Where to Take an IQ Test: Five Routes, Prices and What You Get

Which route should you choose?

Choose a psychologist for a formal assessment, Mensa for admission, and an online estimate for your own curiosity. The private-practice price is missing above because none of the providers we opened publishes one, while training clinics publish theirs.

• A score a school or clinician can work from: start with a licensed psychologist or a university training clinic, and ask the body that wants the score which tests it accepts.
• Mensa membership: sit Mensa’s own supervised test, or send a prior score that a neutral, qualified third party gave you.
• An IQ number you can see: choose a psychologist, because American Mensa returns no IQ number.
• A private estimate in about 10 minutes: an online test such as IQMog.

How much does an IQ test cost with a psychologist?

The one university clinic we found that prices IQ testing itself estimates $1,000 to $1,750. The University of Washington’s LEARN Clinic bills $250 an hour and estimates $1,000 to $1,750 for IQ testing, and it says the ranges are not binding quotes. It does not accept or bill insurance. Its page gives no age range, so ask whether it sees adults.

CU PATH at the University of Colorado prices a broader service: $2,100 in total for a comprehensive adult evaluation. That total includes a $200 non-refundable deposit, which puts you on the waiting list and is applied to the cost of testing. Clinical psychology graduate students do the work under licensed, doctoral-level supervision. It accepts no insurance.

The CU PATH page does not price IQ testing alone, so do not compare the two figures as like for like. For private practices, call and ask what the fee covers: the intake interview, the testing itself, the written report and the feedback session.

Why a trained examiner gives the test

Pearson sells the WAIS-5 at qualification level C, which its qualifications page calls the highest level. Under its policy, a buyer needs one of three: a doctorate in psychology, education or a related field with formal training in clinical assessment; a state licence or certification in a related field; or certification by, or full membership in, a professional organization such as APA or NASP that requires assessment training and experience. That is why you book an examiner. See what a Wechsler test measures for the subtests and indexes.

Is there an online IQ test that counts?

An unsupervised online IQ test is not accepted for Mensa admission, although a psychologist can give some clinical tests over video. American Mensa does not accept unsupervised testing as proof of eligibility, and Mensa International says online tests cannot be used for admission. American Mensa’s private option is electronic, but it is given at more than 400 approved testing facilities, not at home.

Pearson’s 2024 guidance on the WAIS-5 allows remote administration, with strict conditions. The examiner shows the test material through screen sharing, and Pearson warns that the norms were collected in person, so remote testing departs from the usual administration. The picture on the examinee’s screen should be at least 9.7 inches measured diagonally. Smartphones, iPad minis and small tablets are not allowed for what the examinee sees.

Without a professional facilitator on site, Block Design and Spatial Addition cannot be given remotely. That removes some composite scores. The Full Scale IQ can still be reached by substituting Visual Puzzles for Block Design or by prorating. Remote testing is a clinician’s decision for a particular person, and it is a different thing from an online quiz you start yourself.

What does the Mensa admission test cost, and what do you get back?

American Mensa’s admission test costs $60 in a local group or $99 privately and returns a qualifying result, not an IQ number. The test takes one to two hours, starts at age 14, and can be retaken once every eight weeks. The page shows lower promotional prices through October 31; the prices here are the regular ones.

The result is short. A qualifying score means you tested at or above the 98th percentile of the general population. The page says Mensa is not able to provide a detailed report with scores, percentile ranks or an IQ score. If you already hold a score from a psychologist, American Mensa lists about 200 accepted tests; a neutral, qualified third party must have given yours in a traditional testing environment. Our guide to Mensa’s score requirements by test lists the cutoffs.

Mensa in Germany

• The test fee is €60 for a test of about two hours, open from age 14, given to a group that is usually 5 to 20 people.
• Registration is binding. The page says there is no right of withdrawal under § 312g (2) no. 9 of the German civil code, because personalised test material is used.
• After you receive your overall result, you can ask the National Supervisory Psychologist for a detailed intelligence profile for €69.
• You can retake the test up to two more times, each at least 12 months after the last, and you pay the fee again.

Which route gives you an IQ number?

A psychologist’s WAIS-5 gives a Full Scale IQ, American Mensa gives qualified or not, and an online test gives an estimate with a range. Pearson lists the Full Scale IQ as built from seven subtests. American Mensa’s page rules out an IQ score in the result. Mensa in Germany invites you to find out your IQ, but its page does not describe the report, so ask when you book.

Whichever route you choose, the number comes from one sitting. Sleep, attention and normal measurement error move scores a little, so a score near a cutoff can land on either side of it next time.

IQMog gives an IQ estimate, a score range around it and a percentile after 20 Raven-style pattern puzzles. It measures abstract visual reasoning, which is one ability among several that a clinical test samples.

How an IQMog estimate is made

The count is open. Each correct answer is worth 3 points on a 70 to 130 scale, so 14 correct answers give 70 + 3 × 14 = 112, and 20 of 20 gives 130. The 95% range is about 12 points either side, so a 112 reads as roughly 100 to 124. The norm behind it is a fixed assumption (a mean of 10 correct, a spread of 5), not a measured sample of people. How we score shows the same arithmetic.

The scale ends at 130, so IQMog does not show scores above it. To find out whether you clear Mensa’s top 2 percent line, the supervised session is the route.

How long does each route take?

The tests themselves are short, and the waiting around them is longer: one to two hours at Mensa, about 45 to 60 minutes of WAIS-5 testing, and about 10 minutes online. Pearson lists 45 minutes for the seven-subtest Full Scale IQ and 60 minutes for the ten primary index subtests.

Waits depend on the provider. CU PATH runs a waiting list that you join with a $200 non-refundable deposit, and none of the pages we opened states how long it is. Mensa in Germany advises booking early because places are limited. American Mensa says private test results arrive within days. A Mensa retake in Germany needs a 12-month gap, so plan your first sitting rather than treating it as a trial run.

When is an online estimate enough?

An online estimate is the right choice when you want a private sense of where you stand. For a school placement, a job, a clinical question or Mensa admission, book the formal route. Our page on how accurate online IQ tests are explains what an online score tells you.

Practice with a pattern format can raise a score on that format. That is a gain in familiarity with the puzzles, not in intelligence. If you are weighing a supervised test, an online estimate shows you whether matrix puzzles feel comfortable before you spend the regular $60 US local-group price on a Mensa session.

IQMog gives you an IQ estimate with its range and percentile in about 10 minutes. The test is free to take, and the full report is a one-time $4.99 (€4.99 incl. VAT in euro countries) with no subscription. Take the IQMog online test first, then book a formal route if the answer matters.