Developing a Short and Simple IQ Test Online Using PHP

Overview

The objective of the IQ test is to quantitatively measure intelligence. The measurement is what makes this test very popular, because one can be classified as an “Idiot," "Normal” or a “Genius.”

Developing an IQ test sounds complex, but I will make it very simple. The approach to designing a test involves considering the different aspect, not just focusing on the test questions.

The factors to consider when designing a test online include:

1. Length – The test should be short, because it is very annoying to have a long test; no one really cares to answer it all. About 10 test questions will do. Of course you sacrifice the quality of the test, but it is the user experience which is more important in the online world.

2. User-friendliness - This factor is very important. Forcing anyone to register first by entering personal details is a complete turn-off; many users will consider it a waste of time. Also, having fancy navigation and using a lot of graphics will slow down the web page and should be avoided.

3. Speed of results  - I have seen online tests that require the user to register before letting them know their IQ. This is another waste of time and should not be considered as part of the design.

There are basically two approaches you can take when you design an IQ test online.

1. PHP only

2. PHP with MySQL database

The first one is recommended if you only need ten questions in the test. The second one is advised if you have a lot of questions to give. MySQL works as an “answer key” in this case. The PHP portion interacts with the browser and will be the one to ask questions to the user using a form. After that, it will connect to MySQL to determine whether the answers are correct. The PHP portion will then compute the final grade according to the results.

The scope of this article is to illustrate the first approach only. MySQL database examples will be illustrated in future tutorials.