Science Knowledge Quiz

The Science Knowledge Test is an objective knowledge quiz: each item has a single correct answer, and your score is the total number you answer correctly out of 25. The sections below explain where the questions come from and how the score is read.

About the Questions

The 25 items follow the tradition of public science-literacy surveys, such as the index of civic scientific literacy developed by Jon D. Miller and the measures used in the U.S. National Science Foundation's Science and Engineering Indicators. They sample core findings, named effects, and quantitative reasoning across biology, physics, earth and space science, psychology, statistics, linguistics, and the history of science, rather than testing a single subject.

Reference Norms

Your score is reported as a percentage correct and as a percentile relative to an internet reference sample (N = 2,413). Because that sample is self-selected rather than nationally representative, it skews high: answering roughly 80% of the items correctly already places a respondent near the 93rd percentile. The percentile therefore describes standing within an engaged online audience, not the general population.

Science Knowledge

Science Knowledge is breadth of factual and conceptual understanding across the natural and social sciences, including biology, physics, earth and space science, psychology, statistics, linguistics, and the history of science. High scorers recognize core findings, named effects, and quantitative reasoning across many fields; low scorers know fewer of these and rely more on everyday intuition. Each item has one correct answer, and the score is the number answered correctly out of 25.

Limitations

Educational quiz. It samples a limited set of facts across many fields and is not an IQ test or a measure of overall intelligence, expertise, or aptitude.

References

• Miller, J. D. (1998). The measurement of civic scientific literacy. Public Understanding of Science, 7(3), 203-223.
• Sturgis, P. & Allum, N. (2004). Science in society: re-evaluating the deficit model of public attitudes. Public Understanding of Science, 13(1), 55-74.
• Bauer, M. W., Allum, N. & Miller, S. (2007). What can we learn from 25 years of PUS survey research? Liberating and expanding the agenda. Public Understanding of Science, 16(1), 79-95.
• Allum, N., Sturgis, P., Tabourazi, D. & Brunton-Smith, I. (2008). Science knowledge and attitudes across cultures: a meta-analysis. Public Understanding of Science, 17(1), 35-54.