tech
February 16, 2026
The World's Shortest IQ Test: Just 3 Questions Reveal If You're Smarter Than 80% of People
These trick questions reveal your intelligence level.
TL;DR
- The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) is the world's shortest IQ test with only three questions.
- It was designed by psychologist Shane Frederick in 2005 to predict common thinking mistakes.
- The test challenges intuitive answers with questions requiring logical reasoning.
- For example, a bat and ball costing $1.10, with the bat being $1 more expensive than the ball, has the ball costing $0.05, not $0.10.
- Another question states 5 machines make 5 products in 5 minutes; 100 machines would make 100 products in 5 minutes, not 100 minutes.
- A lily pad doubling daily takes 48 days to cover a lake, meaning it covers half the lake in 47 days.
- Less than 20% of test-takers answer all CRT questions correctly.
- The test measures logical reasoning, reflection, and decision-making ability, similar to standardized IQ tests.
- Variations in correct answers exist, with one MIT study showing 17% correct and an Iranian study showing 41.3%.
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