The IQ Test Practice Effect: Does Retaking Raise Your Score?
The IQ test practice effect is the bump in score people often get when they retake the same test or a similar one. Research on retesting finds scores usually rise on the second try and keep inching up for a couple more attempts, then flatten out after about the third. That gain is mostly familiarity with the format, not a jump in how well you actually reason.
If you want improvement that shows up in your thinking, not just on a repeated quiz, IQ Tester finds your reasoning weak spots and trains them with a daily drill. Find my weak spots
Short answer
- Yes, retaking usually raises your score a bit, especially the first retake.
- The gains shrink quickly and tend to level off after about three attempts.
- Most of the gain is familiarity: knowing the question types, the pace and what the clock feels like.
- Real improvement is different: it means getting better at the underlying skills, so you do better on new problems too.
- To retest fairly, space retakes out and use different questions.
What the retest research found
Psychologists have studied retesting for a long time, because it matters for school testing, job selection and clinical assessment. Two findings stand out, stated carefully:
- A 2007 meta-analysis by Hausknecht and colleagues, which pooled studies of people retaking cognitive ability tests in selection settings, found that scores rose on retest by roughly a quarter of a standard deviation on average. On the usual IQ scale, that is in the region of a few points.
- A 2018 meta-analysis by Scharfen, Peters and Holling looked at retest effects across cognitive ability tests and found that gains grew over the first few retakes and then leveled off, with the increase flattening after around the third test.
The exact size varies by test, by how similar the retest is, and by how much time passes between attempts. But the overall shape is consistent: a real bump at first, then a plateau.
You will see the same story on Reddit when people search "IQ test practice effect." Someone takes a matrix test, takes it again the next week, gets 6 points higher, and asks whether they got smarter. Usually, they got familiar.
Why scores rise on a retake
There are several reasons the second attempt goes better. None of them are cheating; they are just how learning works.
You know the question types
The first time you see a matrix puzzle or a backwards digit span, part of your brain is busy working out what the task even is. The second time, all of that effort goes into solving it.
You handle the clock better
First attempts often suffer from rushing then freezing. By the second try you know roughly how long you have, so you pace better. (More on this in why are IQ tests timed.)
You remember specific items
If the retest uses the same questions, you may remember answers, or at least remember which ones were tricky.
You are less nervous
A familiar test is less stressful, and less stress means working memory and focus hold up better.
Regression to the mean
If your first score was unusually low because of a bad day, the next one is likely to be closer to your usual level anyway.
When the gains stop
Here is the practical takeaway from the research: repeatedly taking the same kind of test gives you most of its benefit early.
| Attempt | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| 1st | Baseline, often a little low because everything is new |
| 2nd | Biggest jump, mostly from familiarity |
| 3rd | Smaller gain |
| 4th and beyond | Little to no extra gain from repetition alone |
So if you are asking "can you get better at IQ tests by retaking them?" the answer is yes, a bit, for a few tries. After that, taking the same test again and again mostly just measures you again.
Can IQ tests be studied for?
You can study the formats, which is where most of the practice effect comes from. You cannot memorise your way to a clinical IQ score, because official tests are given under controlled conditions and examiners keep track of prior testing. For a smart approach to getting ready, see how to prepare for an IQ test.
Practice effect vs real improvement
This is the distinction that matters most, and the one that almost nobody explains.
Practice effect
- Gains on the same or very similar test
- Comes from familiarity, memory of items and calmer nerves
- Fades or stops after a few retakes
- Does not carry over much to different kinds of problems
Real improvement
- Gains on new problems you have not seen
- Comes from getting better at specific skills, like holding more in working memory or checking each step in a logic chain
- Builds slowly with regular practice
- Shows up in schoolwork, puzzles and everyday thinking, not only in one quiz
Does practising IQ tests make you smarter?
Doing the same test repeatedly mostly makes you better at that test. Research on brain-training games points the same way: people get better at the trained games, and the benefit to broader skills is much weaker or unclear.
A more useful approach is to train specific habits that apply across problem types. For example:
- "Name the rule out loud" helps with patterns, number series and analogies.
- "Estimate first" catches arithmetic slips anywhere numbers appear.
- "Chunk it" makes long strings of information easier to hold in working memory.
The difficulty is knowing which habit you need. Practising at random wastes most of your time on skills that were already fine, and it is very hard to judge your own weak spots after a quiz.
IQ Tester is built around that problem. It asks 16 questions about how you reason and where it slips, then names which of 7 problems you have, such as working memory, pattern spotting or logic chains. After that, each day brings one tip and a 10-minute drill weighted toward your weak spots, across fresh pattern, number, verbal and logic problems, so you are building skills, not memorising one test. Find my weak spots
How to retest fairly
If you want to know whether you have really improved, a few rules keep your retests honest.
- Leave a gap. Weeks, not days. The longer the gap, the less item memory helps.
- Use different questions. A parallel form or a test with fresh items is fairer than repeating the exact same one.
- Keep conditions similar. Same time of day, similar sleep, same device, no distractions.
- Expect the second-attempt bump. Do not count your first retake gain as proof of progress. Compare your second, third and later results.
- Track skills, not just totals. Did your number series errors drop? Did you stop freezing on hard items? That is the real signal.
- Keep a history. Write down results and dates, so you are not relying on memory.
How often can you take an IQ test?
For fun online tests, whenever you like, but the practice effect will inflate repeat scores. For clinical tests, psychologists usually avoid giving the same test again within a short period because of this effect. If you need a formal retest, ask the professional who tested you.
Get past the IQ test practice effect
The IQ test practice effect explains why retakes look better. Real progress means training the skills underneath. In about two minutes, IQ Tester gives you a reasoning tier and names your weak spots, then gives you one tip and one drill a day, keeps a streak and a history, and lets you retest any time so you can check whether the skill really moved.
FAQ
What is the practice effect in IQ testing?
It is the tendency for scores to rise when you take the same or a similar test again. The gain comes mostly from familiarity with the questions, the format and the timing, rather than a change in reasoning ability.
Can IQ test scores change over time?
Yes. Scores can shift with practice, sleep, stress, schooling and how well you handle the question types. Short-term retest gains are mostly practice effect; lasting changes come from building skills over time.
Can you get better at IQ tests?
You can get better at the question types quickly, which shows up as a few extra points on retakes. Getting better at the underlying skills, like working memory and logic chains, takes longer but carries over to new problems.
How many times can you retake an IQ test before it stops helping?
Research suggests gains from simple repetition level off after about three attempts. After that, extra retakes add little, so it is better to practise skills and retest with fresh questions after a gap.
Does retaking an IQ test online make my score meaningless?
Not meaningless, but inflated. Compare later scores with each other rather than with your first attempt, and use tests with fresh questions when you can.