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Take this basic IQ test that leaves people stumped with 90% fail rate

An intelligence test that asks people to work out a basic stencil puzzle has left almost all adults stumped with 90% failing to find the answer - can you work it out?

Puzzles are a great way to keep your mind active and improve your cognitive function, and while some of the most common brain teasers you might see on a daily basis are quite easy for sharp minds to solve, others leave people completely stumped.


Like this one, which a whopping 90% of adults were unable to solve despite it being made for children, according to the Mirror.


The classic brain teaser was developed over a century ago in 1920 by an American psychologist, Grace Arthur, who initially devised it as an intelligence test after noticing that other tests at the time relied on verbal responses and were difficult to complete for deaf people or those from different cultural backgrounds.


READ MORE: This quiz with 15 general knowledge questions is designed to test 'smart people'

It was widely used right up until the 1950s to test the IQ of children and adults - but these days, 90% of people can't answer it. So do you want to give it a go?

Puzzles are a great way to keep your mind active and improve your cognitive function, and while some of the most common brain teasers you might see on a daily basis are quite easy for sharp minds to solve, others leave people completely stumped. Like this one, which a whopping 90% of adults were unable to solve despite it being made for children.


The classic brain teaser was developed over a century ago in 1920 by an American psychologist, Grace Arthur, who initially devised it as an intelligence test after noticing that other tests at the time relied on verbal responses and were difficult to complete for deaf people or those from different cultural backgrounds. It was widely used right up until the 1950s to test the IQ of children and adults - but these days, 90% of people can't answer it. So do you want to give it a go?

Take a look at the image above. You'll see the blue, black, and white shape at the top and a series of other shapes below it. All you have to do is work out which of the shapes you need to make up the full design at the top of the image. And whilst it may look like a breeze, it's a whole lot more difficult than you could imagine.

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Have you worked it out yet? The design at the top of the image can be made up using SIX of the 12 shapes in the picture, so you'll need to look closely to work out which of the patterns you need to place on top of one another to find the solution. If you need a hint, just try to look at the puzzle in reverse order. What colour is the background? What colours are on the top of the image? Have another go if you're still trying to figure out the answer.

Got it now? We're about to give you the answer, so if you don't want to know, don't scroll any further! And remember, 90% of adults fail to complete this puzzle, so don't worry too much if you're completely stumped too.

The answer you were looking for is: H, F, I, B, E, L.

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