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IQ test vs aptitude test
IQ tests and aptitude tests often look alike: timed puzzles, number series, multiple choice. They answer different questions. An IQ test estimates your general reasoning ability compared with people your age. An aptitude test checks how ready you are for a particular job, course or kind of task.
Want your own number? The test is 25 visual puzzles, about 12 minutes, no sign-up.
Side by side
| IQ test | Aptitude test | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | How well do you reason, compared with people your age? | How ready are you for this job, course or task? |
| Content | General reasoning, often across several kinds of tasks | Tasks chosen for the role: numerical, verbal, mechanical, spatial or job-specific |
| Scale | Standard IQ scale: mean 100, SD 15 | Usually a percentile or pass mark against other applicants |
| Who uses it | Psychologists, researchers, individuals | Employers, schools, training programs |
| What it informs | Diagnosis, placement, self-understanding | Hiring, admission, role fit |
What an IQ test is for
An IQ test estimates general reasoning ability and reports it on a standard scale: within each age group, the mean is 100 and the standard deviation is 15 (Wikipedia: Intelligence quotient). The idea behind a single number goes back to Charles Spearman, who proposed a general intelligence factor, g, in 1904 to explain why people who do well on one kind of mental task tend to do well on others (Wikipedia: g factor).
An IQ test is not built for any particular job. It asks how well you reason in general and compares you with the population. Our guide to what an IQ test measures goes deeper.
Try one · Logical Reasoning
Which tile completes the second pair?
Tap the option you think is right, or show the answer.
Show the answer
The missing panel shows a small solid triangle pointing left, with small solid shapes: a triangle at the top-left corner (option 2).
How to solve it
- Compare the first two panels and name exactly what changed.
- The whole figure turns a half turn.
- The large shape becomes solid.
- Nothing else changes.
- Apply the same changes to the third panel: a small outlined triangle pointing right, with small solid shapes: a triangle at the bottom-right corner.
- So the missing panel shows a small solid triangle pointing left, with small solid shapes: a triangle at the top-left corner.
That was 1 puzzle. The full test has 25.
What an aptitude test is for
An aptitude test is built backward from a purpose. An employer hiring analysts may test numerical reasoning with tables and charts. A training program for technicians may test mechanical reasoning. A course may test the specific skills it builds on. The score is usually compared with other applicants, or with a cutoff the organization has set, rather than with the general population.
Many aptitude tests include items that look like IQ test items, such as number series or abstract reasoning puzzles. The difference is less in the items than in the design: what is sampled, who the comparison group is, and what decision the score feeds into.
Where they overlap
General reasoning matters in most jobs, which is why the two kinds of test overlap. A review of 85 years of personnel research estimated the correlation between general mental ability and job performance at 0.51 (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998). That is a substantial relationship across large groups. It is also far from perfect, and it describes groups rather than individuals: plenty of people perform much better or worse than their test score would suggest.
Preparing for each
For both kinds of test, familiarity with the format helps a little. Retaking cognitive ability tests raises scores by about a quarter of a standard deviation on average, more when the same form is reused (Hausknecht et al., 2007). For an aptitude test, use the official practice material if the employer or school provides it. For an IQ test, see how to prepare.
Where IQ Octopus fits
IQ Octopus is an online estimate of general reasoning, closer to a nonverbal IQ test than to any aptitude test. It is built for personal interest and cannot be used for employment screening, educational placement, disability assessment or Mensa admission. If an employer or school asks you for a test, use the one they specify. If you are curious about your general reasoning, read how IQ Octopus works, or compare online and clinical IQ tests.
Sources
- Intelligence quotient. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient
- g factor (psychometrics). Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_factor_(psychometrics)
- Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 262-274. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.124.2.262
- Hausknecht, J. P., Halpert, J. A., Di Paolo, N. T., & Moriarty Gerrard, M. O. (2007). Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(2), 373-385. doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.2.373