IQ test sample questions with answers
Eight practice questions covering the most common IQ test formats, each with a worked answer. Try each one before you open the explanation.
Types of IQ test questions
- Number series: find the rule and continue the sequence.
- Verbal analogies and odd-one-out: decide how words relate to each other.
- Logic and ordering: work out what must be true from stated facts.
- Matrix reasoning: spot the rules in a grid of shapes or numbers and find the missing piece.
Want to try a visual matrix right now? There is an interactive sample on the free IQ test home page.
IQ test practice questions
Number series
Question 1. What number comes next? 4, 9, 16, 25, ?
Show the answer
36. These are the square numbers: 2², 3², 4², 5². The next is 6² = 36.
Number series
Question 2. What number comes next? 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
Show the answer
42. The gaps are 4, 6, 8, 10, so the next gap is 12, and 30 + 12 = 42.
Verbal analogy
Question 3. Glove is to hand as sock is to …
Show the answer
foot. A glove is worn on a hand; a sock is worn on a foot. Put the relationship into a sentence first, then apply it.
Odd one out
Question 4. Which does not belong? Oak, Maple, Birch, Rose, Pine
Show the answer
Rose. Oak, maple, birch and pine are trees. A rose is a flowering shrub.
Logic
Question 5. All bloops are razzies. All razzies are lazzies. Are all bloops definitely lazzies?
Show the answer
Yes. Bloops fit inside razzies, and razzies fit inside lazzies, so bloops must fit inside lazzies. Made-up words stop prior knowledge from getting in the way.
Ordering
Question 6. Maya is older than Leo. Leo is older than Sam. Who is the youngest?
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Sam. Chain the clues: Maya > Leo > Sam. Sam is at the end of the chain.
Matrix reasoning
Question 7. Which number replaces the question mark? Row 1: 3, 5, 7. Row 2: 4, 6, 8. Row 3: 5, 7, ?
Show the answer
9. Each row goes up by 2 across, and each column goes up by 1 going down (7, 8, 9).
Reasoning trap
Question 8. A notebook and a pen cost $1.10 together. The notebook costs $1.00 more than the pen. How much does the pen cost?
Show the answer
5 cents. If the pen were 10 cents, the notebook would be $1.10 and the total $1.20. Let the pen be x: x + (x + 1.00) = 1.10, so x = 0.05.
How to approach each type
- Number series: write the gaps between numbers. If the gaps are not constant, write the gaps of the gaps, or test multiplying.
- Analogies: say the relationship as a sentence before you look at the options.
- Logic: draw it. Circles for groups, a list for rankings. Test each answer by trying to make it false.
- Matrices: change one attribute at a time (shape, number, size, rotation, shading) and check rows, then columns.
More strategies are in how to take an IQ test.
IQ test practice FAQ
What kinds of questions are on an IQ test?
Most IQ tests mix pattern or matrix puzzles, number series, verbal analogies and vocabulary, logic problems, and often spatial or memory tasks. Short online tests usually use a smaller mix.
Can you practise for an IQ test?
Practice makes the formats familiar, which helps you avoid wasting time, but it does not change underlying ability much. Practise to feel comfortable, then take the test in one calm sitting.
Are these the same questions as the real test?
No. These examples are separate from the questions in our test, so practising here does not give away any answers.