Most cookie policies describe a wall of third-party trackers. Ours is short, because we do not use them. IQTests sets no advertising cookies and no analytics cookies, and embeds no tracking pixels. What the site does use is a small amount of your browser's local storage, a close cousin of cookies, purely to make the test work. This page lists exactly what is stored and how to clear it.
What cookies and local storage are
Cookies are small text files a site can store in your browser; local storage is a related mechanism that holds small values on your device in the same way. Sites use them to remember things like a language choice or, in our case, the state of a test in progress. They contain no viruses and cannot read other files on your device. They come in two broad kinds: "first-party", set by the site you are visiting, and "third-party", set by another domain; and they can be "session" (cleared when you close the browser) or "persistent" (kept for a set time). Without the few values we store, parts of the test, such as not repeating result wording you have already seen, would not work as intended.
What we store, and why
Everything below is first-party browser local storage that never leaves your device. We do not set analytics or advertising cookies, so there is nothing here from Google Analytics, an ad network, or a data broker.
| Name | Type | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
iqv_lastv | First-party local storage | Remembers the last result wording you were shown, so it does not repeat if you retake the test. | Until you clear site data |
iqv_shownfam | First-party local storage | Remembers which "famous minds" comparisons you have already seen, so each result shows fresh ones. | Until you clear site data |
iqv_email | First-party local storage | A simple flag noting you have already unlocked a result on this browser, so you are not asked twice. | Until you clear site data |
None of these values identify you, and none are sent to us or anyone else. They exist only to keep the experience smooth. Your hosting provider may also process the standard server request data described in our privacy policy, which is separate from anything stored in your browser.
Data that does leave your browser
There is exactly one moment when information leaves your device: when you choose to unlock a result by entering an email. That single submission is sent to our form provider over HTTPS, and what we receive is described in the privacy policy. If you never submit that form, nothing about your test leaves your browser.
Third-party services
Two outside services are involved in running the site, and neither sets a tracking cookie. Formspark delivers your unlock or contact submission to us when you choose to send one; it receives only what you type, over an encrypted connection, and its handling is covered in our privacy policy. Our hosting and content-delivery provider serves and protects the site and processes standard server request data, such as IP address and timestamp, in its logs. Neither service is used to profile you or to show you advertising, and we add no analytics or advertising services on top of them.
How to manage what is stored
Because we rely on local storage rather than tracking cookies, there is nothing to "accept" or "reject" for advertising, since there is no advertising. To clear what is stored, open your browser settings and clear site data for iq-test-free.com, or use a private window, which discards local storage when you close it. In Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge this is found under the privacy or site-data section of settings; each browser's own help pages give step-by-step instructions. The test still works after clearing; you simply start fresh.
Consequences of clearing or blocking storage
Clearing or blocking our local storage has only minor effects. The test may show you result wording or comparisons you have seen before, and the browser may prompt you about unlocking again, because the flags that remembered those things are gone. Nothing about the actual test or your ability to take it is affected, and all of the site's content remains fully available. You can clear or change these settings at any time.
If a future feature ever needed analytics or other cookies, we would update this page first and ask for your choice where the law requires it. The rules for using the site are in our terms of use, and how the site is funded is in our advertising disclosure.
For the full data picture, start with the privacy policy; for how the test itself is built, see our methodology. Anything unclear can go to our contact page.