Practice Test GeeksMensa Practice Test
← All MENSA Flashcard Decks

Mensa IQ Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Flashcards

7 cards from real MENSA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Mensa IQ Critical Thinking and Problem Solving flashcards as text

  1. A clock shows exactly 3:15. What is the angle between the hour and minute hands?

    Answer: 7.5°

    At 3:15, the minute hand is at 90° and the hour hand has moved 7.5° past the 3 (one-quarter of the 30° between hour marks), leaving an angle of 7.5° between them.

  2. You are in a dark room with one match, a candle, a wood stove, and a gas lamp. Which do you light first?

    Answer: The match

    You must light the match first before you can ignite any other item in the room.

  3. If you overtake the runner in second place during a race, what position are you now in?

    Answer: Second place

    By passing the second-place runner, you assume their position — second place — since the first-place runner is still ahead of you.

  4. A woman shoots her husband, then holds him underwater for five minutes. That evening, they go to dinner together. How is this possible?

    Answer: She is a photographer who took his picture, then developed it in a water-filled darkroom tray

    In photography, 'shooting' means taking a picture, and 'holding underwater' refers to submerging the photo in developer solution in the darkroom.

  5. There are 3 apples on the table and you take away 2. How many apples do YOU have?

    Answer: 2

    You took 2 apples, so you personally have 2 — 1 apple remains on the table, but the question asks how many you have, not how many are left.

  6. Two fathers and two sons sit down to eat eggs for breakfast. They eat exactly three eggs, with each person eating exactly one egg. How is this possible?

    Answer: The group is a grandfather, his son, and his grandson — three people total

    A grandfather, father, and grandson are three people: the grandfather and father are the 'two fathers,' and the father and grandson are the 'two sons,' with the father counting in both roles.

  7. A rooster sits on the peak of a barn roof. It lays an egg. Which side of the roof does the egg roll down?

    Answer: Roosters do not lay eggs

    Roosters are male chickens and are biologically incapable of laying eggs — the premise of the question is false.