Free Cognitive Reasoning Test — Series, Matrices, Cubes

What this reasoning test measures

A cognitive reasoning test measures how well a person solves unfamiliar problems by finding rules and following logic. This test has 24 original problems written for this site, six each of number and letter series, verbal reasoning, figural matrices and cube folding, modelled on the item types of the International Cognitive Ability Resource. It reports problems solved, never an IQ.

Reasoning here means working out something you have not been taught: the rule behind a sequence, what must follow from a set of statements, the pattern across a grid of figures, or how a flat pattern folds into a cube. Research on short, unproctored sets of these four item types (Condon & Revelle, 2014) found that they track general reasoning ability.

Why the problems are original

The International Cognitive Ability Resource publishes its items for academic research only, and its terms do not allow them on a website. So every problem here was written for this site from the general item type, and checked by computation to have exactly one answer: each matrix against every rule that fits its cells, each cube by folding its net geometrically.

How the score works

Your score is the number of problems you solve, out of 24. The likely range around it comes from the binomial error model, which needs only the number of items and correct answers. Because each problem has three to eight options, guessing alone averages about 4.7; a total at or below 7 cannot be read as reasoning, and the result says so.

Why there is no IQ

An IQ places a score against a large, representative sample of people who took the same items. These problems have not been calibrated on any sample, so an IQ, a percentile, or a “smarter than N% of people” figure would be invented. This site shows none of them.

What is free and what the report adds

The number you solve, its likely range, the guessing check, your best kind of problem, the methodology, and the sources are free. The advanced report adds all four kinds with their ranges, a reading of your profile, what each kind of problem asks of you, concrete methods for each item type, a four-week practice plan, what the test cannot tell you, a closing synthesis, and an AI reflection module.

Reasoning test questions, answered

Is this an IQ test?

No. An IQ is a position against a representative norm sample, and these items have never been given to one, so no IQ can be computed from them. The result is the number of problems you solved, a likely range for it, and a comparison with what guessing alone would score.

Are these the ICAR questions?

No. ICAR's item bank is licensed for academic research only and may not be published on a website. This test follows ICAR's four item types, but every problem was written for this site and checked by computation to have exactly one answer.

Why is there no percentile?

A percentile needs scores from a large sample of people who took the same items. These problems have not been calibrated on any sample yet, so showing a percentile or a 'better than N% of people' figure would be invented.

What is the guessing baseline?

Each problem has three to eight options, so pure guessing averages about 4.7 correct out of 24 and often reaches 7. A total at or below that cannot be read as reasoning, and the result says so.

Can I improve with practice?

You can get better at these kinds of problem, and spatial skills in particular respond well to training. Whether practice raises reasoning ability in general is much less certain. Do not retake the same 24 problems to measure progress: you will remember them.