How to take a real IQ test: Avoid fake online quizzes and discover how to get an accurate one with a psychologist or a trusted professional online test.
Dr. Russell T. WarneChief Scientist
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There are various reasons why a person might be interested in taking an IQ test. Maybe they are curious about their cognitive abilities, need documentation for a diagnosis, or want to understand their intellectual strengths and weaknesses. Whatever the reason, a potential test take my wonder how they can take a legitimate IQ test?
Individually Administered IQ Tests
The traditional method of taking an intelligence is to receive one individually from a qualified psychologist or clinician. These are face-to-face assessments (or sometimes via video call) where a professional guides the examinee through the entire testing process.
Popular individually administered tests include the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities. These typically take about 90 minutes to complete and require the examiner to have specialized training in administration and scoring.
To take one of these tests, find a licensed psychologist or clinician who offers psychological assessments. Search through:
• Your health insurance provider's directory
• Local university psychology clinics (often more affordable)
• Private practice psychologists specializing in assessment
• School psychologists (for educational purposes)
The cost typically ranges from $500 to $2,000, depending on your location and whether a full psychological evaluation is included. Insurance may cover testing if it's medically necessary, such as for diagnosing a learning disability or cognitive impairment.
Online IQ Tests:
The internet is saturated with websites claiming to measure a person’s IQ quickly. The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority are not legitimate scientific instruments. Most are created by non-professionals who do not follow the ethical and technical standards that govern psychological testing.
Before taking any online IQ test, it is important to determine:
Who created this test? Legitimate creators proudly disclose their identity, and their credentials are easy to identify. Anonymity helps bad actors avoid accountability.
Does the test have a representative norm sample? Without a representative norm sample that has been properly documented, a test cannot produce accurate scores. Self-selected groups of people who seek out tests are not representative, and tests that use these groups as their norm samples will produce distorted scores.
Has the test been independently evaluated? Professional tests undergo expert review and appear in peer-reviewed research. Search the test name inGoogle Scholar to verify.
Does it meet professional standards? Legitimate tests adhere to theStandards for Educational and Psychological Testing established by the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education. Legitimate tests will provide evidence that they are being held to those standards, usually in technical documentation like a test manual.
Most free online tests fail these criteria. Test development is expensive, requiring professional creators to charge fees. However, online testing remains much less expensive than traditional face-to-face assessments.
The Best Professional Online IQ Test
The Reasoning and Intelligence Online Test (RIOT) is the first online IQ test that meets all applicable professional standards for psychological assessment. Created by Dr. Russell T. Warne, who has over 15 years of experience in intelligence research, the RIOT received the same rigorous development process as traditional in-person tests: expert review, a proper US-based norm sample, and adherence to testing standards from the APA, AERA, and NCME.
The RIOT can be taken whenever and wherever it is convenient. It measures multiple aspects of intelligence: Verbal Reasoning, Fluid Reasoning, Spatial Ability, Working Memory, Processing Speed, and Reaction Time in addition to providing an overall IQ score.Instruction videos are publicly available on YouTube, and breaks are allowed between subtests for as long as needed.
Regardless of which type of test you take, several strategies help ensure your best performance:
Get adequate rest. Being well-rested helps you think clearly and maintain focus. Fatigue can lower your score.
Understand the instructions. Make sure you know what is expected for each task. Some tasks seem unusual if you have never encountered them before. Familiarity with the format helps the test produce a more accurate score. If you are taking a test administered by a professional in person or via a video call, do not hesitate to ask questions if you do not understand what to do.
Manage your time. Most tests have time limits. Rushing leads to careless errors, but running out of time means missing questions. Find a balance.
Stay calm. Test anxiety can negatively affect performance. If you're working with a psychologist, remember they want you to perform as best as you can. Take deep breaths and remind yourself that one test does not define you.
What to Do with Your Results
Once you've taken a legitimate test, you should receive a detailed score report. If you took an individually administered test, the psychologist should provide a verbal explanation and an opportunity to ask questions.
A reputable test will help you understand not just your overall IQ, but also your specific cognitive strengths and weaknesses. This information can be valuable for educational planning, career decisions, or simply understanding how you think and learn best.
IQ is just one piece of information about you. It is a useful metric, but it does not capture everything meaningful about your cognitive abilities, personality, creativity, or potential. A high IQ opens doors, but walking through them requires effort. While IQ predicts many life outcomes, hard work, persistence, and other personal qualities matter tremendously.
If you're serious about understanding your intelligence, invest in taking a legitimate test. The insights you gain will be worth the price you pay.
Watch “How Should the RIOT Be Used?” on the Riot IQ YouTube channel to learn how official IQ tests are administered and interpreted.
Take our professional IQ test
Want to know your IQ? Try the first ever professional online IQ test.
