• 45 questions

AP Psychology Intelligence Practice Test

Unofficial multiple-choice practice on intelligence and achievement, Topic 2.8 of AP Psychology.

Students who score high on a vocabulary test also tend to score high on tests of arithmetic, spatial reasoning and memory. Which idea does this pattern support?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board. Bank checked October 8, 2026.

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All 45 questions

Theories of intelligence 9

  • A dancer can repeat complex choreography after seeing it once, although her grades in math and reading are average. In multiple-intelligences theory, which intelligence is her strength? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "bodily-kinesthetic intelligence"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.A
  • A mechanic with little formal schooling can track down almost any engine fault, and he adjusts quickly when a new model arrives. In the triarchic theory, which intelligence is this? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "practical intelligence"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.A
  • A school counselor is unusually good at sensing what other people feel and at getting along with them. Which of the multiple intelligences does this describe? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "interpersonal intelligence" and "intrapersonal intelligence"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.A
  • Conventional intelligence tests mostly call for analysis, comparison and evaluation. In the triarchic theory, which intelligence do they measure? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "analytical intelligence"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.A
  • In the two-factor theory of intelligence, what is an ability that comes into play for only one kind of task, such as mental arithmetic? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "specific factor" and "two-factor theory"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.A
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Theories of intelligence, continued

  • Students who score high on a vocabulary test also tend to score high on tests of arithmetic, spatial reasoning and memory. Which idea does this pattern support? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "general factor"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.A
  • The triarchic theory of intelligence describes three largely distinct abilities. Which set names them? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "triarchic theory of intelligence"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.A
  • What is the main point of disagreement among researchers who try to define intelligence? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "general factor"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.A
  • Which theory divides intelligence into eight distinct categories, among them musical, spatial and interpersonal? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "multiple-intelligences theory"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.A

IQ scores and norms 13

  • A child's mental age is the same as her chronological age. By the early ratio formula, what is her IQ? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "IQ" and "mental age"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • A reasoning test for adults over 60 was normed only on college students. What is the main problem with its scores? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "standardization group"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • A student's score on a reasoning test is at the 90th percentile. What does that mean? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "percentile"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • An 8-year-old performs on an early intelligence test as the average 10-year-old does. What is her ratio IQ? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "IQ"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • Before a new intelligence test is released, it is given to a large sample chosen to mirror the people it is meant for. What is this step for? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "standardization group"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • The first modern intelligence test was developed in France in 1905. What was it designed to do? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • How did early intelligence tests calculate an IQ? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "IQ"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • IQ scores have mean 100 and standard deviation 15. About what share of people score between 85 and 115? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "IQ"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • On a scale with mean 100 and standard deviation 15, which IQ score lies two standard deviations over the mean? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "IQ"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • On widely used modern intelligence tests, what are the mean and the standard deviation of IQ scores? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "IQ" and "Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale" and "Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • One class takes a reasoning test in a quiet room with 40 minutes allowed. Another takes it in a noisy cafeteria with 25 minutes. Which principle of testing has been broken? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "standardization"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • Scores on an intelligence test form a normal distribution. How do the mean, the median and the mode compare? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "normal distribution"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • What has mostly replaced the ratio IQ on modern intelligence tests? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "IQ" and "deviation IQ"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B

Reliability and validity 8

  • A bathroom scale shows the same wrong weight every time you step on it. In testing terms, how would the scale be described? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "reliability" and "construct validity"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • A college checks whether applicants' scores on an entrance test are related to their grades at the end of the first year. Which property of the test is it examining? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "predictive validity"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • A new "creativity test" turns out to measure mostly how fast people can read the instructions. What does the test lack? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "construct validity"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • A psychologist gives the same reasoning test to the same group twice, a month apart, and correlates the two sets of scores. What is she checking? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "retest reliability"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • A researcher compares each person's score on the odd-numbered items of a test with that person's score on the even-numbered items. What is being estimated? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "split-half reliability"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • A test gives the same person an IQ of 85 on Monday and 125 on Friday, although nothing about the person has changed. What is the test's problem? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "reliability"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • Scores on a new reasoning test line up closely with scores on established reasoning tests and hardly at all with a measure of hand strength. What does this pattern support? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "convergent validity" and "discriminant validity"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B
  • The two halves of a 60-item test give very different scores for the same people. What does this suggest about the test? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "split-half reliability" and "internal consistency"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.B

Fair testing and score trends 7

  • A reading test uses passages about sailing and skiing. Children who have never done either score lower than equally skilled readers who have. What does this illustrate? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "cultural test bias"; course topic 2.8, objectives 2.8.B and 2.8.C
  • A test uses only nonverbal items, such as choosing the design that completes a series, so that people from different backgrounds can be compared more equitably. What kind of test is this? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "culture-fair test"; course topic 2.8, objectives 2.8.B and 2.8.C
  • Average raw scores on intelligence tests rose steadily across the 20th century in many countries. What is this rise called? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "Flynn effect"; course topic 2.8, objectives 2.8.B and 2.8.C
  • During World War I the U.S. Army gave recruits group intelligence tests. For whom was the nonverbal Beta test made? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "Army tests"; course topic 2.8, objectives 2.8.B and 2.8.C
  • The Flynn effect is a change in which of these? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "Flynn effect"; course topic 2.8, objectives 2.8.B and 2.8.C
  • Just before a test, some students are reminded of a negative stereotype about their group's ability. They score lower than equally prepared students who heard no reminder. What is this effect called? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "stereotype threat"; course topic 2.8, objectives 2.8.B and 2.8.C
  • Why do test makers aim for culture-fair tests and not culture-free ones? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "culture-free test"; course topic 2.8, objectives 2.8.B and 2.8.C

Achievement, aptitude and mindset 8

  • A flight school gives applicants a test meant to show who will learn to fly well, although none of them has flown before. What kind of test is it? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "aptitude test"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.D
  • A researcher wants to know whether a lesson on growth mindset causes higher grades. Which design allows a cause-and-effect conclusion? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "random assignment"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.D
  • After a poor grade Dev says, "I am just not a math person, and nothing will change that." Which belief about intelligence is he showing? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "implicit self theory"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.D
  • An aptitude test exists to forecast later success. Which kind of validity matters most for it? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "aptitude test" and "predictive validity"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.D
  • At the end of the year, a state exam checks how much algebra students have learned. What kind of test is it? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "achievement test"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.D
  • Lena believes her reasoning will improve with practice, so after a low quiz score she asks for harder problems. Which belief about intelligence is this? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "implicit self theory"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.D
  • Which statement correctly contrasts achievement tests with aptitude tests? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "aptitude test"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.D
  • Why can a student's belief about whether intelligence can change affect achievement in school? APA Dictionary of Psychology, "implicit self theory"; course topic 2.8, objective 2.8.D

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Topic 2.8 (Intelligence and Achievement) in Unit 2 (Cognition) of the College Board's AP Psychology Course and Exam Description, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-psychology-course-and-exam-description.pdf, read 2026-10-08. Each fact was read on 2026-10-08 in the entry of the APA Dictionary of Psychology (American Psychological Association, https://dictionary.apa.org) named under its question. Licence: Own work.

How it works

This AP Psychology intelligence practice test has 45 questions of our own on theories of intelligence, IQ scores, reliability, validity and mindset. It is unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board.

Read the full guide

How the questions are spread

The College Board's course description, read October 8, 2026, gives no part of the topic a share, so the spread is ours: 9 questions on theories, 13 on IQ scores and norms, 8 on reliability and validity, 7 on fair testing and score trends, and 8 on achievement, aptitude and mindset. Each answer links the APA Dictionary of Psychology entry its fact was read in.

If your book gives intelligence its own unit

The description has five units and keeps intelligence inside Unit 2. A book that gives it a unit of its own still matches these questions by topic.

What the exam leaves out

The description puts labeling or describing cognitive abilities and disabilities outside the exam, so no question here asks about them.

  • Split-half reliability compares two halves of one sitting. Test-retest reliability compares two sittings of the same test.
  • For a ratio IQ, divide mental age by chronological age, then multiply by 100.
  • Name the mindset by the belief: ability that cannot change is fixed, and ability that grows with effort is growth.

Questions and answers

What unit is intelligence in AP Psychology?

Unit 2, Cognition. Intelligence and Achievement is Topic 2.8, the eighth and last topic of the unit in the five-unit course description.

What is the difference between reliability and validity?

A reliable test gives similar results every time it is given. A valid test measures what it was built to measure. The description names test-retest and split-half reliability, and construct and predictive validity.

What is the Flynn effect in AP Psychology?

The rise in IQ scores in much of the world over time. The course description ties it to societal factors: higher socioeconomic status and better access to health care and nutrition.

How many AP Psychology exam questions are about intelligence?

The College Board gives no figure for a single topic. Unit 2, Cognition, carries 15 to 25% of the 75 multiple-choice questions, and intelligence is one of its eight topics.

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