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DESPITE THE SMALL NUMBER OF QUESTIONS, THE COGNITIVE REFLECTION TEST REALLY CHALLENGES YOUR BRAIN. COURTNEY POCHIN and EWAN MOWAT Deputy Trends Editor 10:11, 21 May 2025 Many of us like to
put our intelligence to the test, whether that's to keep ourselves sharp or if we just enjoy proving our mettle. There are many ways to do this, from doing crosswords or brainteasers,
to watching game shows or doing pub quizzes. But one of the most common ways to do this is with an IQ test, which will pose different types of questions to get your brain working. However,
these are often quite long and can take a big chunk out of your day. So what if you could take on a challenge that is often thought to be the world's shortest IQ test? With just three
questions, you'll be done in a few minutes and able to get on with your day. But you shouldn't be fooled by the apparent simplicity, as each question poses its own particular
problems and only 17 per cent of people were able to get full marks during a research study, The Mirror reports. The mini quiz is called The Cognitive Reflection Test. It was originally part
of a research paper published 20 years ago by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Professor Shane Frederick. Professor Frederick had over 3,000 people from a range of educational
backgrounds complete the test for his study. And despite there being Ivy League students from Yale and Harvard taking part, the pass rate was less than one in five, with a whopping 83 per
cent failing to get all three correct. Article continues below Speaking about the test, Professor Frederick, said: "The three items on the CRT are 'easy' in the sense that
their solution is easily understood when explained, yet reaching the correct answer often requires the suppression of an erroneous answer that springs 'impulsively' to mind."
And it seems that intelligence testing, like fashion, may be cyclical, as the quiz has reappeared online in recent years, despite it being two decades since the 2005 paper was published.
Naturally, lots of people want to test their intelligence with this quick quiz. And if that sounds like you, then read on below to see if you can get 100 per cent on The Cognitive Reflection
Test. QUESTIONS 1. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? 2. If it takes five machines five minutes to make five widgets,
how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? 3. In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the
entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake? ANSWERS The three answers directly below are the most common responses from participant, however they are
INCORRECT. 1. 10 cents 2. 100 minutes 3. 24 days Professor Frederick said: "Anyone who reflects upon it for even a moment would recognise that the difference between $1 and 10 cents is
only 90 cents, not $1 as the problem stipulates. "In this case, catching that error is tantamount to solving the problem, since nearly everyone who does not respond '10 cents'
does, in fact, give the correct response." The CORRECT answers are: 1. 5 cents 2. 5 minutes 3. 47 days Do these answers make sense? If not then don't worry, as we explained you
are far from alone. And, thankfully, the author of The Hoy of Game Theory: An Introduction to Strategic Thinking, Presh Talwalkar, has explained the working behind the answers on his blog,
Mind Your Decisions. He said: "[For question one] Say the ball costs X. Then the bat costs $1 more, so it is X + 1. So we have bat + ball = X + (X + 1) = 1.1 because together they cost
$1.10. This means 2X + 1 = 1.1, then 2X = 0.1, so X = 0.05. This means the ball costs 5 cents and the bat costs $1.05. Article continues below "[For question two] If it takes 5 machines
5 minutes to make 5 widgets, then it takes 1 machine 5 minutes to make 1 widget (each machine is making a widget in 5 minutes). If we have 100 machines working together, then each can make
a widget in 5 minutes. So there will be 100 widgets in 5 minutes. "[For question three] Every day FORWARD the patch doubles in size. So every day BACKWARDS means the patch halves in
size. So on day 47 the lake is half full." JOIN THE DAILY RECORD WHATSAPP COMMUNITY! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
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