Everyone seems to be interested to know the answer to the question "What's my IQ level?" But what exactly is an IQ or Intelligence Quotient? It's a score derived from a set of standardized tests that scientists have developed to try and accurately measure a person's cognitive abilities, in relation to others in their own age group. It's usually used in addition to others related to academic success.
In 1974, David Wechsler developed the WISC-III test. In 2003, a revised version was released called WISC-IV. Nowadays, you can even take online IQ tests. While they're popular and fun, they are not expert certified, nor are they as long as the traditional tests, as well as lacking the usual time limit.
The average IQ score is 100, so if your score happens to be 100, it means that half of the population scores higher than you, and half scores lower than you. According to studies, 50% of people have scores between 90 and 110, 2.5% of people are very superior in intelligence, that is, they have a score over 130. 2.5% of people are mentally deficient and possess a score of under 70, while .5% of people are near genius, possessing a score of over 140.
The types of problems covered in the standard IQ test are:
Verbal: The verbal part of the test also encompasses reading, writing, and communicating with words and is mainly a test of your vocabulary, your ability to learn verbal material, as well as your reasoning and problem solving abilities.
Mathematical: The mathematical section of the IQ test measures your ability to reason and do basic mathematical computations. It also measures your understanding of geometric shapes and equations. Isn't it amazing how often you are required to perform mathematical computations in your everyday life, whether it's calculating your monthly budget, or making use of fractions in your cooking?
Spatial: Spatial skills are the ability to manipulate three-dimensional objects, flipping or rotating them to figure out the problem.
Logic: You don't have to be a great detective to need good logic. It's important to develop your ability to think things through, learn about cause and effect. In this test, your ability to understand and follow rules is measured.
Pattern Recognition: Can you see some kind of order in even your own chaotic environment? Then this part of the test will be easy for you. Even in the chaos, you'll find patterns in words, pictures, symbols and ideas.
Visualization: This part of the test determines how well you understand visual patterns and use that information for future use. Learning how pieces of information fit together to produce the desired result, actually, helps improve your long-term memory.
Classification: In this part, you'll be tested on how well you organize collections of items. You must find the similarities and differences between these items or groups of items. You'll be shown pictures, words, ideas, etc. and questioned about the relationship between them. Good classification skills help you understand the world and how it works.
A score of 90-109 is considered normal or average, while a score of 110-119 is superior intelligence. 120-140 is measured as very superior intelligence, and scores over 140 are genius or near genius. Albert Einstein had an IQ of 160!
The difficulty in using standard IQ tests is that not everyone has been exposed to the same type of environment or experiences. Children who are given these tests and fail to do well are sometimes labeled as slow. This could be disastrous for their future. You must keep in mind that an IQ score does not reflect the value of a person, nor should it be linked to things like a person's achievement in their career or whether or not they are happy.
So, while it might be fun to
take one of these online IQ tests, keep things in perspective.
Labels can be dangerous. Now you may stop asking yourself, "What's
my IQ level?"
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