What's Your IQ

EXAMPLE MINUTE · PLAY TO SEE YOURS

How your minute went

Almost everyone produces more words in the first 15 seconds than in any later 15 seconds, while the easy ones come to mind. After that you have to search, and the rate drops.

ANIMALS IN 60 SECONDS28Well above the typical adult range of roughly 18 to 22 animals.

9 / 28in the first 15 s0didn't count

WORDS IN EACH 15 SECONDS

0–15 s15–30 s30–45 s45–60 s

dogcathamsterrabbitcowpigsheephorsechickenliontigerelephantgiraffezebrasharkwhaledolphinoctopuseagleowlparrotpenguinbeeantspidersnakecrocodilemonkey

Colours show the animal group each word belongs to; pale pink means it's not in our list but still counted. Crossed-out words were repeats.

CLUSTER AND SWITCH LAB

Mine a patch, then jump to the next

People don't produce animals at random. They name a run from one group (pets, then farm animals, then sea creatures) and switch when the group runs dry. Researchers score both: cluster size and the number of switches.

Example list, in typing order

dogcathamsterrabbit

cowpigsheephorsechicken

liontigerelephantgiraffezebra

sharkwhaledolphinoctopus

eagleowlparrotpenguin

beeantspider

snakecrocodile

monkey

PetsFarmWild & AfricanSea & waterBirdsInsects & smallReptiles

switch

7switches between groups3.9average cluster size

WHAT THE PATTERN SUGGESTSLarge clusters but few switches: you dug deep into a few groups. Jumping to a new group sooner usually adds more words in the last 30 seconds.

WHAT THIS GAME TRAINS

Finding words fast

Verbal fluency tasks, such as naming animals or words beginning with F, A or S in one minute, have been used since the 1960s. They show how quickly you can search your memory for words while following a rule.

corestrongsomelight

coreWord retrievalPulling words out of memory on demand.

strongExecutive searchDeciding where to look next when a group runs dry.

strongVocabularyHaving a wide store of words to draw on.

someInhibitionHolding back repeats and words that break the rule.

ON AN ORDINARY DAY

Moments that use the same skill

MOMENT 01“Speaking off the cuff”Finding the right word quickly in a meeting or interview.

MOMENT 02“Writing a first draft”Producing ideas and phrasing without stalling on a blank page.

MOMENT 03“Word games”Thinking of answers in Scrabble, Boggle or Categories against the clock.

INSIDE YOUR BRAIN

The brain areas doing the work

Step through each area, or tap one below. The matching marker grows on the brain; dashed markers sit deep inside.

Side view of the brain with the four lobes shaded in different colours

Based on Gray's Anatomy, fig. 728 (public domain)

AREA 1 OF 3

1Prefrontal cortexfront of the brain

The brain's control centre for planning, decision-making and holding goals in mind. It's the last region to mature, finishing in your mid-twenties.

ITS JOB IN THIS GAMEKeeps you on task and filters out distractionsThe left prefrontal cortex runs the search: choosing a strategy, switching groups and checking each word against the rule. Letter rounds lean on it most.

DID YOU KNOWIt makes up roughly a third of the human cortex, a larger share than in any other primate.

ALL AREAS

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

More word games

Fluency is about finding words fast. These test how you rearrange, relate and remember them.

All verbal games →

WORD SEARCHAnagram SprintUnscramble words before time runs out.Find a word from its letters instead of its meaning.

VERBAL REASONINGVerbal AnalogiesA is to B as C is to…?Use meanings to reason, not just to recall.

VERBAL MEMORYWord List RecallRemember a list of words, then recall them.Retrieve specific words you were given.

NAMING SPEEDRapid NamingName colours and objects as fast as you can.Retrieve names fast when the item is right in front of you.

Verbal fluency