IQ Test Questions with Answers: 20 IQ-Style Practice Puzzles
Looking for IQ test questions with answers you can work through at your own pace? Below are 20 original IQ-style practice puzzles. They cover number series, letter series, verbal reasoning, logic, matrix-style patterns and spatial reasoning, and every one comes with a worked answer.
The MindScan team wrote all of them for this page. This is practice, not a test. There's no timer, nothing is scored and you won't get an IQ number at the end. If you'd like a structured result afterwards, try our free IQ-style reasoning test. It gives an instant estimate for educational insight. It is not a certified IQ score.
How to use these practice questions
- Try each puzzle before you open the answer. Every answer sits in a collapsed "Show answer" box.
- Write down your reasoning, not just the letter you picked. Spotting why an option works is the useful part.
- Don't time yourself the first time through. The aim is to get familiar with the question formats.
- Check the explanation even when you were right. There's sometimes a quicker way to see the pattern.
What kinds of questions appear in IQ tests?
Professionally developed intelligence tests use several kinds of task, not just one. Two well-documented examples:
- The International Cognitive Ability Resource (ICAR) is a public-domain set of items built for research. Its first four item types are letter and number series, matrix reasoning, verbal reasoning (logic, vocabulary and general-knowledge questions) and three-dimensional rotation (Condon & Revelle, 2014). The ICAR matrix items are 3×3 grids of shapes with one cell missing, similar to Raven's Progressive Matrices.
- The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV UK) is given one-to-one by a trained professional. It reports a Full Scale IQ and four index scores: verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed. Its subtests include Similarities, Matrix Reasoning, Visual Puzzles, Figure Weights, Digit Span and Symbol Search (Pearson Clinical UK).
The puzzles below are loosely grouped around those reasoning types. Two things they can't capture are the timed, examiner-led parts of professional tests and the norming that turns raw answers into an IQ score. There's more on that further down.
Number series questions (1–4)
Number series questions ask you to find the rule linking a sequence of numbers, then apply it.
Question 1
What comes next?
6, 11, 21, 36, 56, ?
A) 76 B) 81 C) 86 D) 91
Show answer
Answer: B) 81
Look at the gaps between the numbers: +5, +10, +15, +20. Each gap is 5 more than the last, so the next gap is +25, and 56 + 25 = 81.
Question 2
What comes next?
7, 10, 16, 28, 52, ?
A) 76 B) 88 C) 100 D) 104
Show answer
Answer: C) 100
The gaps are +3, +6, +12, +24, so each gap is double the one before. The next gap is +48, and 52 + 48 = 100. (Another way to see it: each number is double the previous one minus 4. For example, 52 × 2 − 4 = 100.)
Question 3
What are the next two numbers?
5, 40, 8, 35, 11, 30, ?, ?
A) 14, 25 B) 13, 25 C) 14, 26 D) 25, 14
Show answer
Answer: A) 14, 25
Two sequences are woven together. The 1st, 3rd and 5th numbers (5, 8, 11) go up by 3. The 2nd, 4th and 6th numbers (40, 35, 30) go down by 5. Next comes 11 + 3 = 14, then 30 − 5 = 25. Option D has the right numbers in the wrong order.
Question 4
Which fraction is the odd one out?
3/6, 4/8, 5/10, 6/14, 9/18
A) 3/6 B) 4/8 C) 6/14 D) 9/18
Show answer
Answer: C) 6/14
Every other fraction simplifies to exactly ½. Their denominators are double their numerators. 6/14 simplifies to 3/7, which is less than a half (½ would be 7/14).
Letter series and code questions (5–8)
These work like number series, but with the alphabet. It helps to number the letters (A = 1, B = 2 … Z = 26).
Question 5
What comes next?
A, C, F, J, O, ?
A) S B) T C) U D) V
Show answer
Answer: C) U
As numbers, the letters are 1, 3, 6, 10, 15. The gaps grow by one each time: +2, +3, +4, +5. The next gap is +6, and 15 + 6 = 21, which is U.
Question 6
What comes next?
Z, A, Y, B, X, C, ?
A) D B) W C) V D) E
Show answer
Answer: B) W
Two series alternate. One runs backwards from the end of the alphabet (Z, Y, X) and the other runs forwards from the start (A, B, C). The next letter belongs to the backwards series, so after X comes W. D would be next in the forwards series, but it isn't that series' turn.
Question 7
In a code, LAMP is written MBNQ. How is DESK written in the same code?
A) EFTL B) CDRJ C) EFUL D) EFTM
Show answer
Answer: A) EFTL
Each letter moves one place forward: L→M, A→B, M→N, P→Q. Applied to DESK: D→E, E→F, S→T, K→L, giving EFTL. Option B moves each letter one place back instead.
Question 8
In a different code, MIND is written NHOC. How is SCAN written in this code?
A) TDBO B) TBBM C) RBZM D) TBBO
Show answer
Answer: B) TBBM
The shift alternates: the 1st letter moves forward one, the 2nd moves back one, the 3rd forward one and the 4th back one (M→N, I→H, N→O, D→C). For SCAN: S→T, C→B, A→B, N→M, giving TBBM. Option A moves every letter forward, and option C moves every letter back.
Verbal reasoning questions (9–12)
Verbal items test how well you spot relationships between words and meanings. Analogies take the form "A is to B as C is to ?": find the link between the first pair, then apply it to the second.
Question 9
Thermometer is to temperature as odometer is to:
A) speed B) distance C) fuel D) direction
Show answer
Answer: B) distance
A thermometer is the instrument that measures temperature. An odometer is the instrument that measures distance travelled. Speed is the obvious trap, but that's a speedometer.
Question 10
Whisper is to shout as drizzle is to:
A) umbrella B) cloud C) downpour D) puddle
Show answer
Answer: C) downpour
A whisper and a shout are the same thing (speaking) at very low and very high intensity. Drizzle and a downpour are the same thing (rain) at very low and very high intensity. The other options are related to rain, but they don't share that "same thing, different intensity" link.
Question 11
Which word is the odd one out?
violin, viola, cello, flute, double bass
A) viola B) cello C) flute D) double bass
Show answer
Answer: C) flute
The violin, viola, cello and double bass are all bowed string instruments. The flute is a wind instrument: you play it by blowing, not by bowing or plucking strings.
Question 12
Which word is closest in meaning to candid?
A) frank B) cautious C) sweet D) secretive
Show answer
Answer: A) frank
Candid means open and honest, saying what you really think. Frank means the same. Secretive is close to the opposite, and sweet is a common mix-up with "candied".
Logic and deduction questions (13–16)
Deduction questions give you some facts and ask what must follow from them. Stick to what's stated. Don't add what seems likely.
Question 13
All of Priya's cats are tabby cats. Some tabby cats are ginger.
Which statement must be true?
A) Some of Priya's cats are ginger. B) All ginger cats belong to Priya. C) None of Priya's cats are ginger. D) None of the above must be true.
Show answer
Answer: D) None of the above must be true.
The ginger tabbies could all belong to other people, so A doesn't have to be true. Equally, some of Priya's cats could be ginger, so C doesn't have to be true either. Nothing links ginger cats to Priya at all, which rules out B. The facts allow several possibilities but force none of them. That's a common trap in syllogism questions.
Question 14
Five friends ran a race: Ada, Ben, Cal, Dee and Eve. There were no ties.
- Eve finished last.
- Ada finished ahead of Ben.
- Cal finished behind Dee but ahead of Ada.
Who finished second?
A) Ada B) Ben C) Cal D) Dee
Show answer
Answer: C) Cal
Put the clues together: Dee is ahead of Cal, Cal is ahead of Ada, and Ada is ahead of Ben. That gives the order Dee, Cal, Ada, Ben. Eve is last, so those four take places 1 to 4 in exactly that order: Dee 1st, Cal 2nd, Ada 3rd, Ben 4th, Eve 5th. No other order fits all three clues.
Question 15
On an island, everyone is either a truth-teller (always tells the truth) or a liar (always lies). You meet two islanders.
- A says: "B is a liar."
- B says: "A and I are the same type."
What are A and B?
A) Both truth-tellers B) Both liars C) A is a truth-teller and B is a liar D) A is a liar and B is a truth-teller
Show answer
Answer: C) A is a truth-teller and B is a liar
Test B first. If B told the truth, A would be the same type, so A would be a truth-teller too. But then A's statement "B is a liar" would be true, which contradicts B being truthful. So B must be a liar.
Because B lies, "A and I are the same type" is false, so A is a different type from B. That makes A a truth-teller. Check: A says "B is a liar", which is true. Everything is consistent, and this is the only combination that works.
Question 16
If the day after tomorrow is Saturday, what day was the day before yesterday?
A) Monday B) Tuesday C) Wednesday D) Thursday
Show answer
Answer: B) Tuesday
If the day after tomorrow is Saturday, then tomorrow is Friday and today is Thursday. Yesterday was Wednesday, so the day before yesterday was Tuesday.
Matrix-style pattern questions (17–18)
Matrix reasoning items show a grid with one cell missing. You work out the rules running across the rows and down the columns. The real thing uses pictures. Here, each cell is described in words.
Question 17
Each cell holds one shape with some dots inside it.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | circle, 1 dot | square, 2 dots | triangle, 3 dots |
| Row 2 | square, 3 dots | triangle, 1 dot | circle, 2 dots |
| Row 3 | triangle, 2 dots | circle, 3 dots | ? |
What belongs in the missing cell?
A) square, 1 dot B) square, 3 dots C) circle, 1 dot D) triangle, 1 dot
Show answer
Answer: A) square, 1 dot
Every row and every column contains one circle, one square and one triangle. Row 3 already has a triangle and a circle, so the missing shape is a square. Column 3 confirms it (triangle, circle, ?).
The dots follow the same rule: each row and column has 1, 2 and 3 dots once each. Row 3 has 2 and 3, so the missing cell has 1 dot. Column 3 again confirms it (3, 2, ?).
Question 18
Each cell shows an outer shape with small shapes drawn inside it.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | square containing 1 circle | square containing 2 stars | square containing 3 crosses |
| Row 2 | circle containing 1 circle | circle containing 2 stars | circle containing 3 crosses |
| Row 3 | triangle containing 1 circle | triangle containing 2 stars | ? |
What belongs in the missing cell?
A) triangle containing 2 crosses B) triangle containing 3 crosses C) circle containing 3 crosses D) triangle containing 3 stars
Show answer
Answer: B) triangle containing 3 crosses
Three rules work at once. The row sets the outer shape (row 3 = triangle). The column sets which small shape goes inside (column 3 = crosses). The column also sets how many there are (column 3 = 3). Each wrong option breaks one of those rules.
Spatial reasoning questions (19–20)
Spatial items ask you to picture objects turning, flipping or folding. ICAR uses cube rotations, and the WAIS-IV includes a Visual Puzzles subtest. These two text versions practise the same mental moves.
Question 19
Picture the lowercase letter p. Without flipping it over, rotate it a half turn (180°) on the page. Which letter does it look like now?
A) b B) d C) q D) p
Show answer
Answer: B) d
A half turn sends the downward stem on the left to the top on the right, and the round part moves from top-right to bottom-left. That's a d. The other options are easy to confuse with it: a left-to-right mirror image of p gives q, and flipping p upside down like a reflection in water gives b. Rotating and reflecting are different moves.
Question 20
A flat net of six squares folds into a cube. Squares 1, 2, 3 and 4 sit in a vertical column, from top to bottom. Square 5 is attached to the left side of square 2, and square 6 to the right side of square 2.
When the net is folded into a cube, which face is opposite face 2?
A) 1 B) 3 C) 4 D) 6
Show answer
Answer: C) 4
Treat square 2 as the front of the cube. Square 1 folds up to become the top, square 3 folds down to become the bottom, and square 4 (attached to 3) folds round to become the back, opposite 2. Squares 5 and 6 fold in to form the left and right sides, opposite each other. The opposite pairs are 1–3, 2–4 and 5–6.
Why these practice questions don't give you an IQ score
You might be tempted to count up your answers and turn the total into an IQ. Please don't. A tally from this page can't be converted into one, for these reasons:
- IQ scores are relative, not raw. On modern IQ tests, raw scores are converted so that results fit a normal distribution with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 (Wikipedia: Intelligence quotient). That only works when many people have taken the same test under the same conditions, a group called a norming sample. These 20 puzzles have no norming sample.
- Professional tests are much broader. The WAIS-IV UK builds its Full Scale IQ from ten core subtests across four areas, including working memory and processing speed (Pearson Clinical UK). Untimed practice puzzles touch only a slice of that.
- Even good tests carry uncertainty. Scores from established tests are reported with a margin of error, and the same person can score differently on different tests (Wikipedia: Intelligence quotient).
Even British Mensa says its free Online Workout "is not an IQ test" and that the score won't qualify you for membership (Mensa UK). Use this page to get familiar with the question types and to enjoy the puzzles. Don't read anything into your number of correct answers.
Want a structured result? Try MindScan's IQ-style test
If you enjoyed these, our free IQ-style reasoning test is the next step. It's a set of visual reasoning puzzles with an instant result on screen and no sign-up. Like the rest of MindScan, it's informed by published research on cognition, for educational insight, not diagnosis. The result is an estimate. It isn't population-normed and it is not a certified IQ score.
Prefer something more playful? MindScan's free brain games are retro mini-games that exercise memory, attention and pattern-spotting.
Want a certified IQ score instead?
For a formal score in the UK, look beyond online puzzles:
- British Mensa offers a supervised IQ test, in person or proctored online. People who score in the top two percent are invited to join. Mensa also offers a free Online Workout and a Home Test (Mensa UK). MindScan isn't affiliated with Mensa.
- A psychologist can give an individual assessment such as the WAIS-IV UK. You can look for one through the British Psychological Society's directory and check that a practitioner psychologist is registered on the HCPC Register.
FAQ: IQ test questions and answers
Are these real IQ test questions?
No. They're original IQ-style practice questions written by MindScan. They're modelled on the types of reasoning task used in established tests (series, matrices, verbal reasoning, spatial rotation), but they aren't taken from any published test, and they haven't been calibrated or normed.
Can I work out my IQ from how many I got right?
No. There's no valid way to turn a score on this page into an IQ. IQ scores depend on comparing your performance with a large norming sample that took the same test under the same conditions, and these practice questions have none.
What types of questions are on IQ tests?
It varies by test. The ICAR research item bank uses letter and number series, matrix reasoning, verbal reasoning and three-dimensional rotation (Condon & Revelle, 2014). The WAIS-IV UK covers verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed (Pearson Clinical UK).
Will practising IQ-style questions help me?
Practice makes the formats familiar, so you spend less time working out what a question is asking. This page doesn't claim that practising raises your underlying ability, and it can't measure that.
Should I time myself?
Not the first time. Some professional subtests are timed, but the point here is to understand how each puzzle works. Once you're comfortable, you can set a timer for fun, but your time still won't convert into a score.
Is MindScan's IQ-style test a certified IQ test?
No. It gives a reasoning estimate for educational insight. It isn't population-normed, it isn't a clinical or diagnostic test, and it isn't a certified IQ score. For a formal score, see the Mensa and psychologist options above.
Where can I get a certified IQ score in the UK?
British Mensa runs supervised IQ tests (Mensa UK). An individual assessment such as the WAIS-IV UK is carried out by a qualified psychologist. You can check a practitioner psychologist on the HCPC Register.
Written by the MindScan Team. Last reviewed: 6 October 2026. All practice questions on this page are original to MindScan.
MindScan is a product of Thunderchild Creative Technologies Limited, Rushden, UK · [email protected]
Sources
- Condon, D. M. & Revelle, W. (2014). The International Cognitive Ability Resource: Development and initial validation of a public-domain measure. Intelligence, 43, 52–64
- ICAR 2014 paper (preprint PDF), ICAR Project
- The International Cognitive Ability Resource (ICAR), TU Dortmund
- WAIS–IV UK: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth UK Edition, Pearson Clinical Assessment UK
- Intelligence quotient, Wikipedia
- Test Your IQ, British Mensa
- Online Workout, British Mensa
- Check the Register, Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- Find a psychologist, British Psychological Society