Untimed online IQ test · 40 problems · six worlds
PROTEUS online: the untimed extreme-range IQ test
In Greek myth, Proteus is the Old Man of the Sea, a prophet who changed his shape until he was held fast. The rules of his test change until you hold them.
PROTEUS in full, on the site: forty original problems of rule plasticity, each on its own page with an answer panel built for it. Work at your own pace, in as many sittings as you need. When you submit, your score and certificate appear at once.
- Untimed
- Answers saved as you go
- Instant certificate
- Society admission
How it works
Register and pay
Enter your name as it should appear on your certificate, and pay the US$50 fee through PayPal (account or card). Your test is ready the moment the payment completes.
Read the opening pages
The opening pages and the first page of each world explain the notation. Read them first: they are in the test, one click away.
Solve at your own pace
Move freely between the 40 problems and change answers whenever you like. Each answer is saved on the server as you give it; your private link reopens the test on any device, for 90 days.
Submit and get your certificate
Your raw score, IQ with its interval, percentile, a profile by world and a PDF certificate anyone can verify, at once, with a copy by email.
What PROTEUS measures
PROTEUS measures rule plasticity: finding the best explanation of new, incomplete or changing evidence, and revising it when the evidence turns. Each world teaches its own notation on its first page; every problem then asks you to discover a law, notice when it changes, and apply what you found.
- World I. Mutable Matrices
- World II. Drifting Strings
- World III. The Oracle's Ledger
- World IV. Translations
- World V. Levers and Lamps
- World VI. The Frontier
One attempt per person: each person may take PROTEUS once, so every score is a first attempt. An answer sheet of the former paper edition counts as that attempt.
Built to keep outside help out
- Keys on the server. The answer keys never reach your browser, and the result never shows which problems you solved.
- Problems only inside the test. The problem pages are shown only to candidates whose test is open, never on the public site.
- Watermarked pages. Every page is drawn on the screen with a faint watermark of your name and certificate ID.
- Recorded. Leaving the test window, screenshot shortcuts (Print Screen, Windows+Shift+S, Command+Shift+3, 4 or 5), printing (Ctrl+P or Command+P), copy, right-click and drag attempts, paste attempts (pasting is switched off) and AI assistant add-ons in the page are recorded problem by problem, with the server's own times. Printing shows blank pages.
- Checked. The server checks the answer pattern against the problems' difficulty, and notes right answers given moments after a long absence from the test.
- Sealed and reported. The record is sealed when you submit; its fingerprint is printed on your certificate, so it cannot be changed afterwards. The author's integrity report of your test lists all of it, problem by problem.
No untimed online test can rule out every form of help. These measures make it visible, and the author reviews every result before it counts for a society.
Your result
Scored with the Provisional norms v1.0 of the PROTEUS Technical Manual (model-based, Table D-1). Deviation IQ, mean 100, SD 15.
Societies. IQ 147 or higher meets the criterion of the Nereid Society, IQ 160 that of the Mesopelagic Society (with a one-time membership fee), and IQ 190, 205 and 220 those of the Aphotic, Hadal and Exocosm Societies. Just below the criteria, IQ 135 to 146 qualifies for associate membership of the Nereid Society and IQ 180 to 189 for subscription to the Aphotic Society, each with a one-time admission fee.
Take PROTEUS online
A computer or tablet is best: the problem pages are detailed, and a larger screen shows them whole. A phone works too (zoom in on the page). Keep scratch paper ready.
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Please check back soon, or take THETIS, the adaptive online test, today.
Your details
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Payment
- PROTEUS online: untimed test, scoring and certificateUS$50
- Name on certificate
PayPal processes the payment; you can pay with a PayPal account or a debit or credit card. Your test is ready the moment the payment completes, and you can begin at once or later.
Have a code?
Your test is ready,
- Untimed. Once you begin, your test stays open for 90 days. Work in as many sittings as you like; your private link reopens it on any device.
- Start with the opening pages and the first page of each world: they explain the notation. Then answer the 40 problems in any order, and change answers as often as you like before you submit.
- Each problem scores one point when its answer is exactly right. No marks are taken off for wrong answers, so answer every problem.
- Answers are saved on the server as you give them. Nothing tells you whether an answer is right, and the result never shows which problems you solved.
- Work alone, with scratch paper only. Leaving the test window, screenshot shortcuts, printing, and copy or paste attempts are recorded with your result for the author's review.
Camera check (required)
While a problem is on screen, this page watches your camera for a phone, another person or an empty seat. The check runs in your own browser: the video never leaves your device. When it sees one of these, it keeps a small still picture for the author's review, deleted after 90 days. It never changes your score, and your certificate's verification page shows that it covered your whole test.
- Sit facing the camera in good light, with your face in view.
- Keep your phone and other devices out of reach, and work alone.
- If the camera stops, the problem is covered until it is back. Breaks are fine: close the page or step away between problems.
Your answer
Submit your answers for scoring?
Your PROTEUS result
- Raw score
- 90% interval
- Percentile
- Rarity
- By world
Your certificate
Certificate ID . Anyone can check it at .
Record fingerprint : the server sealed your answers and what this page recorded when you submitted. The same fingerprint is on your certificate, so the record can never be changed without the change showing.
Next: take THETIS (adaptive) or RUFIT (timed) for a second, independent measure, or read about the five societies.
PROTEUS online: questions
Is the online PROTEUS the full test?
Yes: PROTEUS in full, with all 40 problems, the rules and the norms of the Technical Manual. Each problem is shown on its own page, and you answer in a panel built for it (lattices, strips, necklaces, lamps and tables). Your answers are scored on the server the moment you submit. Since 20 October 2026 PROTEUS is taken online only, and its problems are shown only inside the test.
How long do I have, and can I take breaks?
PROTEUS is untimed. From the moment you begin, your test stays open for 90 days: work in as many sittings as you like, on any device, with your private link. Every answer is saved on the server as you give it. When you are done, submit: your result and certificate appear at once. A test still open after 90 days is submitted with the answers saved by then.
What does the fee cover?
The US$50 fee, paid once through PayPal before the test opens, covers the online test, its scoring, your result with its PDF certificate, and the review of one society application. Admission as a full member of a society carries no further fee.
Can I take it more than once?
Does an online PROTEUS score count for the societies?
Yes. IQ 147 or higher meets the criterion of the Nereid Society, and the fee covers the review of your application. IQ 160 meets that of the Mesopelagic Society, whose membership carries a one-time fee, and IQ 190, 205 and 220 those of the Aphotic, Hadal and Exocosm Societies. Associate membership of the Nereid Society (IQ 135 to 146) and subscription to the Aphotic Society (IQ 180 to 189) carry a one-time admission fee.
How precise is a PROTEUS score?
The provisional norms v1.0 are model-based projections from the Technical Manual, to be replaced by empirical norms as results come in. PROTEUS measures most precisely from about IQ 135 to 185; a perfect score is reported at the nominal ceiling of IQ 250. Above about IQ 195 a score ranks performance on this test rather than a percentile of the population, and your certificate says so.
How does the online test keep AI and other help out?
The answer keys never leave the server, and your result never shows which problems you solved. The problem pages are shown only to candidates whose test is open, and each is drawn on the screen with a faint watermark of your name and certificate ID. While a problem is on screen, the test page records leaving the test window, screenshot shortcuts, copy, print and drag attempts, attempts to paste into the answer fields (pasting is switched off), and AI assistant add-ons that insert themselves into the page; the server keeps its own times, checks the answer pattern, and notes right answers given moments after a long absence. The record is sealed when you submit, and its fingerprint is printed on your certificate. None of this changes a score: the author reviews it before any society admission. An untimed test cannot rule out every form of help, which is why you declare that you will work alone, and why the author reviews every result before it counts for a society.
What if I lose my link or change devices?
Your private link (shown when your test is ready, and kept in this browser) reopens your test on any device. If you lose it, use “Recover my test” with the PayPal Transaction ID from your receipt and the email you registered with. Answers that are complete are saved on the server; a part you have only begun is kept in the browser you were using until you complete it.
Rules, fee and privacy
Test rules
Work on PROTEUS alone, with scratch paper only: no person, AI system, search engine, calculator, program, published solution or other aid. Do not copy, photograph, record or share the problems or your answers. Each person may take PROTEUS once (an answer sheet of the former paper edition counts as that attempt), and a test belongs to the person registered for it. You may take as many breaks as you like within the 90 days. Results that show signs of outside help may be withheld from society admission or withdrawn.
Fee and refunds
The fee is US$50, paid through PayPal (PayPal account or card) before the test opens. It covers the online administration, scoring, your result and certificate, and the review of one society application. Because the problems are shown as soon as a test begins, a test that has begun cannot be refunded. If a payment went through but the test did not open, use “Recover my test”, or write to jresquites@mensaphilippines.org with your PayPal Transaction ID.
Privacy notice
Your name, email, year of birth, country and earlier scores are used to run your test, to issue and verify your certificate, to build the norms and, with your consent, in de-identified research summaries. Your answers, the times the server kept and the integrity record (departures from the test window, screenshot shortcuts, copy, paste or print attempts, and the names of AI assistant add-ons found in the page; other add-ons are never recorded) are kept with your result for scoring, norm updates and the review of society applications. The camera check, which every test requires, runs in your own browser: the video from your camera is analyzed on your device and is never sent or stored. When it sees a phone, another person or an empty seat while a problem is on screen, the page sends one small still picture (160 by 120 pixels) with its time, kept for the author's review and deleted 90 days after it was taken; its summary of each problem (how long it watched, and when it saw any of these) is kept with your integrity record. The detector's program and model load from public servers (jsDelivr and Google), which see your device's address as any website does. How you reached the site (the name of the site or app that linked to it, or the tag in the link you followed, which your browser keeps for 30 days) is recorded with your payment, without your name, to count which channels bring candidates. When your test ends, your result, the private link to it and the link to your certificate are emailed to you (through Resend, an email service). Your email is never shown publicly, and you can hide your name on the public verification page at any time. Data are stored by Netlify and Redis Cloud and are never sold.