I was researching intelligence quotient and IQ tests on Wikipedia.

I stumbled upon, as one always does on Wikipedia, an interesting kind of IQ test: Ravens Progressive Matrices. It had a link at the bottom to an iq test: http://www.iqtest.dk/main.swf. Its pretty interesting. I recommend you check it out. You know how I feel about IQ tests. So, I decided to figure out how it works. Its actually pretty simple. I think that anyone smart can follow my simple tricks and figure out how to get a perfect score pretty easily and well under the time limit of 40 minutes. It took me a little longer than twice as long as the test to figure out and document the general patterns as well as verify all of the answers.

Ravens Progressive Matrices

The puzzle is very simple, and does not even require much explanation. It simply shows you a 33 (or 22) matrix of black-and-white symbols. The lower right corner is not filled in, but the rest are. You are supposed to deduce the pattern and figure out what should most logically fill the lower right corner. For example:
\ | / { | } ( | ?

What would go in the ? spot? Good, a ). Thats a pretty simple pattern. They get much more complicated, but they still are all based on just a few basic rules. Please note that I made up all these terms. You dont know which kind of matrix a given matrix is, but you can figure it out pretty quickly.

Rules
Momentum
Look at problem 2 on the iqtest.dk site. Thats momentum. If the first symbol and the next symbol look the same, except for one little thing

moves or changes or adds to itself, and then it moves or changes or adds to itself by the same amount on the next symbol, then thats momentum. Just follow that. Example:
( (( ((( _ __ ___ { {{ ?

The answer: {{{. Note that this rule can become less obvious if there is what I call carry. That is, if the symbol itself is a little 33 matrix, and you move to the right, then some of the elements will fall out of the little matrix, so then you must carry them over to the next row of the litle matrix.

Set Completion
Look at problem 8 on iqtest.dk. That is simple set completion. Think of each symbol having a number of properties: size, color, shape, etc. If you cant sem to follow a progression like you can in Momentum, but it just looks like a bunch of random, but somewhat related things with similar properties, then the problem can be set completion. I can best show you this in an example (use your imagination about the shapes):
^ O [] O [] ^ [] ^ ?

Answer: O You need to complete the set of shapes on the last row. Notice that the last column also needs to complete the set of shapes (the diagonal too in this case, but thats not always the case). A common property of set-completion that makes this kind of problem much easier, is to look at the triangles made. Notice:

^ x x x x ^ x ^ x

and

x x [] x [] x [] x x

and

x O x O x x x x ?

. Obviously, the ? should be an O. Set-completion is simple, if the first row has a red, white, and blue, and the second has one red, one white, and one blue, make sure the third has one of each. This can get more complicated because you can have multiple properties, shapes and colors etc, all compounded on each other. But, if you just find the triangle, this problem is simple.

Composition
If one symbol looks like the other two put together, then it is just composition. You just have to figure out in what way it should be put together. Maybe the rule is, always put it on the inside of the first. Maybe its, always put it on the outside. Whatever it is, this one is usually pretty easy. I wont even give an example. Question 30 uses composition.

Subtraction

Subtraction is much like composition, look for one thing looks like the other two put together, but with a twist. The subtraction could be complete, just one shape minus the other. Or it could be XOR (exclusiveor). You take two symbols, and take out the lines which are in one, but not the other. Example:
_|_| | __| |__| |_| |_| __| |__ ?

Answer: | |

Functions
If the first symbol in a row looks like the last symbol, but the middle symbol looks weird or especially if its a line or arrows or something simple, then that middle symbol might be a function. By function I mean something that geometrically transforms the first symbol into the third symbol. The function is not necessarily intuitive, but usually makes sense in terms of what the function symbol looks like. In the same example I used above, the vertical bar | is a function that reflects the first symbol horizontally over itself, like a mirror.
\ | / { | } ( | ?

Whats interesting is that you can apply one function to another function. So, you might apply a rotation function with a flipping function, flipping the rotation function, creating a function that both rotates and flips. Pretty cool.

Replacement
Replacement is where they trick you. The rule might be very simple, but it becomes very hard to figure out quickly, because the elements inside the

symbol change for arbitrary reasons simultaneously. Question 25 is an example of movement with replacement together.

Commonality
Finally, if all the symbols look randomly chosen with a bunch of properties and possible configurations, then start to look for commonalities. Dont look for a 1.2.3. pattern like movement, just look for rules that each symbol has in common. For example, say that each black element should be on top of a white element in exactly one symbol in each row. This can be difficult, but is easier if you know that its none of the other rules, and you are looking for a commonality, not a progression of patterns. Once you have some rules, start ruling out answers until you find a final answer. Question 26 is an example.

Putting it all together

Skeptical that the answers are so easily based on the rules above? They really are. What makes the difference between an easy and a hard problem is that a hard problem will use multiple rules together. Fortunately, using multiple rules together usually doesnt make it much harder to figure out as long as you systematically think through these possibilities. If you are having trouble with a problem, you should stop, take a deep breath, look back at the matrix as a whole, and then think through each of these rules and rule them out or use them as appropriate. All matrices follow one or more of these rules. On the iqtest.dk site, the lowest score you can get is below 79. The highest you can get is above 145. The answers to all of the questions I put below, along with an explanation referencing the rules used to get the answers: D Come on (momentum?) F Momentum B Momentum G Set completion (angle of line) A Momentum (size and column) H Momentum B Momentum (notice that the squares hide each other)

E Set completion H Set completion / Momentum ? A Subtraction C Application of function (enlargement along axis) F Set-completion (angle and number lines) B Momentum D Subtraction H Subtraction E Composition and set-completion with replacement F Momentum (one example has carry) C Subtraction E Momentum with carry D Set-completion (angle and number black/white) G Momentum A Oppositing? (a bit like subtraction but from sets of attributes of platonic ideal) B Set-completion (1. small ball color, 2. big outside shape, 3. inside v. outside) H Set-completion (1. flat bottom, 2. widening, 3. partially-closed top) B Non-repetition? Set-completion? (Movement and replacement?) A Commonality (180 deg rotational symmetry and middle pegs always covered) H Subtraction G Set-completion E Function-application (and function-application on other functions!) A Composition D Subtraction yields line which is a function you apply which is reflection and delete line E Movement G Set-completion? G Valuation (attach negative integer for ball inside circle, positive outside) then add C Function application (with a bit of spatial reasoning) F Set-completion (big-stack color, two-stack color, bar-chart position) H Movement and replacement based on progression (replace as hidden by dark square) F Function application (functions on functions) B Movement with carry and replacement

So
I think I will write a program that creates Raven Progressive Matrices dynamically. I think that would be really cool, and probably useful for some psychologists. I just discovered that Dr. Raven has a website with links to papers describing the inner workings of the Matrices:http://www.johnraven.co.uk/pubs/pubs.html . I guess that might have made my job a little easier.

"I get B. Here is my reasoning: Numbering the original patterns 1-2-3 in the top row, 4-5-6 in the second, and 7-8-9 in the third, we need to solve for #9. To get from 3 to 4, and 6 to 7, the patterns are rotated clockwise 90 degrees, as noted by soma lkzx above. To get from 1 to 2, or 2 to 3, etc, shift all symbols to the right by one space (Anything shifted off the right end of the grid will move to the leftmost space in the next lower row. For the third row it will move the the leftmost space in the first row) At the same time change x's to o's, triangles to x's and o's to triangles. The pattern matches in all cases and results in pattern B" http://ask.metafilter.com/2889... Taras
4

o o o o o o

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nsd00 a year ago

o o

It's a little late to be contributing, but I happened upon the test a few days ago and also noticed the similarity between the questions. I became extremely frustrated in trying to figure out the answer to the checkerboard question (I was hung up on the idea that the circles somehow produced the black squares, completely ignoring the fact that in each correct answer the checkerboard pattern was complete, so the behaviour of the squares was never dictated by the

circles). Anyway, being a flash developer I decompiled the test and somewhat to my dismay, found the answers embedded within it. So, here is the definitive list of answers to the questions: 1D 2F 3B 4G 5A 6H 7B 8E 9H 10A 11C 12F 13B 14D 15H 16E 17F 18C 19E 20D 21G 22A 23B 24H 25B 26A 27H 28G 29E 30A 31D 32E 33G 34G 35C 36F 37H 38F
o

39B

o o o o o

12 5

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Sam van Haute 2 years ago

o o

I have a remark concerning question 26 (iqtest.dk). You say the patern is a communality, but I think it is something else. I believe it is what you call momentum + carry over. If you look at the momentum row per row you see a clockwise rotation of 45 degrees (done by 4 lines). The carry over part is in the second figure of the 3th row. You must carry the two vertical lines over ( in practice rotate them 90 degrees clockwise). The answer is the same as yours ,A , but the interpretation is different.
2

o o o o o o

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