in.
If you complete a lot of IQ tests, you will notice that the questions start to seem familiar, without being the same.
One popular type of question that you will see regularly is the number series question. You are usually given four or five numbers and asked to determine what the next number in the series would be.
These are considered numerical logic questions and while some may be simple, others can be very tricky. The series requires the application of logical reasoning so is considered a good measure of IQ.
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6. IQ Exam
The IQ Exam test consists of 25 questions and participants are given 60 seconds to answer each question. As is common with these tests, you are not supposed to use a pencil and paper or a calculator to assist in the test.
The tests are not meant to test your mathematical acuity and, as such, they only involve very basic numerical calculations that can be completed in the head. It is believed that using pencil and paper for some of the questions would make them too easy.
According to the website, the test was devised by Virginia Tech University experts and if you live in Virginia, you can even have a certificate celebrating your achievement sent to your address.
IQ tests are rarely used for anything other than personal satisfaction, or as an entry requirement into high IQ societies like Mensa.
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7. IQ Test Prep
You should only take the same IQ test once. Taking the test a second or subsequent time will make it easier because you will have seen the questions before, and later questions may give some indication as to earlier answers.
As such, once you’ve completed a test, you should move on, if you wish to take another.
IQ Test Prep offers a couple of good quality tests, including one from 2018 and a 2021 test. You can take the 2018 test as practice before sitting for the current test.
Once complete, you will be given the results of your IQ test and by providing your email, you can receive a certificate that highlights your IQ score.
The IQ Test Prep website has several different tests, including short and long tests. IQ tests can vary from a handful of questions to 100 or even more.
The ideal test length falls somewhere in between: ten questions means that your answers are not necessarily indicative of your intelligence and it does not allow enough variance between participants to be able to judge percentiles. Too long a quiz and the brain will begin to lose function and the test becomes meaningless by the end.
As a point of reference, the official Mensa test consists of 50 questions.
Whether you’re sitting for the official Mensa test or you simply want to keep your brain active, preparing is a good idea. IQ Test Prep’s selection of tests allows you to do exactly that, whether you have a few minutes or longer to dedicate to the pursuit.
8. Genius Tests
Genius Tests is another website that offers multiple different tests including short and lengthier ones.
Most societies like Mensa require that a person features in the top 2% of the highest IQs in the world to be considered for membership. They also require that a person takes an official IQ test, usually under strict examination circumstances, to prove their IQ level.
Some groups do accept previous tests, as long as the results can be officially verified and checked. Tests that are allowed include Stanford-Binet, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and Cattell Culture Fair Intelligent Tests.
If you are planning on sitting for one of these tests or taking an official entry test for an organization like Mensa, practice examinations from Genius Tests are beneficial. They may not count for membership but they include similar questions so that you can get used to the terminology, the concepts, and even the spatial or verbal logic that is required while taking them.
9. 123Test
123Test offers sample tests that do not require membership or signup and are free. When you complete the test, you will be given your score as well as the number of questions you got right, and you will be told if you would qualify for any of the major high IQ societies.
The free demo test is a little limited in scope but is designed to give users an idea of what to expect from its full tests. You are asked ten questions, incorporating ten different question types. They include verbal, numerical, logical, and spatial reasoning tests so give a good scope of IQ breadth.
The Culture Fair Intelligence Test also offers a free sample and has the benefit of being a non-verbal test. Not only do these types of tests look at spatial and non-verbal skills but they are suitable for non-English speaking participants, too.
As the site says, practicing IQ tests will not make you more intelligent but it can help you master IQ tests so that you perform better in mental aptitude, for example like those that are part of job applications. The 123Test website is packed full of tests, but be aware that they are not all free, so you will have to visit the free test and the test sample sections for those that do not cost anything.
10. Free IQ Test
FreeIQTest.info is a basic IQ test website. It has information on the history of the IQ concept. It has a chart, which shows the kinds of figures you should be expecting to compare against the rest of the population, and it has the IQ test itself.
The test consists of 20 questions and is based on the WAIS IQ score. WAIS stands for Wechsler Adult Intelligence Score and is one of the widely recognized intelligence scores.
The test is timed and the scores take time into account in the final calculation. Participants should not use calculators or paper when completing the test, and it is anonymous which means that your results will not be shared or saved.
11. TipTopGlobe
The TipTopGlobe Intelligence Test takes up to 30 minutes and consists of 40 questions. It suggests that you do not use a calculator or paper when completing the test because this will give a fairer assessment of actual results.
Interestingly, the site refers to the Flynn Effect, which is a phenomenon whereby the average IQ of the population has been increasing by approximately three points per decade, with most of the gains at the bottom end of the IQ scale. This is called the Flynn Effect but it is unclear whether the population is getting more intelligent, if the changes are related to the IQ testing that is used, or something else.
The two main official IQ tests are the Stanford-Binet Test and the Wechsler Test. The Stanford-Binet Test combines the early work of Alfred-Binet.
Binet, along with his collaborator Theodore Simon had published the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale. This initial test was meant to determine which children would require additional help with education. In 1916, a Stanford University professor, Lewis M. Terman advanced the theory and stated that a person’s intelligence could be measured on an Intelligence Quotient, or IQ, scale.
As well as the free IQ test, you will also find an extensive list of celebrities and their IQs on the TipTopGlobe website, so you can see how you stack up against the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, and Leonardo da Vinci.
12. IQTestCenter
The IQ Test Center has several cognitive and memory-related tests, including a free IQ test. In fact, the website has IQ tests grouped according to age from tests for 4-year-olds up to tests for 14-year-olds and those that are aimed at geniuses.
IQ tests are not considered reliable for people with very low or very high IQ. They do not offer enough grading to be able to accurately predict intelligence at these levels, and one-on-one tests using highly specialized criteria are best applied.
Also, 4 years old is the youngest age at which IQ is believed to start developing, but because this is such a young age, a low or high IQ at this age is not necessarily a sign of likely intelligence in adulthood. However, it does provide a baseline and it enables you to monitor a child’s development as they age.
As you would expect, the IQ test for younger children is easier and it involves more spatial reasoning based on picture questions rather than verbal questions.
13. Mensa Workout
Mensa is one of the biggest high IQ membership groups in the world. To become a member, hopeful applicants must usually sit for a supervised test at a test center.
Placing in the top 2% of IQs in the world means that a person is qualified to join Mensa, and the group has several activities and groups for its members.
While they do not offer practice or online tests, the Mensa website does have what they call an online workout. This is a series of 18 questions that are similar to those that you would experience during a supervised test and are used to ascertain whether you would perform well on the real test.
The Mensa Workout questions feel easier than the real thing, but they do give you a decent idea of what to expect if you were to take the proper Mensa exam. The site will also tell you whether you are likely to score a high enough test result to gain entry into the Mensa organization.
14. IQ Test Labs
The IQ Test Labs don’t just offer a single IQ test for you to take. The site also has practice questions, verbal quizzes, math quizzes, and culture fair quizzes, all of which will make up an overall IQ test.
Culture fair quizzes are so-called because they do not rely on language and they do not require that the participant has English skills or knowledge. They use patterns and pictures, as well as numbers, and they can be answered by participants with any first language.
The site also has links to related news stories, regular polls, and you can sign up to receive the regular newsletter that even includes additional questions. The site is geared towards those that enjoy partaking and participating in IQ and intelligence tests, as well as offering a decent practice test.
IQ Test Labs is a better-rounded alternative to many of the other IQ sites online, and it can give a better-rounded image.
15. Compare Your Score To NFL Players
Football IQ Score is an intelligence test that is taken by NFL players and can also be taken by other people to compare scores with the players. The site has a short test and a full test, with the full test being scored out of 50 points.
The test is similar to other IQ tests, although it might be considered more rounded, with more language and other questions.
The website has a database of all players that have taken the quiz. You can search by your favorite player, see their score out of 50, and then take the test yourself to see how you stack up.
One player has achieved a full score of 50 during the time that the test has been running. In addition to being able to view scores by the player, you can also view them by the average position in which they play.
You can take the full test, short test, or view the database on the website, and all of it is free. You should expect the full test to take approximately 12 minutes, and the premise adds an unusual and somewhat appealing aspect to the typical IQ test.
Conclusion
IQ is not necessarily a guide of overall intelligence, and even its inventor has chided its measurement because it does not take into account things like emotional intelligence or creativity.
However, standardized tests do exist and they are used by high-IQ groups like Mensa, as well as individual participants, to determine how well a person stacks up against the rest of the population.
Above are 15 free online IQ tests that you can take for fun, to test yourself, or as practice for sitting for a Mensa entry test.
Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing.
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