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Paper Folding Test

A square of paper is folded, punched and opened out. Where are the holes?

Type
Perception
Takes
about 2-3 min
Result in
correct

Paper Folding

~2-3 min

  1. A square of paper is folded in half, once or more. The shaded part is the half being folded over.
  2. A hole is punched through every layer.
  3. Pick how the sheet looks opened out. 8 puzzles, from one fold to three.

Undo the folds one at a time, last fold first.

Your result: — / 8

How it's measured

Try another challenge

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  • One Line

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How does the paper folding test work?

Each puzzle shows a square sheet folded in half one, two or three times, with the half being folded over shaded, and then a hole punched through every layer. You pick which of 4 sheets shows the holes once it is opened out. There are 8 puzzles: 2 with one fold, 3 with two and 3 with three.

The wrong choices are built from specific slips: leaving out one of the folds, mirroring the pattern the wrong way, folding across instead of down, or moving one hole by a square. Every puzzle has exactly one right answer, and the site's tests check that over hundreds of puzzles at each number of folds.

How do you work out where the holes are?

Unfold in reverse. Start from the punched hole and undo the last fold first: mirror every hole across that fold line, so each hole gains a twin. Then do the same for the fold before it. Each fold doubles the layers the punch goes through, so one fold gives 2 holes, two folds give 4 and three folds give 8.

Where does the paper folding test come from?

It is a classic test of spatial visualization: picturing how something changes as it is moved or folded. A Paper Folding Test is one of the visualization tests in the Educational Testing Service's Kit of Factor-Referenced Cognitive Tests (1976 edition), a set of 72 research tests for 23 abilities, alongside a Form Board Test and a Surface Development Test.

This version uses the same idea with its own drawings, 4 choices and an open clock, so its scores can't be compared with the kit's. Picturing a flat shape folded into a solid, as in Surface Development, is what the Cube Net Test practises.

Tips for paper folding puzzles

  • Count the holes first. The answer always has 2, 4 or 8 holes, one per layer, which rules out a choice that forgot a fold.
  • Follow the arrow. The shaded half is the one lifted over the dashed line; its holes end up as mirror images of the ones under it.
  • Check one hole, then its twins. Find the hole that sits where the punch went, then mirror it fold by fold.

For turning shapes rather than folding them, try the Mental Rotation Test.

Questions

How many holes will there be?
Two for one fold, four for two folds and eight for three. Every fold doubles the layers, and the punch goes through all of them.
What does a paper folding test measure?
Spatial visualization: picturing how a shape changes when it is folded or moved. The 1976 ETS Kit of Factor-Referenced Cognitive Tests lists a Paper Folding Test under its visualization factor.
Is the paper folding test timed?
A clock runs over the whole set and is shown with your score, but there is no limit. Take as long as you need on each puzzle.
Which part of the drawing is being folded?
The shaded half. It is lifted and laid over the dashed fold line, in the direction of the arrow; the faint outline shows where the whole sheet was.