Mensa Mensa IQ Working Memory and Processing Speed 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You hear the digits 8, 3, 7, 1, 5 and must repeat them in reverse order. What is the correct reverse sequence?
- 5, 1, 7, 3, 8 (Correct answer)
- 8, 3, 7, 1, 5
- 5, 3, 7, 1, 8
- 1, 5, 7, 3, 8
Correct answer: 5, 1, 7, 3, 8
Reversing 8-3-7-1-5 gives 5-1-7-3-8.
Question 2: A processing speed task shows 60 simple math problems to be completed in 60 seconds. A test-taker finishes 45. What is their completion rate per second?
- 0.75 problems/sec (Correct answer)
- 0.65 problems/sec
- 1.33 problems/sec
- 0.80 problems/sec
Correct answer: 0.75 problems/sec
45 problems divided by 60 seconds equals 0.75 problems per second.
Question 3: In a dual n-back task at level 2, you must remember both the position and sound from 2 steps ago. This primarily taxes which cognitive resources?
- Working memory and divided attention (Correct answer)
- Long-term memory and sustained attention
- Episodic memory and selective attention
- Semantic memory and focused attention
Correct answer: Working memory and divided attention
Dual n-back tasks heavily load working memory while simultaneously requiring divided attention across two streams.
Question 4: A sequence of letters is shown briefly: K, F, R, M, Q, B. You are asked to recall only the consonants in alphabetical order. Which answer is correct?
- B, F, K, M, Q, R (Correct answer)
- K, F, R, M, Q, B
- B, K, F, M, R, Q
- F, B, K, Q, M, R
Correct answer: B, F, K, M, Q, R
All six letters are consonants; alphabetically sorted they are B, F, K, M, Q, R.
Question 5: Which condition is most likely to impair processing speed on a timed cognitive task?
- Mental fatigue and sleep deprivation (Correct answer)
- Mild background music
- Moderate caffeine intake
- Familiar task environment
Correct answer: Mental fatigue and sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation and mental fatigue significantly slow neural processing and response times.
Question 6: You see the sequence 4, 9, 2, 7, 5, 8, 3 and must mentally sort it in ascending order. What is the third number in the sorted list?
- 4 (Correct answer)
- 3
- 5
- 7
Correct answer: 4
Sorted ascending: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 — the third number is 4.
Question 7: In a symbol-digit coding test, you are given 90 seconds to match 120 symbols to their digit codes. Completing more items primarily measures what?
- Processing speed and psychomotor speed (Correct answer)
- Fluid intelligence and abstract reasoning
- Verbal comprehension and vocabulary
- Long-term memory retrieval
Correct answer: Processing speed and psychomotor speed
Symbol-digit coding tasks are a classic measure of processing speed and psychomotor efficiency.
Mensa Mensa IQ Working Memory and Processing Speed 4
You hear the digits 8, 3, 7, 1, 5 and must repeat them in reverse order.
What is the correct reverse sequence?