Candlestick Pattern Quiz with Answers
Candlesticks tell a story in a single bar: where price opened, closed, and how far the fight ranged in between. This quiz tests whether you can read that story. Each question describes a candle or a short sequence — decide what it signals before you open the answer, then check the anatomy and the context that confirms it.
The quiz
1. A candle with almost no body and long wicks above and below. What does it signal?
Doji — indecision. Open and close are nearly equal: buyers and sellers fought to a draw. At the end of a strong trend it warns of a possible reversal; in a range it means nothing. Always wait for the next candle to confirm.
2. In a downtrend, a candle with a small body at the top and a long lower wick (2× the body). Bullish or bearish?
Bullish — this is a hammer. Sellers drove price down but buyers slammed it back up by the close. At the bottom of a decline it signals a potential reversal. A green body strengthens it.
3. At the top of a rally, a candle with a small body at the bottom and a long upper wick. Bullish or bearish?
Bearish — a shooting star. Buyers pushed to a new high but got rejected, closing near the open. It's the hammer's mirror image and warns the uptrend is stalling.
4. Two candles: a small red candle, then a large green candle that fully covers the red body. What is it?
Bullish engulfing. The second session completely reversed the first — demand overwhelmed supply. At the bottom of a move it's one of the more reliable two-candle reversals.
5. Two candles: a small green candle, then a large red candle that fully covers the green body. What is it?
Bearish engulfing. The mirror of #4. After an uptrend, sellers seized control in a single session — a warning that the top may be in.
6. Three candles: a big green one, a small-bodied candle gapping up, then a big red candle closing deep into the first. What is it?
Evening star — bearish reversal. The middle candle shows momentum stalling; the third confirms sellers took over. A textbook top signal after an extended rally.
7. Three candles: a big red one, a small-bodied candle gapping down, then a big green candle closing deep into the first. What is it?
Morning star — bullish reversal. The inverse of the evening star. Selling exhausts, indecision forms, then buyers reclaim ground — a strong bottom signal.
8. A candle with a small body at the top and a long lower wick, appearing at the TOP of an uptrend. What is it?
Hanging man — bearish warning. Same shape as a hammer, but location flips its meaning: at a top, that long lower wick shows selling pressure entering. Wait for a red confirmation candle.
9. Two candles with small bodies and matching highs, both rejecting the same resistance with upper wicks. What is it?
Tweezer top — bearish. Price tested the same ceiling twice and failed both times. It marks resistance that buyers can't break, hinting at a reversal down.
10. A very long green candle with almost no wicks, opening near the low and closing near the high. What is it?
Bullish marubozu. Buyers controlled the entire session start to finish — pure conviction. It signals strong momentum, especially breaking out of a range.
11. A doji where the long wick is entirely below and open/close sit at the top. What is it?
Dragonfly doji — potentially bullish. Price sold off hard then fully recovered to close at the high. At a bottom it's a reversal clue; the tall lower wick is the tell.
12. A doji where the long wick is entirely above and open/close sit at the bottom. What is it?
Gravestone doji — potentially bearish. Buyers pushed up all session then lost every gain by the close. At a top it's a reversal warning — the opposite of the dragonfly.
Scoring
- 10–12 correct: You read candles fluently. Focus now on speed and multi-candle context.
- 6–9 correct: Good grasp of the majors — the two- and three-candle combos need more reps.
- 0–5 correct: Start with the four workhorses: doji, hammer, engulfing, and star patterns. Drill them daily.
The single biggest jump comes from switching off passive reading and into active recall — see a candle, name it, check yourself, repeat.
Drill candlesticks every day
Chart Guess turns this quiz into a game: read the chart, call the move, and every reveal names the pattern. 53 patterns, free on iOS and Android.