How the QI Agora test works

Updated October 26, 2026 · QI Agora team

Here we explain openly how the test is built, how the result is calculated and how we keep it fair.

1. Building the test

The free test has 40 questions and the full test has 70. They are spread across six areas: sequences, matrices, numerical reasoning, memory, spatial reasoning and logic. Each area has questions at 5 difficulty levels, and the test goes from easiest to hardest, mixing the areas.

Most questions are generated on the spot from mathematical rules. A matrix, for example, comes from a rule ("the count grows by column and the fill changes by row") applied to randomly picked shapes.

2. Time

Each question has a time limit that varies by area (from 25 seconds for memory, after the content disappears, to 75 seconds for matrices). The full test gives 1min30 per question. The test also has a total time limit. The clock is controlled by our server, not by your device. If a question's time runs out, it counts as wrong and the test moves on.

3. Calculating IQ

We use Item Response Theory (IRT). Each question has a difficulty and a power to tell people apart; the system also accounts for the chance of guessing right. With all your answers, we estimate your ability on a statistical scale.

That ability is converted to the IQ scale, with an average of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Time weighs little and only on correct answers: answering right and fast helps a bit, but answering fast and wrong doesn't help at all.

When QI Agora launched, the scale used a theoretical reference. Once there are enough valid tests, the reference becomes the real average of the people taking the test on the site, and it is recalibrated from time to time.

4. Fair tests

For the result to mean anything, it has to be yours. During the test we record a few signals: how often you leave the screen, whether you try to copy the question, whether you get very hard questions right in a few seconds and whether your pattern of answers is unusual (missing easy ones and getting hard ones). None of these signals accuses anyone on its own; they only flag the test for review. Flagged tests are left out of the scale calibration, and certificates from clearly fraudulent tests can be canceled.

5. Result

With the free test you see your estimated IQ, range, percentile, correct answers and time. With the full result, you get the question-by-question answer key, the report by area and the certificate with a verification QR code. With the explanations, you understand the rule behind each question.

Each email gets one free test. To retake it, just start a new test: its result is unlocked together with the full result.

6. Your data

We only ask for what's needed: date of birth (the test is for people aged 18 or older), email, name and, optionally, a phone number. You can download all your data or delete your account whenever you want, right in My tests. Read the Privacy Policy.