Reviewed September 2026
If you search for the French Foreign Legion IQ test, the official term you will see is psychotechnical tests. During selection, candidates take logic tests and a separate personality test. The Legion says the logic tests require no academic knowledge, and it publishes a practice example so candidates can understand the type of reasoning involved.
Some of the information here comes from official Legion sources, and some comes from my own experience. I separate the two because a lot of older information about the test is still circulating online.
What does the French Foreign Legion officially test?
Official Information
The current recruitment website lists psychotechnical tests during the selection phase in Aubagne. It describes them as logic tests that do not require school knowledge. A separate personality test is also part of selection. Motivation interviews, the security interview, medical examinations and sports tests are different parts of the process.
The Legion’s official tests page also says that the exact content of the logic and personality tests remains confidential to preserve equal treatment between candidates.
Is it really an IQ test?
Calling it an “IQ test” is convenient, and that is the expression many candidates use. But it is better to think of it as a psychotechnical logic test, not as a standard IQ certificate. The point is not to check how many school facts you know. It is to see how you reason and solve problems.
What do the questions look like?
Official Information
The Legion publishes a short practice document on its recruitment site. The examples include pattern and sequence-style reasoning, including a simple number sequence. The official sample is the best public reference because the real test content is not published.
If a website or video claims to show the exact current test, take it with caution. The Legion keeps the real questions confidential, so nobody outside the selection system can guarantee what you will actually get.
Do you need to speak French for the logic test?
Official Information
The recruitment website says the logic tests require no academic knowledge. It does not publish a specific French-language level for this test.
Experience
Many candidates arrive with very little French. The logic test is not the part of selection where language causes the biggest difficulty, but learning basic French before you arrive is still useful for interviews, daily instructions and everything that follows if you are selected.
What happens if you fail?
Official Information
The Legion states that candidates leave the recruitment centre when they fail one of the selection tests. A selection decision can later be classified as temporary or final. The current official guidance says a temporary failure can last from a few months to one year.
How should you prepare?
Start with the official practice example. It gives you the closest public indication of the type of reasoning the Legion wants you to practise.
After that, work on basic logical sequences, visual patterns and simple problem-solving. The goal is not to memorise questions. You want to become quicker at recognising how a problem works, while staying accurate under pressure.
You can also use the Legion Training app for repeated practice alongside your physical, interview and French preparation.
Legion Training
Prepare for selection.
Get ready for the French Foreign Legion with practical training tools.
Can the result affect your future career?
Experience
Psychotechnical results can matter later when your overall profile is considered for certain courses or specialties. For example, if you want to become a medic or a signaller, you need a specific score to be eligible for the course. If your score is not high enough, for example for the NCO course, you can retake the test later as a legionnaire if necessary.
For now, your priority is simply to pass the selection. Career choices come later and depend on much more than one test score.
The IQ test is only one part of selection
Do not prepare for the logic test and forget everything else. Selection also includes sports tests, medical examinations, motivation interviews, a security interview and a personality test. My complete guide to joining the French Foreign Legion explains the full process, and the sports requirements guide covers the physical side in more detail.
Official sources
For the current rules, use the Legion’s official tests page and official selection page. I review LegionStories against these sources when recruitment information changes.
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