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Quizzes > Personality & Relationships

Theory of Mind Test Online: How Well Can You Read Others?

Quick, free theory of mind quiz for adults. Short scenarios, instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Bailey HietpasmckeithanUpdated Aug 26, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Layered paper art silhouettes of faces connected by speech bubbles and thought icons on dark blue background

This theory of mind test helps you see how well you infer others' beliefs, perspectives, and intentions. Work through brief scenarios and get instant feedback; if you enjoy this, try our mind reading test, explore your social skills with an emotional maturity test, or broaden your knowledge with a psychology quiz.

Lena hides a cookie in a blue box. Max watches. While Max leaves, Lena moves the cookie to a red box. When Max returns, where will he look first for the cookie?
Blue box
Red box
Under the table
Kitchen drawer
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A child sees a sponge that looks exactly like a rock. After touching it, they know it is a sponge. What will someone who has not touched it think it is?
A pillow
A rock
A bar of soap
A sponge
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You hide your friend's birthday gift on the top shelf because you think they are short. Later you learn they can reach it easily by using a stool. What guided your initial hiding choice?
Your desire to keep it for yourself
Your belief about their reach
The store policy on shelves
Their knowledge of the gift
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In a game, Ana believes the coin is under Cup A. You know it is under Cup B. To predict Ana's action, which perspective should you use?
The game host's view
Your superior knowledge
Random chance
Ana's belief
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A friend says, "Great, another meeting," while rolling their eyes. What meaning are they most likely conveying?
They are confused about the schedule
They are excited for the meeting
They are being sarcastic and dread the meeting
They have no opinion about the meeting
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Priya gives a compliment she doesn't mean to avoid hurting a friend's feelings. What is this called?
A promise
A threat
A confession
A white lie
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Tom thinks Sara believes the keys are in the drawer. In fact, Sara believes they are on the shelf. What kind of reasoning is Tom using about Sara?
Physical causation reasoning
Sensory integration reasoning
Second-order belief reasoning
Simple desire reasoning
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You and a child view a cat statue. From your side the tail is visible; from the child's side only the head is visible. Which skill is needed to predict what the child sees?
Auditory discrimination
Numerical estimation
Visual perspective-taking
Episodic memory
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Eli says he took the cookie "by accident" but also smiles proudly. Which is the best interpretation?
He is allergic to cookies
He is ashamed and hiding tears
He forgot what happened
He likely intended to take it despite his claim
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A friend avoids eye contact and gives short answers after an argument. What is the most plausible inference?
They are practicing a play
They do not speak your language
They might still be upset
They suddenly lost hearing
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A classmate who loves spicy food chooses mild salsa because they believe the hot jar contains ketchup. What drives the choice?
Desire overrides belief in the moment
Random selection
Peer pressure
Belief overrides desire in the moment
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You promise to keep a surprise secret. Later, you want to tell. Recognizing this conflict involves which understanding?
Gravity and balance
Competing intentions and self-control
Thermodynamics
Phonological decoding
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In a debate, one speaker uses irony to soften criticism. What does understanding the speaker require?
Counting syllables accurately
Memorizing the dictionary
Inferring communicative intent beyond literal words
Ignoring context
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A child claims a puppet knows what is in a closed box. What concept is the child over-attributing to the puppet?
Color constancy
Attachment security
Motor control
Knowledge access
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Rita deliberately answers incorrectly on a practice quiz so her competitor will underestimate her. What reasoning is she using?
Cooperative signaling
Random responding
Strategic deception about ability
Motor learning
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Evan believes Dana thinks the party starts at 7, but Evan also knows Dana received and believes the correction to 8. What should Evan predict Dana will say if asked the start time now?
He cannot predict anything
8, if Evan thinks Dana received and believes the update
Midnight
7, regardless of updates
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A detective considers that the thief expected the guard to check the left door, so the thief went right. What level of reasoning is this?
Mere association
Reflexive avoidance
Simple stimulus-response
Second-order intention reasoning
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To avoid a faux pas, you need to track what information each person has. What is this tracking called in discourse?
Motor planning
Common ground management
Phonemic awareness
Visual scanning
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You hear, "She doesn't know that we know" in a heist movie. Understanding this line relies on what?
Auditory masking
Embedded belief states
Color constancy
Muscle fatigue
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In diplomacy, a statement is intentionally ambiguous to let different audiences interpret it favorably. What is this practice?
Physical coercion
Literal transparency
Unintentional vagueness
Strategic ambiguity of intent
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand Core Theory of Mind Principles -

    Grasp key concepts behind theory of mind and how beliefs, desires, and intentions shape our social understanding.

  2. Analyze Social Scenarios -

    Break down interactive situations to infer others' mental states based on verbal and nonverbal cues.

  3. Evaluate Your Perspective-Taking Skills -

    Assess your ability to adopt different viewpoints and recognize potential biases in interpreting behavior.

  4. Identify Common Attribution Errors -

    Recognize typical mistakes in attributing thoughts or feelings to others and learn how to avoid them.

  5. Apply Strategies to Enhance Social Cognition -

    Use practical tips and techniques to improve real-world empathetic understanding and interpersonal interactions.

  6. Interpret Your Test Results -

    Understand your score breakdown from the theory of mind test to pinpoint strengths and areas for growth.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Sally-Anne False-Belief Task -

    One of the foundational theory of mind tests, this task asks participants to predict where Sally will look for her marble after it's moved in her absence, revealing false-belief understanding (Wellman & Liu, 2004). Children who grasp that Sally holds a different belief than reality score higher, illustrating core mind-reading skills. Mnemonic "Sally's See-Saw" helps recall that seeing and knowing can be mismatched.

  2. Diverse Beliefs and Desires -

    Early theory of the mind test paradigms assess whether children recognize that others may prefer different things - one character might love carrots while another opts for cookies (Wellman et al., 2001). Spotting this shows basic perspective-taking before full false-belief emerges. Use the simple phrase "I like, you like" to remember dual-desire distinctions.

  3. Reading the Mind in the Eyes -

    Developed by Baron-Cohen et al., this advanced theory of mind test requires naming emotions from just the eye region of faces, linking subtle cues to mental states (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001). Strong performance correlates with real-world social insight in adults. Think "eye clues" to recall the focus on nuanced facial signals.

  4. Faux Pas Recognition Test -

    This test for theory of mind evaluates social sensitivity by asking examinees to identify when someone inadvertently commits a conversational misstep and why it's hurtful (Stone et al., 1998). Success shows the ability to infer intentions and feelings beyond literal statements. The "Oops!" mnemonic reminds you that spotting conversational mistakes reveals deeper mind-reading prowess.

  5. PEER Strategy for Perspective-Taking -

    Many real-life theory of mind tests use the PEER mnemonic - Perspective, Empathy, Evaluate, Respond - to train everyday mind-reading skills (Cohen & Strayer, 1996). By applying each step in conversations, you sharpen social insight and boost quiz performance. Try journaling daily interactions to track and celebrate your improvements.

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