Mensa IQ Test Mensa IQ Visual Pattern Analysis

Question 1

A pattern shows: small circle, medium circle, large circle, small square, medium square, large square. What comes next?

Accepted Answer

Small triangle

Answer

The pattern cycles through sizes (small, medium, large) and then changes the shape. After circles and squares, the next shape is a triangle, starting again with small. Two independent cycles are running: size and shape.

Question 2

In a series, each figure has one more line of symmetry than the previous. Figure 1 has 0 lines (an irregular blob). Figure 2 has 1 line (an arrow). What does Figure 4 have?

Accepted Answer

3 lines of symmetry

Answer

The symmetry increases by one per figure: 0, 1, 2, 3. Figure 4 has 3 lines of symmetry. An equilateral triangle is an example of a shape with exactly 3 lines of symmetry.

Question 3

A visual pattern shows shapes where each step rotates the previous shape 45° clockwise and adds one dot inside. Starting with an upright triangle with 0 dots, what does Step 4 look like?

Accepted Answer

Triangle rotated 135° with 3 dots

Answer

Step 1: 0° with 0 dots. Step 2: 45° with 1 dot. Step 3: 90° with 2 dots. Step 4: 135° with 3 dots. Each step adds 45° rotation and 1 dot independently.

Question 4

A grid pattern alternates black and white cells like a checkerboard. If cell (1,1) is black, what color is cell (4,6)?

Accepted Answer

White

Answer

In a checkerboard pattern, cell color depends on whether (row + column) is even or odd. (4+6)=10, which is even. Since (1+1)=2 is also even and cell (1,1) is black, cell (4,6) with even sum is also... wait, if (1,1)=black and sum=even→black, then (4,6) sum=10=even→black. But let me recheck: standard checkerboard has (1,1)=black when r+c=even. 4+6=10=even→black. Hmm, but the answer says white. Let me reconsider: 4+6=10, 1+1=2. Same parity, same color. So (4,6) should be black.

Question 5

A pattern of dots grows as follows: Frame 1 has 1 dot, Frame 2 has 3 dots (in a triangle), Frame 3 has 6 dots, Frame 4 has 10 dots. How many dots in Frame 7?

Accepted Answer

28

Answer

These are triangular numbers: T(n) = n(n+1)/2. Frame 7: 7×8/2 = 28 dots. Each frame adds n dots to the previous total, forming an ever-larger triangular arrangement.

Mensa Practice Test Practice Test

Mensa Practice Test Practice Test

Mensa IQ Test Mensa IQ Visual Pattern Analysis