Do you know your IQ?

[kenny]

I don't know mine.
Tough I've wondered I guess I don't care enough to bother getting tested.
Besides, what's the point? - So you can feel inferior, average or superior?

If you do know yours how did you find out?
Who tested you?

Are the tests accurate and repeatable?
Do people study for them?
Wouldn't your "IQ" would go up after taking several of the tests?
Does IQ improve with better education or change with age?

I realize much of this can be "Googled up" but I'm interested in your thoughts, and wonder if lots of other people do not know their IQ,

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Hmm....I was tested in elementary school, but I don't know if my IQ has changed since then (or how accurate the test was). It was in 3rd grade or thereabouts.

I would think that there shouldn't be much deviation in scores based on your personal level of education. IQ tests don't test knowledge, they test aptitude, right? Like the difference between the SAT and ACT tests. I would imagine that maybe taking a logic course or something might help somewhat since it helps you think through questions and see patterns, but I don't know if, say, my BA in English Lit would really affect my IQ. It's a good question though.

I've never really felt that knowing my IQ was important. I know I'm a fairly smart person - and I know it based on college and law school and extracurriculars and such, not based on one test, y'know? I guess IQ tests don't really matter to me one way or another.

 

[elrohwen]

I know because my mom told me a few years ago - I was tested in elementary school. I've also taken a test here and there online, just for fun, though those aren't nearly as accurate as one administered by a professional. There are also different tests and scales, so 150 might be "genius" on one scale and "average" on another. If you're going to talk about your score, you have to be specific. I think the Stanford-Binet is the most common one.

My mom is a child psychologist, and from what she has explained the purpose of the test is to test your ability to learn - not your education level or how "smart" you are. The results don't depend on your age or level of education really, which is why you can give them to young kids (though I imagine taking a random one online would vary based on age and education - I'm talking about one administered professionally). It can be a good and interesting tool for gauging young children's ability to learn (among other metrics, of course) but isn't taken that seriously on its own by professionals (I think it may have been considered more important in the past than it is today). There are also quite a few different tests, though I'm not sure of the differences between them - I know some are more highly regarded than others, and some test for different things (so one might be more appropriate when evaluating a child with known developmental disorders, for example).

 

[MAC-W]

I don't know mine.
Tough I've wondered I guess I don't care enough to bother getting tested.
Besides, what's the point? - So you can feel inferior, average or superior?

If you do know yours how did you find out?
Who tested you?

Are the tests accurate and repeatable?
Do people study for them?
Wouldn't your "IQ" would go up after taking several of the tests?
Does IQ improve with better education or change with age?

I realize much of this can be "Googled up" but I'm interested in your thoughts, and wonder if lots of other people do not know their IQ,

Yep, got tested when I was 8, 12 & 15 years old. I always got high scores within 1 or 2 point of each other- so yes it is repeatable. It was a mandatory test at my schools. I didnt study for them cos I'm basically lazy and after the first one I got lazier still.

I seem to remember I always scored "exceptionally highly" on rote learning, math, and language. Certainly my teachers all kept pushing me to the sciences cos of my "math & language ability" although the language thingo is a bit of a red herring cos I've lived in 14 different countries and had to learn 9 different languages and I've been crap at most of them. (can actually only speak one other language than english and even then its pretty basic)

The rote learning bit is probably why I was able to get 2 degrees yet still party for 50 out of 52 weeks per year. (thats maybe why I dont really respect degrees unless they been earned part-time while holding down a full-time job)

Mind you I reckon all the glasses of wine in the last 20+ years have probably killed off a few of my brain cells, so if I was to take the same tests again today the score would probably be considerably lower

To me at this point in time, IQ is not a major consideration. I'm more interested in common sense and practicality rather than IQ. (and those dont generally go hand in hand).

 

[Bunny007]

I do. I was had to be tested in third grade to be enrolled in a school program. I don't know if it's something you can study for (I don't think?) but I didn't.

 

[MAC-W]

One other thing that I've just remembered - we had a girl at my high school who everyone thought of as "retarded" (dont slate me, that was the term used back them). This girl couldn't speak properly, generally just made moaning noises and was always in the bottom stream of classes. Anyway one teacher (who was obviously a genius) decided to record the noises this girl made and kept playing them back at slower and slower speeds until eventually she started to recognise some words.

Turns out this girl had such a high IQ she had actually gone round the scale and was back in "idiot" section. Apparently her brain was working so much faster than her body, which was why she couldnt talk properly. Once the school realised what was what, they started recording everything Amanda said, she took her higher leaving certifcate, got a place at uni and got a double first degree.

I'm always amazed by that teacher and how she thought to do the whole recorded thing. It changed Amanda's life completely.

To me that teacher is the most "intellegent" person I've ever met.

 

[Karl_K]

I find the idea of IQ tests interesting.
I don't believe in them.

It is my observation that people are smart in different areas and different things.
People are just wired differently.
For example my brother can take anything apart and fix it and I am much better at technical things and stink at fixing things.
Does that mean I am smarter than him? No it just means we think differently and are good at different things.

One of the smartest doctors I know just doesn't get computers.
Computers came naturally to me and I can think in computer terms.
She can't.
Her brain is wired to excel at what she does and can recall a trillion facts and figures as well as the ability to make an instant connection with people that makes her one of the best at what she does.
I suck at remembering specific things and work better with concepts.
Our brains work in totally different ways.
Is she smarter because she can recall things better or am I smarter because I can work with abstract concepts better than she can?

To answer the question I took a bunch of them in school but they did not share the results because they did not want it to a competition with the kids.

 

[elrohwen]

One other thing that I've just remembered - we had a girl at my high school who everyone thought of as "retarded" (dont slate me, that was the term used back them). This girl couldn't speak properly, generally just made moaning noises and was always in the bottom stream of classes. Anyway one teacher (who was obviously a genius) decided to record the noises this girl made and kept playing them back at slower and slower speeds until eventually she started to recognise some words.

Turns out this girl had such a high IQ she had actually gone round the scale and was back in "idiot" section. Apparently her brain was working so much faster than her body, which was why she couldnt talk properly.Once the school realised what was what, they started recording everything Amanda said, she took her higher leaving certifcate, got a place at uni and got a double first degree.

I'm always amazed by that teacher and how she thought to do the whole recorded thing. It changed Amanda's life completely.

To me that teacher is the most "intellegent" person I've ever met.

That diagnosis doesn't really make any sense. I'm guessing she had a developmental disorder on the autism spectrum, since those so often cause issues with communication even if the person has an average or higher than average IQ.

 

[AGBF]

Besides, what's the point? - So you can feel inferior, average or superior?

I suspect that the point is, always, to feel superior. Do you have any other questions for me, the extremely intelligent and, if not omniscient, then surely prescient, poster?

BTW, my computer has a virus and has been hauled away. I will answer any questions you put to me when next I see them.

Deb/AGBF

 

[MAC-W]

That diagnosis doesn't really make any sense. I'm guessing she had a developmental disorder on the autism spectrum, since those so often cause issues with communication even if the person has an average or higher than average IQ.

I wouldn't know, you could be right. I only know what we were told in school and what I saw happen when she went to uni. She never took notes cos she couldnt write (it just came out as a squiggle) All her exams were taken orally then played back at very slow speed, and she got awarded a double first. The only one in our classes who did btw.

 

[elrohwen]

That diagnosis doesn't really make any sense. I'm guessing she had a developmental disorder on the autism spectrum, since those so often cause issues with communication even if the person has an average or higher than average IQ.

I wouldn't know, you could be right. I only know what we were told in school and what I saw happen when she went to uni. She never took notes cos she couldnt write (it just came out as a squiggle) All her exams were taken orally then played back at very slow speed, and she got awarded a double first. The only one in our classes who did btw.

If she did have something on the autism spectrum, which probably wasn't known or diagnosed at the time, I'm not surprised that she could've had a very high IQ and been very intelligent, but had a very difficult time with communication. Many people with Aspergers are extremely intelligent but have issues with socialization and communication (though not necessarily as bad as your school-mate). Back in the day, everything was diagnosed as "retarded", which is why IQ tests actually became very valuable - it was one way to distinguish in what way a child was developmentally disabled and what treatment would be best for him or her. It helped people realize that a child could have developmental problems and still be as intelligent as every other child (or more so).

 

[Haven]

I don't know my IQ. I've never been curious about it. I don't care much about what these types of things have to say about me, or others.

I was in the gifted program in school, but they used other methods to determine our eligibility based on what we know to be true about gifted individuals--they have above-average intelligence, they have a commitment to task fulfillment, and they are extremely creative thinkers. I teach in a gifted program now, and we are constantly allowing children who only have IQ scores (and no teacher recommendations or such) to enter the program on a trial basis, and we are constantly telling their parents, after the trial, that their children are not gifted, just highly intelligent. People seem to think they are one and the same.

 

[JSM]

I participated in research studies when I was in graduate school, and one of them measured decision making variables. One of them was IQ, so I have a fairly accurate score. Otherwise, I never would have taken the test!

I don't think scores matter much, there are a lot of underachievers and overachievers out there! After all, it's not the intelligence that you have, but what you do with it that counts.

(at least that is what I tell my DH!)

 

[LAJennifer]

I was tested 3 times - Elementary School, Junior High Gifted and High School Gifted.

I recently took an online IQ quiz and my score was consistent with my previous scores.

 

[PinkTower]

No, but I know I cannot figure out anything regarding patterning, so I usually just skip all those questions. If I had needed an IQ score to get into college, I would never have been accepted. My children are the same way, and they both scored over 30 points higher on their Verbal than their Performance scores. So, no, I don't think they are accurate, because of the way the two scores are averaged together.

I absolutely cannot put anything together.
We stopped at the vet's a while back to get one of the cardboard boxes to take the cat in to get his shots. It was the kind that comes up in a little roof with handles. I could not put it together. My daughter and I stuffed the cat in there and sealed it shut with duct tape. He was a 17 pound cat, so we used a lot of duct tape. They were laughing so hard at the vet's and they had to get a big pair of scissors to cut the cat out of the box.

 

[redfaerythinker]

IQ score are generally not that indicative of overall cognitive ability. Most of the psychological community has moved on tho more accurate tests such as the Wunderlic (sp?) etc. I know my IQ and my Wunderlic scores, etc. from my psych degree. I always had above average scores in the 98th percentile or so so both the IQ and wunderlic held true for me, but I know it doesn't for others.

 

[soocool]

I vaguely remember mine.

The schools in our district routinely begin testing kids for the "gifted" program in kindergarten. Then a select few are picked for additional testing by the teacher of the gifted program in first grade (they call it Humanities) and if they test scores are high enough (IQ score of at least 135) they are further tested and evaluated by the school psychologist for the program. The child is not officially in the program unless the parent's agree to it. The child enters the program in the second grade and can continue through high school unless the parents chose to remove them from the program or that the child is not thriving in the program. Usually by sophomore and junior year a majority drop out of the Humanities Program and take AP History instead. DD decided to stick with Humanities through her senior year (there were only 10 students who did).

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I don't know my IQ. I've never been curious about it. I don't care much about what these types of things have to say about me, or others.

I was in the gifted program in school, but they used other methods to determine our eligibility based on what we know to be true about gifted individuals--they have above-average intelligence, they have a commitment to task fulfillment, and they are extremely creative thinkers. I teach in a gifted program now, and we are constantly allowing children who only have IQ scores (and no teacher recommendations or such) to enter the program on a trial basis, and we are constantly telling their parents, after the trial, that their children are not gifted, just highly intelligent. People seem to think they are one and the same.

Interesting! I don't think any of the G&T programs at my elementary and middle schools used IQ to admittance - I'm pretty sure it was all teacher recommendations (I know for sure in middle school since we had regular classes, Honors classes, and then the Honors teachers could recommend their students to be bumped to G&T). I'm on the wagon that says G&T is definitely about more than intelligence alone.

 

[Haven]

G&T education holds a very special place in my heart, B.E.G. Sorry if I went on a tangent there.

I teach G&T students in a program connected to a large university just north of Chicago, I'm sure you can figure out which one I'm talking about here. I think we allow IQ test scores because it gives us interesting data over time, as we track and maintain records for all of the students who are admitted on a trial basis who are not asked to continue in the program. We have the other situation, as well, where students do not perform well on our G&T exams, but are admitted on a trial basis based on teacher recommendations or other factors. Interesting stuff, I say. The most important thing is that G&T students must get the enrichment they need early on in their academic careers, otherwise they are in danger of become average or below average students due to boredom, frustration, etc. I'm proud to say our program offers many scholarships for students whose public schools do not offer G&T programs, so we reach a lot of kids who would otherwise be at risk for missing out on the enrichment they need to thrive.

Okay, there's another tangent.

 

[Pandora II]

Yes.

I was tested at age 8 by a leading child psychologist in London. It was a full day of tests and followed a school telling my parents that I was 'educationally subnormal'.

I scored extremely highly and he recommended a school to my parents where they were good at dealing with bright but difficult kids. I had a fantastic time at this school until my father got a job in another part of the UK and I had to move. The next few schools were somewhat disasterous.

I have mild Aspergers and so my social and emotional intelligence is somewhat challenged and the first school was capable of understanding my problems and working to get the best from me.

Weirdly, my husband had identical issues at school and was sent to the same psychologist at the same age! Neither of our families lived in London either...

He and I are within 2 IQ points of each other - and fight over it incessantly

To be honest I think IQ is just an indicator of a certain type of potential ability. My younger sister has a much lower IQ than me and yet is a very consistent plodder and was a better student than I was because of it. My youngest sister has an incredibly high IQ, but has severe emotional problems - she's dropped out of college, has a very mundane job, is very unhappy and bored but can't cope with being challenged in anyway.

For my daughter, I hope she's clever, but I hope she has emotional intelligence above any other sort!

 

[luv2sparkle]

I know I was tested as a kid, but I don't remember what it was.

What I do know is that one of my older twin brothers has a very high I.Q, and a photographic memory and he is a complete
a**. So I don't put too much importance on the whole thing. There are different kinds of intelligence and learning aptitudes.
I do believe I have read that people that have great people skills do much better in life than people with really high IQ's.

 

[lulu]

Yes. The nuns told my parents at a third grade p-t conference but warned them not to tell me. I think they believed it would go to my head. My mom immediately came home and gave me the piece of paper with the number and told me it meant I was very smart. I already knew I was smart.

So big deal.

Took one again in the 7th grade and the score was essentially the same.

 

[Tuckins1]

Yes I do.

I was tested in grade school for placement into the accelerated program.

ETA- as far as IQ changing with age... It can fluctuate a little, but it's pretty consistent. The tests account for age.

 

[vespergirl]

I was tested in kidergarten. Because of the results, the school actually had me skip a grade, so I went straight from kindergarten to 2nd grade. I always wish that they didn't test me, because I hated being the youngest one in my class, plus I was picked on because kids thought that I was a freak for skipping a grade. I also graduated high school at 16, and then went straight to college in Boston, so I never got around to getting my driver's license until I was 23. I don't think that IQ tests are that useful, since it's been determined that there are different types of intelligence. I think that scoring well in IQ tests basically means that you are good at taking standardized tests.

 

[Dreamer_D]

If you do know yours how did you find out? I know mine and found out when I was in graduate school and was taking assessment for clinical psychology. One of my friends gave me the WAIS for practice.
Who tested you? A fellow clinical psychology graduate student.

Are the tests accurate and repeatable? Yes, it is accurate as the WAIS is sort of the gold standard, though there was likely some error from the student giving the test. It is not repeatable because then you know the questions. You can only really take it once, or should only really take it once.
Do people study for them? Not this one, though scores are affected by acculturation since it does test cultural knowledge.
Wouldn't your "IQ" would go up after taking several of the tests? It could if you were smart enough to recall the items and look up the answers or to suss what they were getting at
Does IQ improve with better education or change with age? Education does to the extent that the cultural knowledge included in ther WAIS is somewhat specific to middle-class white culture. It odes chage with age in an absolute sense, but you are scored relative to your age-peers so that general trend is controlled.

The main point of the WAIS and the WISC is to diagnose developmental delays, or to use the sub-scores to help identify areas where a person may be learning disabled and design academic interventions. At least, that is how it should be used. In this way, the overall scores do not matter much and it is the pattern of scores that matters.

 

[atroop711]

Do those IQ test online count because if they do then YES I know my IQ

if not then I have no clue..I don't remember ever getting tested. I went to catholic school and all I could remember about
test back then were something called the SRA test.

 

[ksinger]

I know mine. But it was done a hundred (almost 40, so close enough) years ago.

What was really fun though, is in response to some yayhoo at my work having "MENSA" as his personalized license plate , a friend of mine and I got curious and found that we could both be grandfathered into Mensa if we wanted to based on old standardized tests - ACT and SAT and PSAT as I recall. (They don't use the current ACT; they quit allowing it in 1984. That pervasive problem of watering down and score inflation I guess)

We both thought being in Mensa was pretty lame. I mean what on earth do you DO once you have a Mensa card, whip it out on first dates? Job interviews? Just seems weird. (Now an ACLU card, well, that's different. She has one and uses it to torment a mutual friend of ours. Much fun is had by all)

Besides, if I was "smart" at one time, I certainly don't feel smart these days....sigh. Just tired. So me and my IQ are headed for a place where we can both relax...zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

[Nashville]

Nope, never knew or cared to know. I did skip a grade in elementary school, does that count for anything in the real world?

 

[somethingshiny]

Yes. I took an extended series of tests when I was 8. My school was trying to prove that I had a mental deficiency (because I had a lisp). They were going to put in in my permanent record and my mom demanded testing. They apologized after testing.

I took the test as an adult and my IQ was several points lower. I was told that as you age your ability to learn decreases.

I don't actually put stock in IQs though. My mom was asked to join MENSA but has very little common sense. My dad is the exact opposite. In any major life situation, I'd rather have my dad by my side.

 

[Arkteia]

I was never tested. I remember that at 11 I scored high on Eysenck IQ tests (it was hard to obtain a book) but the tests used nowadays are totally different. My older son was tested and he is in a superior range. That was before he was started on medication for ADHD. Despite his high IQ, he was struggling at school (maybe relatively; in immigrant parents' eyes, everything but straight A's was considered struggling). Whatever it was, he was able to fully realize his potential only after he was put on Concerta.

So yes, IQ has predictive value. What a person potentially can do, his strenghts and weaknesses, his type of learning. Whether he or she will achieve is another issue. It also is of immense value these days when we need to answer why a kid is struggling at school. For parents who assume their kid is "lazy" or "not given enough Adderall", an IQ of 80 may be an eye-opener. At least they stop being so harsh on their kid.

This being said, IQ is an average of several parametres. People's talents are "patchy", we are strong in some areas and weak in others. A person with average or high-average IQ may score very high on verbal part and lower on performance one. He/she will do great at math. or languages. But ask him/her to assemble a piece of furniture, and it will be a@@ backwards (DH is this way). Depends on where you apply your IQ. If DH worked at furniture factory, he'd probably be fired. He always did great as a student and then teacher at physics departments of major universities. He is a great chess player. Surprizingly, his social IQ is also very high and he has no Asperger's. Furnitire-wise, though, he is learning disabled.

IQ should stay the same, but there is a "repetition factor". It should not be checked sooner than in two years from the previous testing, otherwise second set of results may be higher.

And, IQ is a number +/- two standard deviations so a certain variation is to be expected. A difference in two points is nothing, it is well in the range of two SD.

At the same time, illnesses, medications or age certainly have an effect on performance. I was surprised to find out that Al Capone's IQ was only 95. But then, when tested, he already had tertiary syphilis so it might have been higher in his younger years.

I recently read an article stating that children growing in poor urban neighborhoods and witnessing a lot of violence usually have lower IQ's and poorer memory. The authors explained it by PTSD. Indicating that external factors may have greater effect than previously assumed.