Cognitive Reflection Test
Seven questions, each with an answer that jumps out and is wrong. The Cognitive Reflection Test measures whether you stop to check that first answer. It takes about 3 minutes, there is no time limit, and you get your score with explanations at the end.
What the test measures
Psychologists describe two modes of thinking: a fast, automatic one (System 1) and a slow, effortful one (System 2). Each CRT question is built so that System 1 produces a confident wrong answer immediately. Getting it right requires noticing that the easy answer might be wrong and doing the extra step.
Shane Frederick published the original three questions in the Journal of Economic Perspectives in 2005. Because they became famous, Keela Thomson and Daniel Oppenheimer wrote four new verbal items in 2016 (the CRT-2) that rely less on arithmetic. Both sets are included here.
This is a self-check, not a validated assessment. Take it once, before reading about the answers; a second attempt mostly measures memory.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cognitive Reflection Test?
The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) is a short set of questions, introduced by Shane Frederick in 2005, that each have an obvious but wrong answer. It measures whether people override a quick intuitive response and check it, the difference between System 1 (fast) and System 2 (deliberate) thinking. This version uses Frederick’s original three items plus four newer items from Thomson and Oppenheimer (2016).
What is a good score on the Cognitive Reflection Test?
On the original three questions, the average across 3,428 people in Frederick’s study was 1.24 correct, and only about 17% got all three. MIT students averaged 2.18. Getting 2 or 3 of the original items right puts you above most people, though many have now seen the bat-and-ball question before, which is why newer items were added.
What is the answer to the bat and ball problem?
The ball costs 5 cents. Most people say 10 cents, but then the bat would cost $1.10 and the total would be $1.20. With the ball at 5 cents, the bat is $1.05, which is $1.00 more, and together they cost $1.10.
Is the CRT an IQ test?
No. CRT scores correlate with intelligence and numeracy, but the test measures something narrower: the habit of questioning an answer that comes to mind easily. Low scorers are not less intelligent; they are more likely to trust a first impression. In research, CRT scores predict susceptibility to several cognitive biases.
Is this a Dunning-Kruger test?
Not directly. A Dunning-Kruger test needs you to estimate your own performance and then compares the estimate with your actual score. The Bayesian Betting Hall on ThynkIQ does exactly that: you bet on how confident you are, so overconfidence costs you.