Latest news with #TheCognitiveReflectionTest
Daily Record
23-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Can you ace this 15-question quiz meant for primary school children?
Are YOU smarter than a 10-year-old? Take this test and find out. Exam season has arrived and students across the country are hard at work revising for and sitting these crucial tests. In Scotland, when it comes to exams, it's mostly for older pupils. As teenagers, Scots schoolkids will take on their National Qualifications and potentially Highers and Advanced Highers as they move up the years. These crucial exams can help young adults shape their university or college education, or their working careers. It is important to note that exams are not the be all and end all, but performing well in them can stand you in good stead. And while we don't have official exams at a younger age in Scotland, down south pupils get tested at primary school age. In Year 6, the equivalent of Primary 6, students have to sit their SATs. These test kids in maths and English -including reading and spelling, punctuation, and grammar - but teachers do try to keep them informal to keep some of the pressure off. The results can help parents and teachers identify if pupils may need additional support as they progress along their school journey, though critics worry that they put kids under unnecessary strain and turn schools into exam factories. But wherever you sit on children being tested at primary school age, how do you think you would get on trying to answer questions set for these pupils? Everyone loves a wee challenge, whether that's taking on the world's shortest IQ test or tackling some puzzling brainteasers. These can keep your mind sharp while also allowing you to test your mettle against your friends and family - or, in this case, some primary school children. Our sister title The Mirror has pulled together 15 questions from previous exams to create a short quiz for you to take on. Some are aimed at children as young as six years old and there are multiple choice options, even though that's not always the case with the SATs. So what do you think? To reference a popular quiz show from the Noughties, are YOU smarter than a 10-year-old? Good luck and let us know how you get on in the comments below. If you can't see the quiz below, click on THIS LINK to take part. How did you get on? Did you ace it or did some of the questions leave you stumped? No matter how you did, it's just a bit of fun. Regularly undertaking this sort of challenge is not only a good way to pass the time, but science suggests that practicing these puzzles can help keep your mind healthy and boost brain function. What about trying The Cognitive Reflection Test, often seen as the shortest IQ test in the world. It's only three questions but the pass rate is just 17 per cent. quiz of 10 questions on a range of subjects from previous exams.
Daily Record
21-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Record
The 'world's shortest IQ test' with just three questions but only a 17% pass rate
Despite the small number of questions, the Cognitive Reflection Test really challenges your brain. Many of us like to put our intelligence to the test, whether that's to keep ourselves sharp or if we just enjoy proving our mettle. There are many ways to do this, from doing crosswords or brainteasers, to watching game shows or doing pub quizzes. But one of the most common ways to do this is with an IQ test, which will pose different types of questions to get your brain working. However, these are often quite long and can take a big chunk out of your day. So what if you could take on a challenge that is often thought to be the world's shortest IQ test? With just three questions, you'll be done in a few minutes and able to get on with your day. But you shouldn't be fooled by the apparent simplicity, as each question poses its own particular problems and only 17 per cent of people were able to get full marks during a research study, The Mirror reports. The mini quiz is called The Cognitive Reflection Test. It was originally part of a research paper published 20 years ago by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Professor Shane Frederick. Professor Frederick had over 3,000 people from a range of educational backgrounds complete the test for his study. And despite there being Ivy League students from Yale and Harvard taking part, the pass rate was less than one in five, with a whopping 83 per cent failing to get all three correct. Speaking about the test, Professor 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." And it seems that intelligence testing, like fashion, may be cyclical, as the quiz has reappeared online in recent years, despite it being two decades since the 2005 paper was published. Naturally, lots of people want to test their intelligence with this quick quiz. And if that sounds like you, then read on below to see if you can get 100 per cent on The Cognitive Reflection Test. 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? Answers The three answers directly below are the most common responses from participant, however they are incorrect. 1. 10 cents 2. 100 minutes 3. 24 days Professor Frederick said: "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." The correct answers are: 1. 5 cents 2. 5 minutes 3. 47 days Do these answers make sense? If not then don't worry, as we explained you are far from alone. And, thankfully, the author of The Hoy of Game Theory: An Introduction to Strategic Thinking, Presh Talwalkar, has explained the working behind the answers on his blog, Mind Your Decisions. He said: "[For question one] 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. "[For question two] If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, then it takes 1 machine 5 minutes to make 1 widget (each machine is making a widget in 5 minutes). If we have 100 machines working together, then each can make a widget in 5 minutes. So there will be 100 widgets in 5 minutes. "[For question three] 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." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
