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The World’s Shortest IQ Test Is Just Three Questions

The World’s Shortest IQ Test Is Just Three Questions

Cortlyn McCarthyBerry Interesting3 months ago

Pretty sure you’re a genius, but too lazy to prove it with a lengthy Mensa test? Here’s a two-minute alternative.

The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) is just three questions long and was created to quickly assess a very specific ability. Can you avoid choosing the intuitive or obvious answer long enough to work out the correct one?

Less than 1 in 5 get all three questions right.

The test is designed to trip you up with questions that seem simple but have surprisingly tricky answers. Only 17% of people manage to get all three correct. The other 83% are fooled by their own instincts at least once.

So, let’s see which group you fall into. Read each question carefully and come up with your answer, then click the question to see if you’re right.

QUESTION #1: A bat and ball cost $1.10 total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? (Click to reveal answer)

Correct answer: 5 cents

Your brain probably screamed “10 cents,” right? That’s the trap. If the ball is 5 cents, the bat is $1.05. (aka, “$1 more”)

QUESTION #2: It takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets. How long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? (Click to reveal answer)

Correct answer: 5 minutes

If you said 100 minutes, you’re not alone. But… each machine makes one widget in 5 minutes. So 100 machines make 100 widgets in 5 minutes. Obvious now, right?

QUESTION #3: There’s a patch of lily pads in a lake. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long will it take to cover half of the lake? (Click to reveal answer)

Correct answer: 47 days

First instinct says 24 days, but the patch doubles every day. So, complicated math wasn’t really required – it would have covered half the lake the day before it was full.

How’d you do?

If you got all three right, congrats – Einstein would probably high-five you. If not, don’t sweat it. The test is designed to trip you up, that’s the point. Now go share the quiz with your friends and see who else gets bamboozled – or lies and claims they didn’t. “Smart” people love a good flex.