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The Stupid Test: Can You Avoid The Trick Questions?

Twelve trick questions that look easy but catch most people out. Read carefully, pick your answers and see whether you are fooled, average, sharp or untrickable.

  • 12 questions
  • About 3 min
  • Free, no sign-up
  • Based on trick questions and cognitive shortcuts

12 questions, about 3 min

Twelve trick questions drawn from 18. They look easy. They are not. Read every word carefully.

Pick an answer for each question. After each one you see the explanation. Your score and the questions that caught you out appear at the end.

What The Stupid Test Really Measures

Despite its name, this test has nothing to do with intelligence. It measures something more specific: how carefully you read when a question looks too easy to think about. Every question has an obvious answer that is wrong.

How It Works

Each round picks 12 questions at random from a pool of 18. After every answer you see the explanation, and at the end you get a score and a list of the ones that caught you out.

ScoreResult
0% to 40%Thoroughly fooled
41% to 65%Average human
66% to 85%Sharp reader
86% to 100%Untrickable

Why Smart People Fall For Trick Questions

  • Fast thinking: psychologist Daniel Kahneman described two modes of thought. “System 1” is fast and automatic; “System 2” is slow and deliberate. Trick questions rely on System 1 jumping in first.
  • The Moses illusion: in a famous 1981 study by Thomas Erickson and Mark Mattson, most people answered “two” to “How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the ark?” without noticing it was Noah. The brain matches meaning and skips details.
  • Anchoring on numbers: questions with numbers invite calculation, even when the answer needs none.

How To Beat Trick Questions

  1. Read the question twice, especially short ones.
  2. Question your first answer if it feels too easy.
  3. Check names and assumptions: who, what and which?
  4. Watch for hidden facts: survivors are alive, electric trains have no smoke.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a low score mean I am stupid?

No. It means your brain took a shortcut, which is normal and usually efficient.

Why does the test pick different questions each time?

It draws 12 from 18, so you can retake it with some new questions.

Where can I test real reasoning skills?

Try the logic test or the critical thinking test.

More Quizzes Like This

Try the general knowledge quiz or the mental age test.

Just for fun. Not an intelligence test.