Free IQ Test for 4-5 Year Olds
A picture-only reasoning test for preschoolers. No reading, no timer, twenty short questions with big colourful shapes.
20 questions · no timer · sit with your child
About this IQ test for 4 year olds and 5 year olds
This IQ test for 4 year olds and IQ test for 5 year olds uses nothing but pictures. There are no sentences to read, no numerals to recognise, and no clock. Your child looks at big, brightly coloured shapes and taps the one that fits.
It is designed to be done with you. Each question has a short prompt such as “What comes next?” which you read aloud once. After that the format is obvious, and most children carry on happily by themselves.
How the questions were chosen
This is the band where online tests most often get it wrong, usually by handing a four-year-old questions written for a seven-year-old. Every item here was built against what children this age can actually do:
- Never more than five of anything, and usually three. Research on young children consistently finds that the largest quantity that can be recognised at a glance, without counting, is three — and this holds at four, five and six. So the odd-one-out and matching questions stay within that, and nothing anywhere exceeds five.
- Repeating patterns are the core skill. Extending an ABAB pattern — red, blue, red, blue — is a standard early-years milestone, so most pattern questions use it. A single three-colour pattern is included as a stretch.
- Matching, not analogies. Four and five year olds can compare two objects and say how they are alike, but the formal A-is-to-B-as-C-is-to-what reasoning used in older tests is beyond this stage. So the second section asks your child to find the picture that matches — same shape, same colour, same size, same number.
- One thing changes at a time. Never two. Sorting by two features at once is a skill that arrives later.
- No turning shapes in your head. Mental rotation is a harder spatial skill and does not appear until the eight to nine test.
- Dots, never numerals. Counting questions show groups of dots, because recognising written numbers is unreliable before school.
What is in the test
| Section | What your child does |
|---|---|
| Patterns | Finishes a repeating row — red, blue, red, blue — based on colour, shape or size. |
| Matching | Sees one big picture and finds the one below that matches it for shape, colour, size or number. |
| Odd One Out | Spots the picture that is different, where only one thing changes. |
| Counting | Counts small groups of dots and continues simple counting patterns, forwards and backwards. |
Four sections of five questions. There is a break screen after each one, and your child can stop at any point — the answers are saved, so you can come back another day.
Why there is no timer
Timing a four-year-old measures how quickly they get flustered, nothing more. Children this age also work at wildly different speeds for reasons that have nothing to do with ability. There is no clock anywhere in this test.
How this differs from the 6-7 test
The six to seven test adds a short number section using written numerals, uses slightly longer patterns, and includes simple before-and-after pair questions. This test has no numerals at all, keeps every quantity within five, and replaces pair reasoning with straightforward matching. If your child is five and finds this easy, the six to seven test is the better fit.
Average IQ for a 4 year old and a 5 year old
The average IQ for a 4 year old is 100, and the average IQ for a 5 year old is also 100. Scores are scaled so that the average for each age group sits at 100, with children compared only against others their own age.
Doing the test with your child
- Sit with them. Read each prompt aloud. Do not point at answers or react when they choose.
- Call it a shape game. Never a test.
- Stop the moment they lose interest. Their answers are saved. Finishing another day is completely fine, and a better reflection than pushing on.
- Pick a good moment — rested, fed, and not in the middle of something they would rather do.
- Use a tablet if you can. Big shapes on a big screen are much easier for small fingers.
Frequently asked questions
Does my child need to read for this IQ test for 4 year olds?
No. There is no reading at all. Each question has a short prompt for you to read aloud, and everything else is pictures.
Does my child need to know numbers?
No. The counting section uses groups of dots rather than written numerals, and never shows more than five.
Is there a time limit?
None. This IQ test for 5 year olds and younger is completely untimed.
How long does it take?
Usually five to eight minutes, but take as long as you like. Stopping halfway and returning later is fine.
Can I help my child?
Read the prompt aloud, yes. Choosing for them, no — a prompted answer tells you nothing at all.
Is this suitable for preschool or kindergarten?
Yes. Four and five year olds are usually in preschool or kindergarten, and the content matches that stage: repeating patterns, sorting, matching and counting to five.
My child scored low. Should I be concerned?
No. At this age a low result almost always reflects attention or mood rather than ability, and scores move around a great deal from day to day. If you have genuine concerns about your child’s development, speak to your health visitor, doctor or preschool — not an online quiz.
IQ tests for other ages
Each age band has its own test, written for how children think at that stage: