What is the answer to this problem; more importantly, why is it the answer to the problem?
Which element of the set is mismatched from the others?
LHEC · DFIM · TQNK · HJMQ
This problem was given in the Washington Post as an example of a word problem scientists were using in a study. I got it right, I just have no idea why.
Is the answer LHEC?
If so, I’ll explain my reasoning.
TQNK is the correct answer. It skips two letters between each letter (going backward). The others first skip one letter, then two, then three. LHEC and TQNK go backward and HJMQ go forward.
Each one is a series in alphabetical order, with a certain number of letters left out in between:
321 - 123 - 222 - 123
So the answer is the third one, TQNK
???
I suppose if you search hard enough you can find a dozen reasons to chose one or another sequence out of the set. One obvious differential is that the first set has no enclosed letter whereas the last three have ie (D Q Q) although I imagine they are looking for some sort of word order reason.
I used the same reasoning astro used. But the other reasoning is valid as well!
So we’re all smart, but in different ways 
Mmmmm… well, I guess that’s it. Thanks for the replies, all.
Coldfire and Astro, I can see your reasoning now – hadn’t thought of that. That’s what sucks about these standardized tests: only one answer is ‘officially’ correct, even though others might be technically true.
I consider it part of the test to figure out what answer they are looking for :). This is especially true on “low-end” tests such as SATs, where there is sometimes more than one correct answer, depending on interpretations and assumptions.
Arjuna34
I say the last one. All the other have 1 letter with a curved line, the last one has 2.
> I say the last one. All the other have 1 letter with a curved line, the last one has 2.
I came to the same conclusion. It just shows how these tests can be flaky. I’m sure I could come up with a few more equally valid solutions.
That’s the sign of a bad test when it can multiple correct answers. Good tests have only one solution.
Of course one thing that comes into play is understanding the nature of these types of problems. It depends on how creative the creators are being, but the typical thing with these types of problems is it is a letter sequence problem. They typically are not looking for the visual appeal (enclosed spaces). Once you know they formula for the problems, you can then be constrained properly to find the correct solution, and know to discard the other possibilities. But the problem is that that’s a generality, and occasionally you might find a problem that doesn’t use letter sequence, but instead the visual appeal. Or that doesn’t state some other assumption.
I bought a book on IQ tests. It has a series of tests. I didn’t do as well the first time as on the later tests, because I learned the way the tests worked. Like the above trick, or the types of patterns to look for on number wheel games. Some of the trick was knowing the limitations of the test structure.
That is a valid criticism of IQ tests.
Note that tests like SATs and ACTs are NOT IQ tests. A significant part of those tests is experiencial - if you fast-tracked on the math path you will be better prepared for that section, vs. if you focused on other areas and didn’t take a lot of advanced math. Similarly (especially for the SAT) vocabulary can be a great advantage. The more words you know, the better you will do on the word game parts. A good IQ test tries to be designed where those factors are eliminated. A good IQ test is not supposed to be a measure of what you know, but on how you think and reason. A good IQ test uses number problems, letter games, word puzzles and the like to set up challenges, but the elements involved are not designed to be overly tedious themselves. A good IQ test will not use real words in definition comparisons, for instance, because if you have a large vocabulary you may know the answer without having to determine the meaning, which is the point of IQ measures. Having a large vocabulary does not necessarly correlate to a high IQ. Determining meaning from context is a more valid determination of thinking ability.
All that said and done, I didn’t figure out the puzzle either. 
True but… the correlation between measured "IQ’ scores (however defined) and SAT scores is very, very high. So although it may not be an IQ test as such it’s typically a darn good predictor of how you would do on an IQ test.
I think it’s more the other way around, actually. I personally consider IQ test fairly useless in establishing any absolute measure of intelligence, but they do provide a sort of relative picture: one who does better on IQ tests is generally able to learn facts and methods more easily than one who does poorly. If he takes advantage of this ability, then it’s likely that he will perform better on tests that do rely on the education of the tested. Thus, an IQ test is more likely to predict performance on SATs or ACTs than vice versa.
Obviously DFIM is the correct answer. It is mismatched, because it the only one of the four that has yet to be declared by someone on this message board to be the right answer. Um, until now that is. Er, never mind.
Well, of course DFIM is the right answer. But only because all the other ones are actually Finish names for tropical fruit, and DFIM means “transmission oil”.
This seems to relate to Irishman’s comment. Interestingly enough, questions on standardized tests are included if they produce a wide variety of answers. That is, if, during the piloting of a test, a correct answer is only answered correctly by, say, 25% of the people, and the other answers are picked at about the same rate, then that question is deemed GOOD to be included, because it permits the test makers to discriminate between those who know and those who don’t. If a test question returns a very high or very low selection rate, i.e. closer to 90% right (or wrong) then the question is thrown out, since it appears to be a question that “everyone” knows or “no one” knows. The point is that these tests, then, eliminate questions that cover topics that teachers think are important and cover in their classes - since those questions will typically be answered correctly by a lot of people. Therefore, the tests are, de facto, constructed out of questions on items that most classes do not cover. Another reason, (as if we needed one)that test scores are overvalued and inappropriately so.
Funny, I automatically assumed LHEC too.
If you write out those four letters in lowercase script, you don’t have to pick up your pen. You do for all the rest of them.
This is why I hate those “intelligence” tests. Half the time, if you’re even close to a weird, creative thinker, you’ll get it wrong even though you got it right.
I think it is HJMQ becuase it contains a letter from the other three sets while the other three sets letters are only in HJMQ the sets themselves.
What is the answer the post gave?
*:: taking notes :: * Man, I learn so much on this Board!
Love your sig line!