Simple IQ Test
This “shortest” IQ test in the world only has three questions, and only 15% of test takers can successfully complete the set of mental challenges.
The test, also known as the Cognitive Reflection Test, was first included in a study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Shane Frederick that was published in 2005.
In a research, Professor Frederick administered the IQ test to over 3,000 volunteers from various educational levels. Only 15% of those who took the test and finished it were able to get three perfect scores.
The three questions on the CRT are simple in the sense that their solution is clear when stated, but getting the right response frequently necessitates suppressing an incorrect response that “impulsively” comes to mind, said Professor Frederick.
As thousands of people attempt the test when it reappeared, the paper has since gone viral in western world and gained popularity.
We bring it to Indians to see if you can pass the test by correctly answering the questions below.
What Are The IQ Test Questions?
Read below and answer the three questions included in the short IQ test:
1. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
2. If it takes five machines five minutes to make five widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
3. In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?
What are the wrong answers?
Below you will find the three most common answers which are in fact all incorrect:
- 10 cents
- 100 minutes
- 24 days
The difference between $1 and 10 cents is only 90 cents, not $1 as the problem stipulates, Professor Frederick says. “Nearly everyone who does not respond ’10 cents’ does, in fact, give the correct response,” he adds. Catching that error is tantamount to solving the problem, he says.
What Are The Correct IQ Test Answers?
Read below to find the correct answers for each question:
- 5 cents
- 5 minutes
- 47 days
If you’re still a bit confused by the answers even after reading them, read on for an explanation by Presh Talwalkar, the author of Game Theory: An Introduction to Strategic Thinking.
1. Say the ball costs X. Then the bat costs $1 more, so it is X + 1. So we have bat + ball = X + (X + 1) = 1.1 because together they cost $1.10. This means 2X + 1 = 1.1, then 2X = 0.1, so X = 0.05. This means the ball costs 5 cents and the bat costs $1.05
2. If five machines produce five widgets in five minutes, then one machine produces one widget in five minutes (each machine is making a widget in 5 minutes). Each machine can produce a widget in 5 minutes if we have 100 of them operating simultaneously. Therefore, 100 widgets will be ready in 5 minutes.
3. Every day FORWARD the patch doubles in size. So every day BACKWARDS means the patch halves in size. So on day 47 the lake is half full.
