A tricky brainteaser based on telling the time is said to be so hard that only 2% of people can get the right answer – but there’s actually a very simple solution
You’ll need to be a genius to solve this brainteaser, as it’s claimed a whopping 98% of people can’t get the right answer. Solving puzzles isn’t an indicator of intelligence on its own, but the speed at which you’re able to problem solve and come up with the correct answer could indicate how much work you’ve put into strengthening that part of your brain.
Exercising your mind works just the same as keeping the rest of your body fit, but instead of going for a run or hitting the gym after work, your mental fitness is improved by stimulating certain parts of your brain through various activities, such as brainteasers. A healthy mind can lead to improved cognitive abilities, better problem-solving skills, and, in some cases, a reduction in the risk of degenerative diseases like dementia.
So if you’re up for a challenge today, why not take on this time-based brainteaser that only the top 2% of people can solve? If you manage to get the right answer, you’ll be able to declare yourself a puzzle master.
The puzzle has been shared on social media before, but was most recently uploaded to TikTok by a man named Jay Joseph, who went out on the street to ask Brits the tricky question to their faces – and many of them struggled to answer it.
In fact, Jay stated in the caption: “Only 2% of people get this correct.”
The question itself is multiple choice, and it asks: “What is the closest time to midnight? A) 11:55 am, B) 12:06 am, C) 11:50 am, or D) 12:03 am.”
Jay asked this question to multiple people out on the street, and things got off to a bad start when the first woman asked for clarification on the question, asking: “Is midnight AM or PM?”
When she was told that midnight is AM, she then said the answer must be “A”, because she claimed 11:55 am must, therefore, be closest to midnight. And she wasn’t the only one who came to this conclusion, as several other people in Jay’s video also said the answer must be “A”.
But what answer do you get when you read the question carefully? Have a think about it for a while before scrolling down to see what the correct answer should actually be.
Answer
The correct answer is actually D, 12:03 am.
The times are written in a 12-hour format, which makes things slightly confusing, but midnight is 00:00 on a 24-hour clock, or 12 am on a 12-hour one. Therefore, 12:03 am is only three minutes past midnight, making it the time nearest midnight.
The times that start with 11 are also in the morning, but this means they’re closest to midday, or 12 pm, and are almost a full 12 hours away from midnight.
Some in the comments argued that since 12:03 is past midnight, it’s technically the furthest away, as it’s 23 hours and 57 minutes away from midnight, which would make 11:55 am the correct answer in that scenario.
However, others asserted that if you told someone you were going to meet them “close to midnight”, they’d be far more likely to expect you at 12:03 am than at 11:55 am.
Did you get the answer right? Let us know in the comments!
