The world’s shortest IQ test can reportedly determine your level of intelligence in an assessment made up of just three questions.
And apparently, only 17% of people are able to pass the test.
The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) is a short psychological quiz that is designed to measure a person’s intelligence by assessing their ability to override an intuitive answer and to engage in more analytical thinking.
The test was first introduced back in 2005 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Shane Frederick and has become a method used in psychology.
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According to a report by the Manchester Evening News, Frederick said: “The three items on the CRT are ‘easy’ in the sense that their solution is easily understood when explained, yet reaching the correct answer often requires the suppression of an erroneous answer that springs ‘impulsively’ to mind.”
What three questions are asked in the world’s shortest IQ test?
The expert argues that just three questions are needed to test a person’s IQ, so what does the quiz consist of?
Here are the questions:
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?
Frederick goes on to say: “Anyone who reflects upon it for even a moment would recognise that the difference between $1 and 10 cents is only 90 cents, not $1 as the problem stipulates.
“In this case, catching that error is tantamount to solving the problem, since nearly everyone who does not respond ‘10 cents’ does, in fact, give the correct response.”
If you want a spoiler for the answers, then you can find them here:
1. 5 cents
2. 5 minutes
3. 47 days
Many people have taken to social media to share their own reactions to the test, with one user writing on Reddit: “It broke my brain trying to figure that out.”
And another added: “So that means kids, people with: adhd, depression, anxiety have more chance to be wrong at these.”