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How We Score (The Science)

You deserve to know exactly how your score is calculated.

The questions

Our cognitive items are built on the International Cognitive Ability Resource (ICAR) — a public-domain, peer-reviewed item bank validated against Raven's Progressive Matrices and the WAIS. Item types: matrix reasoning, verbal reasoning, letter–number series, and 3D rotation.

The scoring

We use Item Response Theory (2PL), not a raw "number correct." Each question has a known difficulty and discrimination, so harder questions count for more and randomized tests are scored fairly. Your ability estimate becomes a standard IQ score (mean 100, SD 15) and a percentile, using age-referenced norms.

Our honesty rules

  • Scores are labeled "estimate" until our norms are fully locked.
  • We show a confidence range, never false precision.
  • We will never claim you scored "like Einstein." Those famous "160" figures are popular legend — Einstein and Hawking never took an IQ test.
  • Brain-training games are for enjoyment and staying sharp; we don't claim they raise your IQ.