# Learning Your IQ



## Lewdog (May 2, 2013)

I'm curious how people feel about knowing their IQ.  When I was a child I was given an IQ test and received a score of 139.  From what I remember of the test, it was mostly about reasoning skills.  There were parts similar to the SAT where there would be word association, while others involved drawings of paper with dots indicating folds and I had to pick what shape it would fold into.  I also remember a section on patterns with numbers, shapes, and words where after a list of three or four items I had to pick the next logical answer.  There were a couple other sections I can't remember off hand, but they were all pretty much along these same lines.  When I was 27, I took the ASVAB for the first time and got a perfect score of 99.  

Now that I've gotten older and become farther removed from school, I've watched shows like King of the Nerds and this new show last night called The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius.  These shows talk about these people with IQ's in the 130-140 range and it makes me wonder what the hell happened to me.  lol  I was watching The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius last night, and I came up with a better solution to the task they had, than the robotics engineers, and all other contestants who do projects like the one given, for a living.

I'm just wondering what an IQ test is like for adults, and whether I should take my time to take one, despite the likelihood of disappointment.  To become a member of MENSA:



> American Mensa accepts scores from about 200 intelligence tests and publishes the threshold for each test on its website. For example a Stanford-Binet score of 130 will qualify, but you'll need 132 from the Stanford-Binet 5 test.



So what are your thoughts on knowing your IQ?


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## Sam (May 2, 2013)

It makes not a jot of difference to me. I know it's 124 because I took the test a few years back, but IQ is not a quantitative or reliable measure of intelligence. The same way passing exams isn't either. The smartest person I know is a carpenter. It's not because he knows the answer to everything, but because he is a master of his trade. There's virtually nothing he doesn't know about _carpentry. _

That's what, in my opinion, makes him smarter than someone who has decent knowledge of every subject. When someone wants something done, or advice on something, they go to this man. If that's not a true marker for intelligence, I don't know what is.


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## moderan (May 2, 2013)

IQ doesn't measure how much you know, it measures how you're able to apply it. I know what mine is and I think it's probably bunk. I am a member of Mensa, have been for many years, but those people bore the pants off of me. I'm a fat old guy. You don't wanna see me without pants.
Over-rated stat, to me.


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## shadowwalker (May 2, 2013)

I don't pay much attention to it, either, especially since it can change over time. Frankly, I've found there's often a difference between intelligence and wisdom, and I'd rather deal with those with wisdom than those with intelligence.


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## squidtender (May 2, 2013)

I joined Mensa years ago . . . I couldn't stand any of those people. In fact, some of them were the dumbest I've ever known. Just because you're book smart, doesn't mean you have a lick of common sense . . . there's much to be said for street smarts. Give me someone with both and he'll be a friend for life


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## JosephB (May 2, 2013)

I don't want to know -- in case it's low. I already have self-esteem issues, as most of you have probably gathered from the way I lash out at people on this forum -- because that's the only way I can feel good about myself.


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## Rustgold (May 2, 2013)

An interesting question is what happens to all those people with below average intelligence (they have to exist, it's an statistical impossibility for them not to).

Anyway, I've only taken several which were clearly dodgy/inaccurate.  I know how intelligent I am, and don't need any test to tell me this.


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## J Anfinson (May 2, 2013)

I've taken IQ tests multiple times throughout my life, and the results have been all over the map. I think how well you do depends upon who gives the test, and what the questions are. According to some of the online ones, I'm like 160!


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## Lewdog (May 2, 2013)

JosephB said:


> I don't want to know -- in case it's low. I already have self-esteem issues, as most of you have probably gathered from the way I lash out at people on this forum -- because that's the only way I can feel good about myself.



I think you're a pretty intelligent guy, a little misguided in my opinion sometimes, but definitely not lacking between the ears.

You once questioned why I knew anything about art, well I used to have my own custom picture framing store.  That most definitely doesn't make me an expert about anything, but it's hard to get business framing if you don't know about painters, photographers, and other artists.  Sometimes people would come in looking for specific ideas to fit the motif of a room, and I would have to be well versed on artists and their styles that would fit their needs.  

Some of the coolest items I framed, were a bunch of rock concert posters for a guy that collected the Fillmore series.  I know I did a Hendrix, George Clinton, and the Doors among others.  Here are a couple I did.


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## Bruno Spatola (May 2, 2013)

Wasn't the whole IQ thing completely debunked recently? I read it in a science magazine this or last year.

Mine is 144 anyway. Means nothing, doesn't bother me, never did, but the tests were fun to do.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121219133334.htm

My mistake, it wasn't completely debunked, but the findings convinced me enough not to take any notice of IQs ever again.


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## Kevin (May 2, 2013)

I think mines like ..98.4 or .6. We had one of those glass measuring stick thingies. It was always the same...except when I was sick.


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## Lewdog (May 2, 2013)

Kevin said:


> I think mines like ..98.4 or .6. We had one of those glass measuring stick thingies. It was always the same...except when I was sick.



...yeah and I bet I know where _YOU_ stuck it to test.


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## Travers (May 2, 2013)

I was talking about this with some mates a few months ago. When I returned to my computer the next day did a selection of IQ tests with very mixed results, from the depressingly low to the ludicrously high. Once I'd got these results I worked out the mean, and decided that was my IQ, or close enough at least. 

I then realized what a meaningless number it was. I couldn't do anything with it. I didn't understand any more of myself because I knew it. 

Mainly, IQ tests seem to be bragging for bragging's sake.


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## Ariel (May 2, 2013)

I skipped about half the test last time I took one and still got 129.  I still have trouble getting those people to stop sending me emails.

I have met people that place entirely too much stock on IQ and they are incredibly boring people.  Fella keeps quoting, "Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put it in fruit salad."


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## Rustgold (May 2, 2013)

Bruno Spatola said:


> Wasn't the whole IQ thing completely debunked recently? I read it in a science magazine this or last year.
> Scientists debunk the IQ myth: Notion of measuring one's intelligence quotient by singular, standardized test is highly misleading
> My mistake, it wasn't completely debunked, but the findings convinced me enough not to take any notice of IQs ever again.



The article couldn't explain its so-called 'verbal component', and its use of this term acted like a length of telephone cord hanging 6 inches off the floor in the passageway.  I wonder whether the authors were trying too hard for their cause.


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## Skodt (May 2, 2013)

Those Mensa test are quite repetitive in the which side of your body questions, then the what shape will this be, ect... I don't know if anyone can get through without becoming bored. We took a test in my beginning psych class for college; I scored a 132. Then we took a Mensa approved and I scored the exact same, so I guess that's close enough. But a real test is all day, and is a evaluation of more than just knowledge, but also compatibility with objects, how you solve puzzles, how long it takes you to solve puzzles. In that sense I have never taken a real IQ test, and probably never will. Unless I intern in a facility of IQ testing for my graduate degree; which I may add is very unlikely.


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## Robert_S (May 2, 2013)

No idea. The last knowledge qualification test I took was a SAT or the other. I can't remember which, but I was happy. I tested out of general English Comp into the higher courses. That was good enough for me. I find people that place high value on a singular aspect of life, tend to not be able to talk about anything other.  I know a little about a lot, a lot about little, everything about nothing and nothing about what I really want or need.


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## dale (May 3, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> I'm curious how people feel about knowing their IQ.  When I was a child I was given an IQ test and received a score of 139.  From what I remember of the test, it was mostly about reasoning skills.  There were parts similar to the SAT where there would be word association, while others involved drawings of paper with dots indicating folds and I had to pick what shape it would fold into.  I also remember a section on patterns with numbers, shapes, and words where after a list of three or four items I had to pick the next logical answer.  There were a couple other sections I can't remember off hand, but they were all pretty much along these same lines.  When I was 27, I took the ASVAB for the first time and got a perfect score of 99.
> 
> Now that I've gotten older and become farther removed from school, I've watched shows like King of the Nerds and this new show last night called The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius.  These shows talk about these people with IQ's in the 130-140 range and it makes me wonder what the hell happened to me.  lol  I was watching The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius last night, and I came up with a better solution to the task they had, than the robotics engineers, and all other contestants who do projects like the one given, for a living.
> 
> ...



 once upon a time...some idiot test stated my IQ was i think 149. i've since concluded it to be about negative 4. with academics the way they are today? i'm thinking the lower i'm judged....the better off i am.


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## Kyle R (May 3, 2013)

I test high on IQ tests, between 130 and 150, varying. But I consider the analytical aspect of IQ tests to be slightly flawed. There are other types of intelligence (interpersonal, emotional, et cetera) that some people excel at, which aren't covered in written tests. Social intelligence is tremendously important, and I know for a fact I'm below average at it.  So high test numbers can be deceiving. Likewise, a person who scores low on an IQ test might in fact be much smarter than demonstrated. Leadership skills are another tangent of social intelligence that isn't currently (that I'm aware of) tested for.


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## popsprocket (May 3, 2013)

I don't want to know my score anymore. When I was 14 we had an IQ test administered through school and I scored in excess of 140 which I thought made me pretty awesome, but IQ tests present such a useless statistic that knowing doesn't serve any purpose.

Having someone come back and tell me that I'm intelligent doesn't matter one bit if I can't apply it, which is why I spend my time learning the hows and whys of everything that I can, rather than practicing IQ test answers.


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## DPVP (May 3, 2013)

87, yeah that's what i scored on a IQ test when they gave me one in school. on a fun side note, im starting a job in the financial industry in the summer and in two years time i will have made what the test giver makes in three. so stick you IQ test


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## Rustgold (May 3, 2013)

KyleColorado said:


> There are other types of intelligence (interpersonal, emotional, et cetera) that some people excel at, which aren't covered in written tests. Social intelligence is tremendously important, and I know for a fact I'm below average at it.  So high test numbers can be deceiving. Likewise, a person who scores low on an IQ test might in fact be much smarter than demonstrated. Leadership skills are another tangent of social intelligence that isn't currently (that I'm aware of) tested for.



I think much of this alternative intelligence stuff is garbage.  Yes, the IQ test isn't the be all of humanity, but all of these happy-go-Larry everybody's-got-a-special-intelligence stuff is plain garbage.  Some people are smarter than others, just like certain dogs are, this is just plain fact.  And the fact a Greyhound can run faster than any other breed doesn't make it a special type of intelligent, it simply means it can run faster.  It's a skill attribute, not an intelligence.


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## GonneLights (May 3, 2013)

well I just did one and AFTER I answered all 36 questions it asked for my credit card I'm mad as hell


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## Lewdog (May 3, 2013)

KarKingJack said:


> well I just did one and AFTER I answered all 36 questions it asked for my credit card I'm mad as hell



That was question #37!

:icon_cheesygrin:


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## JosephB (May 3, 2013)

Kind of funny how folks who "tests high" can't resist telling everyone about it.



Lewdog said:


> I think you're a pretty intelligent guy, a little  misguided in my opinion sometimes, but definitely not lacking between  the ears.



I was kidding. I recently and inadvertently learned what my IQ is -- and it confirms what I've known all along. I'm a genius.  If perhaps a "misguided" genius. But hey, that sounds like a good formula for taking over the world.


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## Rustgold (May 3, 2013)

KarKingJack said:


> well I just did one and AFTER I answered all 36 questions it asked for my credit card I'm mad as hell



That's the real IQ test.


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## Pluralized (May 3, 2013)

I've got a friend who proudly tells me at every opportunity how he's a member of the Denver Mensa group and how much he loves that. Pity he has zero common sense and can't seem to find his rear end with both hands...

I skipped Kindergarten because they decided I was advanced. Spent the rest of my childhood catching up, perhaps still trying. Took an impromptu IQ test once - had to do with a large man and a knife. Can't tell you any more. Let's just say I scored poorly at first, then ran the game. Cheated. Boom! Scars to prove it.


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## JosephB (May 3, 2013)

Pluralized said:


> I skipped Kindergarten because they decided I was advanced. Spent the rest of my childhood catching up, perhaps still trying. Took an impromptu IQ test once - had to do with a large man and a knife. Can't tell you any more. Let's just say I scored poorly at first, then ran the game. Cheated. Boom! Scars to prove it.



Every kid's brilliant these days. I can't tell you how many parents we come across who tell us that their kid is "gifted" or "extremely" bright. My wife taught preschool for a few years and she was often pulled aside by a parent who had to explain that their little genius would likely need special attention because he was already so far ahead of the other kids. In my wife's estimation, they were often just average or slightly above or maybe a little more verbal. And if a child isn't brilliant, then there's often a need to label the kid with some kind of disorder to explain it. It seems like there just aren't any kids anymore who are a little slow.


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## Skodt (May 3, 2013)

^No one wants their kid to be the odd kid out. Every parent I talk to also has a gifted child, and I am not a teacher.


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## JosephB (May 3, 2013)

^ Well, here's a first for you then. My kids aren't gifted. They each have their own strengths and talents. They're ahead in some things, I think mostly because they're home schooled and my wife teaches them at their own pace. My youngest already displays quite a lot talent for drawing and painting and my oldest loves to write and seems to be very good at that. The oldest is good with math -- takes after mom, I guess. The youngest struggles with it -- more like me. They're both good readers. Regardless, they're good kids. We're proud of them -- and give them the appropriate amount of praise and encouragement. They don't need to hear that they're "gifted" and we don't need to tell people that they are.


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## Terry D (May 3, 2013)

KarKingJack said:


> well I just did one and AFTER I answered all 36 questions it asked for my credit card I'm mad as hell



If you *didn't* give them your cc# your IQ is 189.


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## J Anfinson (May 3, 2013)

My son isn't gifted either, but he is stubborn. I'm not sure where he gets that from. :-\"


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## Pluralized (May 3, 2013)

"Gifted" is a funny thing. My wife and I have worked with my daughter since she was a few months old, drilling her on numbers, the alphabet, etc. Now - she's in a Spanish language immersion school, leaps and bounds ahead of her cousins. I don't attribute any of it to increased intelligence. In this case the "gift" - it's from us. We actively make her read instead of sitting in front of the television, among other "gifts" that my parents also gave me. 

IQ is kind of a strange thing. I would trade in a few dozen IQ points for more common sense, any day.


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## JosephB (May 3, 2013)

Yeah -- we really limit the TV. I think you have to teach moderation though. My mom had an irrational hatred for TV and was very strict about it, never reffered to it as anything but the boob tube and idiot box etc. -- so when I had the chance at friend's houses etc., I couldn't get enough of it. Anything that you restrict or demonize so heavily is going to take on an allure -- unintended consequences of going overboard, I guess.


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## Sam (May 3, 2013)

I was good at maths in school. Sucked at pretty much everything else, including English. I got an F for that. That's why I don't put much stock in the school system being a good marker for intelligence. At that age, kids really don't want to do anything. I ditched more classes than I attended. Teachers didn't even care for the most part. Occasionally I'd be pulled into the principal's office and given a stern talking to. My parents were strict but they trusted the school to do the job it was supposed to. Now, it's largely the opposite. Parents are too involved. Like Joe says, I think striking a balance is key.


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## Rustgold (May 3, 2013)

All this IQ bashing.  No, the IQ isn't the gold plated Rolls Royce, but a gold plated Rolls probably wouldn't roll very far.  IQ tests are tools.  No, an arbitrary number doesn't really mean too much, but does anybody seriously want to be 20 or 30 IQ points dumber?  Really?  Have any of you actually looked at morons (actual term), or those with just below intelligence?  Have you tried having interesting meaningful conversations?  Fact; lower than average IQ limits your mental capabilities & processing power, limits your ability to see the wider world.  No, it doesn't limit you from doing pretty much 95% of the suckie jobs in the world, but those with lower than average IQs are little more than fleshy robots.
So, does anybody really think IQ doesn't count, or that being 20 or 30 IQ points dumber isn't that bad?

On the genetics vs upbringing thing, it's a combination of both.  Just as you can't ever get a KIA to be a F1 car, so it's true that a person without the necessary hardware will never be fully capable intellectually.  This is something which goes beyond schools, teachers, or the like (all of which can have an influence), this is basic physical limitations of the mental kind.  It doesn't mean people can't develop their brains and push their boundaries, it means that some people can never be fully equipped.  Don't think IQ matters?

Essentially, an individual score mightn't be forehead stamp-worthy, but it's not a bad guideline at the same time (taking into account its limitations).


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## JosephB (May 3, 2013)

^ It's not a bad guideline for what? What exactly is the practical application of knowing your IQ score? We're not talking about whether or not intelligence matters -- this is about how it's measured.


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## moderan (May 3, 2013)

Common sense isn't.  I like the idea of having some wisdom as well as reasoning ability. Those Mensa people were strange, man. Stranger than me, and I talk to myself habitually, sing in public, and rarely shave. 
I just don't think I'm so special. I was a genu-wine child prodigy and that was a drag. I learned how to be dumb to fit in, and that was a drag too, but better than getting beaten up every day. That's a real drag. There weren't any advanced classes or anything like that where and when I went to school. I just read and read and read.
In this here environment, people feel free to blow their own horns because there are few repercussions for that braggadocio. But it's still unseemly, to me.


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## shadowwalker (May 3, 2013)

It seems to have changed over time, but my son was in a gifted program - it was set up for students who were bored or ready for more challenging classwork than was offered in the 'mainstream'. And no, at that time not "everybody" got in to it. I think part of the designation was so the school district could get extra funding from the state; otherwise they couldn't afford the additional books/resources. To me, it's no different than having the remedial classes for the kids who struggle with the 'mainstream' coursework. And I know that many kids who have behavior problems in school have those troubles simply out of boredom (I know that's where some of my *ahem* episodes came from) - so if they can be offered more challenging work, why not? But if they have been downgraded to just a status symbol, that's not good for anyone.


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## JosephB (May 3, 2013)

^ I wasn't really talking about gifted programs -- there's a need for those and not everyone gets into them. It's more about parents who say or believe their kids are gifted or extremely bright etc.

And BTW -- we move in circles with people who have young children -- so in my case this is often about kids who are in preschool, etc. even younger -- just based how the parents perceive they're developing. There's no real measure -- it's mostly guesswork and maybe a little wishful thinking.


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## Ariel (May 3, 2013)

Ok, firstly, Rust many of the people here are posting that they score well above average to genius levels.  It is _rude_ to flaunt your intelligence.

I have had several friends of lower intelligence than myself and several with higher.  It means nothing as to what we actually do for a living.

We're not saying that as far as actual natural ability goes that IQ tests don't mean something, what we're saying is that there are far more important things than intelligence.


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## JosephB (May 3, 2013)

They give IQ tests to kids along with achievement tests and tests that evaluate how they process information etc. if teachers and parents suspect a child may have a learning disability -- but in line with OP -- knowing your score isn't important as an adult -- there's nothing you can really do with that information at this stage of the game.


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## shadowwalker (May 3, 2013)

JosephB said:


> ^ I wasn't really talking about gifted programs -- there's a need for those and not everyone gets into them. It's more about parents who say or believe their kids are gifted or extremely bright etc.
> 
> And BTW -- we move in circles with people who have young children -- so in my case this is often about kids who are in preschool, etc. even younger -- just based how the parents perceive they're developing. There's no real measure -- it's mostly guesswork and maybe a little wishful thinking.



Oh, yeah - been there. Parents always think their kids are super _something_ - NBA all-star in the making, MIT graduate-to-be. :wink2:


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## Rustgold (May 3, 2013)

amsawtell said:


> Ok, firstly, Rust many of the people here are posting that they score well above average to genius levels. It is _rude_ to flaunt your intelligence.


I have never stated what my IQ is, or what my intelligence level is; but thankyou.




JosephB said:


> ^ It's not a bad guideline for what? What exactly is the practical application of knowing your IQ score? We're not talking about whether or not intelligence matters -- this is about how it's measured.


Practical applications?  Well let's see.  The US army has a lower limit for recruits of IQ85.  They attempted to drop this to IQ80, however found that the costs associated with attempting to train these lower IQ recruits were too high, and combat capabilities inadequate.
Various police forces (from memory New York is one example) have an upper IQ limit of 120/125, because they've found that people with too high IQs tend to get bored with the job and quit, costing the department lots of money in wasted training.  A number of other professions also use IQ (or similar tests) to weed out a mass of applicants; some do this well, some less so.  So yes, there's plenty of practical applications for an IQ test, and knowing what your IQ is (in rough terms).
It's also a general useful life tool assessor.  Are you really good enough for that position you want?  Could you be doing more with your life?  Are you capable of doing more with your life?  Is there something with your life you should be working on?  Knowing roughly what your IQ is a useful tool (among other life tools) to assist in many different ways.  It's not a golden Rolls by any means, but this doesn't make it useless (as is being suggested).


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## JosephB (May 3, 2013)

I could see how the army or a police force or anyone who needs to cull down multiple applicants might use it. You have to start somewhere.

But as a personal assessment tool, I don't see it. I've never heard of anyone pursuing a job -- or not -- based their IQ score or deciding what school to attend or career path to follow. Some kind of career aptitude test would have more value. What decisions did you make based on your IQ score? Would you really not go after a job you wanted because you thought your IQ score wasn't high enough? How would have any idea what IQ would be required for the position? They usually don't include that with the job description. And the IQ test doesn't measure people skills, creativity, work ethic, or passion about a given career etc. -- so I'd say it's pretty useless as a "life assessor tool."


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## Lewdog (May 3, 2013)

amsawtell said:


> Ok, firstly, Rust many of the people here are posting that they score well above average to genius levels.  It is _rude_ to flaunt your intelligence.
> 
> I have had several friends of lower intelligence than myself and several with higher.  It means nothing as to what we actually do for a living.
> 
> We're not saying that as far as actual natural ability goes that IQ tests don't mean something, what we're saying is that there are far more important things than intelligence.



I think my original post has been taken way out of context here.  The point I was trying to make, is whether a person's measured IQ changes over the years based on whether they stay in continued education or not, or if the IQ test is simply based off of a system similar to the one I took when I was a child.  I've never taken a true adult IQ test other than one of the sample ones online a long time ago and those aren't even close to the real thing.

With all these new shows that are 'hip' to highlight people of high IQ, it just got the gears grinding again, after all how many of these shows have 140 IQ truck drivers that are on there solving physics problems or building robots?  On the The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius, they announced each contestants IQ and their occupation, most of which were some type of engineer, but they had difficulty coming up with a solution that I got in minutes.  As far as social interaction and common sense, these types of things are highlighted in these shows as well, because quite frankly no matter how smart someone is, if they can't fit in well with the others, they eventually get alienated and somehow will end up getting voted off or whatever.  Look at the show King of the Nerds, the winner Celeste, didn't win the most challenges, but she was voted the winner over a Genvieve who had actually won three of the five challenges.

Amsawtell honestly I'm talking about the same thing that you are but asking a question that if knowing your intelligence matters where you end up in life, but it's obvious that several other factors make a difference.  Like I said, when I was a child I tested out at 139, yet I'm not a doctor, a lawyer, a geneticist, and most of my life has been spent doing retail sales or management.  I think my mental health has played a large part in that, in which a lot of people have problems but some people are simply able to handle it better than others.  So regardless of IQ, I think it pretty plain that there are many social factors that lead to where we really ends up landing in life.


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## dale (May 3, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> I think my original post has been taken way out of context here.  The point I was trying to make, is whether a person's measured IQ changes over the years based on whether they stay in continued education or not, or if the IQ test is simply based off of a system similar to the one I took when I was a child.  I've never taken a true adult IQ test other than one of the sample ones online a long time ago and those aren't even close to the real thing.
> 
> With all these new shows that are 'hip' to highlight people of high IQ, it just got the gears grinding again, after all how many of these shows have 140 IQ truck drivers are on there solving physics problems or building robots?  On the The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius, they announced each contestants IQ and their occupation, most of which were some type of engineer, but they had difficulty coming up with a solution that I got in minutes.  As far as social interaction and common sense, these types of things are highlighted in these shows as well, because quite frankly no matter how smart someone is, if they can't fit in well with the others, they eventually get alienated and somehow will end up getting voted off or whatever.  Look at the show King of the Nerds, the winner Celeste, didn't win the most challenges, but she was voted the winner over a Genvieve who had actually won three of the five challenges.
> 
> Amsawtell honestly I'm talking about the same thing that you are but asking a question that if knowing your intelligence matters where you end up in life, but it's obvious that several other factors make a difference.  Like I said, when I was a child I tested out at 139, yet I'm not a doctor, a lawyer, a geneticist, and most of my life has been spent doing retail sales or management.  I think my mental health has played a large part in that, in which a lot of people have problems but some people are simply able to handle it better than others.  So regardless of IQ, I think it pretty plain that there are many social factors that lead to where we really ends up landing in life.



read "zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance". i mean, i'm no buddhist or anything. but it goes into the 2 styles of intelligence people have. 
the classical and the romantic. there are many highly intelligent people not successful because of a conflict between mind and environment. a matter of perception.


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## Case (May 8, 2013)

My "supposed" IQ is actually an important topic in my early life. During kindergarten, I was identified as "bright," "gifted," and other hip adjectives of the time. My reading level, in particular, was far beyond my peers, so I was methodically tested and soon labeled as a child with a "high IQ." (At the time, I didn't even know what that meant.) 

The school forced me to take classes away from my friends just because I was "special." I hated these classes because it made me a social outcast of sorts. I felt isolated and uncomfortable in these "gifted" classes, and I felt like I was in some kind of weird experiment. All I wanted was to be a normal kid. So, I rebelled and I skipped out on these classes every chance I got. The teachers would eventually find me again and put me back in their classrooms. After many embarrassments suffered at the hands of these "educators," they finally stopped pushing their classes on me and I was free to go my own way. I hated being their educational lab rat, and I was glad to be rid of them.

Since then, I made a conscious effort to never learn my IQ number. No one has ever told it to me, and I am thankful for that. It only matters that I have a brain I can use and I do all I can to use it in the most effective way I can. How others use their brains is none of my business.


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## patskywriter (May 8, 2013)

I remember when I was still living in Chicago, the head of the public transit authority was said to have been a former kid genius. He either started or finished college at age 15; this was years ago, so I don't remember. Anyway, he was a real failure at running the transit system—in fact, he was downright pitiful. Many people wondered how anyone with a genius IQ could fail at anything. I suspected, for one, that the poor guy had never set foot on a bus. That would have been a good start. I feel that people are more successful when they take on jobs they're actually suited for, regardless of "intellect."


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