A “Color IQ” Quiz: What a Colour Test Can and Cannot Measure

Do you pride yourself on how good you are with colors, and what does this really mean? The quiz you are about to take below, does a very accurate job of assessing your color IQ; this aptitude encapsulates many aspects of, both your knowledge of the basics and nuances of color, as well as your color memory. (Note: “colour IQ” is the quiz maker’s label. The quiz has not been validated, and the “96%” figure in its title has no published basis.)

You will be shown images of colors which are numbered, and you will be asked to pick from multiple choice responses: When mixing two colors which color do you get?; Which color is not a primary color?; Which is a secondary color?; Which is the opposite of a particular color on the color wheel?; After staring at an image of many colors for 5 seconds, you will be asked to go to the next slide and your color memory will be tested, etc.

I pride myself on my color IQ and I did well, but I can honestly tell you that I found many questions on this quiz quite challenging. Do you think that your results will reveal an exceptionally high HIGH COLOR IQ?; quickly being able to identify different shades and colors as a consequence of being a visual learner, who stores color in your memory with an excellent able to retrieve. Perhaps you have an OK EYE FOR COLORS; being more of an auditory learner, you know the basics of color, but miss the more nuanced tones and shades of color. Do you have a BELOW AVERAGE COLOR IQ?; you might be color blind, or just not have the ability to differentiate between colors that are similar in hue. Take the quiz and let us know how you do. (Note: the result descriptions, including links to being a “visual” or “auditory” learner, are the quiz maker’s. A quiz cannot diagnose colour blindness; an eye-care professional can test for it.)

Let us know your results in the comments below. Did you pass?

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Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Colours? (12 Questions)

Twelve questions on colour mixing, the colour wheel and colour codes, with swatches where they help. No trick questions, just colour basics and a few finer points.

Mix blue paint with yellow paint. Which colour do you get?
In paint mixing, blue and yellow make green, a secondary colour on the painter's wheel.
Mix red paint with yellow paint. Which colour do you get?
Red and yellow paint combine into orange.
Mix red paint with blue paint. Which colour do you get?
Red and blue paint make purple (violet), the third secondary colour on the traditional wheel.
On the traditional painter's colour wheel (red, yellow, blue), which of these is NOT a primary colour?
Green is a secondary colour there, mixed from blue and yellow.
Screens build colours from three primary colours of light. Which three?
Monitors and phones mix red, green and blue light, which is why it is called RGB.
On a screen, what do you see where red light and green light overlap at full strength?
Light mixes additively, and red plus green light is perceived as yellow.
On the traditional colour wheel, which colour is the complement of (directly opposite) blue?
Blue and orange sit opposite each other, which is why they make such a lively pairing.
On the traditional colour wheel, which colour is the complement of red?
Red sits opposite green, the mix of the other two primaries, yellow and blue.
Which colour of visible light has the longest wavelength?
Red light has the longest wavelength of the visible spectrum, violet the shortest.
Which of these is usually called a warm colour?
Reds, oranges and yellows are conventionally called warm; blues, greens and violets cool.
What do artists call a colour lightened by adding white?
Adding white makes a tint, adding black makes a shade, and adding grey makes a tone.
Which swatch shows the hex colour code #0000FF?
Hex codes list red, green and blue in pairs, so #0000FF is pure blue with no red or green.

Fresh Palette

Colour theory has a lot of jargon, and you have just met the most useful parts. Mix a few paints or play with a colour picker and these answers will stick quickly.

Good Eye

You know the basics well and picked up several of the finer points. A little more time with the colour wheel and you will be explaining it to friends.

Colour Confident

Impressive: you handle paint mixing, light mixing and colour codes with ease. Designers and painters would be glad to have you on the team.

Full Spectrum

A perfect score! You know colour from the painter's palette to the screen's pixels. Enjoy it, and remember a quiz score is about knowledge, not a measure of intelligence.

Source: Sun Gazing via Idealist4ever

Colour knowledge and colour vision are different things

The quiz mixes two skills: knowing colour theory, such as which colours are primary or opposite on the colour wheel, and short-term memory for colours. Neither measures colour vision. Colour vision deficiency is common, affecting about 1 in 76 Americans and men more often than women, according to the National Institutes of Health, and it is checked with standard eye tests. A low score here more likely reflects unfamiliar colour-wheel terms or a fast slideshow. The 2016 widget may no longer load.

Sources: NIH News in Health, February 2010: Can’t see certain colors?

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