IQ

[Your once and future Fanboy]

IQ test are bullshit, and the worst part is that the result you get from one test cant be compared to a result from a diferent iq test.

on one test the score of 100 where as good as braindead, and at another the scores above 100 where Einstein level. like my iq is 115 by one test i took in Norway, but i cant compare that to an american or british iq test result.

 

[Abedeus]

Well... IQ tests work only if you make 1-2 of them.

If you make 100 tests in a row, and you check the right answers afterwards, you WILL get a super-high mark.

But it doesn't count. Like that girl I had at school, in the 9th grade. I had an A in German (I regret it) and she had to WRITE AN EXAM 3 TIMES to finally get an A. Does this mean she knew as much as I did? NO. She just finally got lucky.

So, I used to believe in those tests. But not anymore.

 

[wordsmith]

anyone got a link to an online one? It might be interesting to see whereabouts we are on that particular spectrum.

 

[Good morning blues]

Did he say IQ test, or aptitude test? The two are completely different. An aptitude test may rarely include an IQ test.

 

[Danzaivar]

I was expecting to see a post full of people giving their 'IQ', and showing the world that the Escapist is populated by super-geniuses.

OP - If you get it done properly, ah hell, it's still a waste of time even then.

 

[Mstrswrd]

IQ tests are only a measure of how good you are at IQ tests.

This. Even the most well reviewed, most arbitrary of questions designed by countless psychologists tend to be stacked in some way. Believe it or not, I actually am being serious. IQ tests are not useful, because you take one "Official" IQ test by one company, and get one score, and then another "Official" by another company, and get another.

 

[megalomania]

Loving the stick the IQ test is getting.

Anyway the IQ test is a legitimate test, but only of one aspect of intelligence (I think they call it 'g' intelligence these days).

If your not afraid of the result why would you all be so adamant about not taking the test? Those of you saying its not a real test are obviously worried that the skill set it tests is not one your strengths.

To CIA; if your really honest about your strengths and weaknesses then don't take the test but don't try to use the 'legitimacy' of the test as an excuse. It smacks of insecurity!

 

[Ophiuchus]

You guys don't know what you are talking about. Before I went to law school, I got my degree is psychology. I can tell you that those tests are better than you think, as long as it's an official test. Though they aren't perfect.

Most IQ tests people take are not accredited IQ tests but if you go to a psychologist, he will give you an accredited one. Here's a quick test: If anyone tells you they got above 145 on an IQ test, they either didn't take an accredited one or they are just plain full of shit. The real IQ tests have a mean of 100 by definition. They have a standard deviation of 15 and the test will only cover 3 standard deviations from the mean of 100.

The test will generally not test your knowledge, only your ability to reason and process information. Just about anyone can learn facts with enough time. But not everyone can use those facts to reason inductively/deductively at the same level. Nor can everyone process information at the same speed. That is what the test will measure.

Also, they didn't just make these tests years ago arbitrarily and then kept giving them out. A LOT of study has gone into their creation and revision to make sure they are accurate.

*high-fives fellow psychology degree student*

I was going to post something pretty much along those lines. There is a vast amount of fairly useless tests hacked together for magazines and internet use, whereas things like the WAIS, which seems to be the popular test among professionals (for adults at least, though there is a variant for children), are well-researched, standardised and far more methodologically sound.

 

[ZeroMachine]

IQ test are for retards.
Seriously, their main purpouse is to determine the level of mental retardation. The only measure of intelligence above the avarage level is personal success in activities requiring you to use your intelligence.
I would take that test if I were you, though. I can see that you can put a sentence together, so you have nothing to be afraid of

Yeah, this. There are some people out there that see high IQs as bragging rights, and usually they don't suggest taking one unless they think you're overly smart or overly stupid. Kukul is right- you can put a sentence together (save one minor, but hilarious, typo) so you'll probably get above average and get some bragging rights. Or ladies... they dig smart guys!

EDIT: Ok, this minus the "IQ tests are for retards".

 

[Kirra]

I always loved messing with psychologists mostly because in my old school seeing a psychologist once per month was mandatory. The first time i answerd their questions so they would think i'm a sociopath and the next time i would give myself a completely different personality.

They made everyone take an IQ test there aswell. The person with the best grades in class got the lowest score.

 

[CIA]

I am quite cretin that I know my strengths and weaknesses myself

How ironic that in a thread about IQ, you typed "cretin" instead of "certain".

Thank you so much.

 

[oliveira8]

Just do the test randomly.

You might end up getting everything right and the psychologist dude would go "OH MY GOD THIS DUDE IS A GENIOUS!"...

Or you could fail and he would think you are as smart as a door knob.

 

[letsnoobtehpwns]

You're justified. If you don't know what your strengths and weaknesses are just by living your life, then the results of a test aren't really going to help.

I see that your into the same Whale Nuking cause as me!

Just take the test. How bad can it be?

 

[CIA]

You're justified. If you don't know what your strengths and weaknesses are just by living your life, then the results of a test aren't really going to help.

I see that your into the same Whale Nuking cause as me!

Just take the test. How bad can it be?

I took it already. I'm gonna have to learn my scores eventually, but I don't want to.

Its really really boring, by the way.

Loving the stick the IQ test is getting.

Anyway the IQ test is a legitimate test, but only of one aspect of intelligence (I think they call it 'g' intelligence these days).

If your not afraid of the result why would you all be so adamant about not taking the test? Those of you saying its not a real test are obviously worried that the skill set it tests is not one your strengths.

To CIA; if your really honest about your strengths and weaknesses then don't take the test but don't try to use the 'legitimacy' of the test as an excuse. It smacks of insecurity!

I AM afraid of the results. That's the problem.

 

[ender214]

anyone got a link to an online one? It might be interesting to see whereabouts we are on that particular spectrum.

There are like, half a million of them. None too accurate. If you have a facebook, just search it and you'll find one. Or just google it.

 

[darkless]

The problem with IQ tests is the amount of multiple choice questions in them, which scew the results even if i have no idea what the question means i can guess right and this will raise my score, even though i had no idea what i was picking.

 

[jboking]

IQ tests are only a measure of how good you are at IQ tests.

Thread easily could have ended here. After all, a test designed to only recognize if you are mentally handicapped is not exactly a good measure of your weaknesses.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

IQ tests are awesomely good at failing to tell you anything. Like Job tests. I should be a steel mill worker. Even though I suffer from pyrophobia.

 

[ntomlin63]

I have always heard that really what an IQ tests is the potential of a person's being able to learn. It doesn't mean you know alot necessarily or not but indicates that your potential to learn is basically below avergae, average or above average but I will certainly cede the field to the psych folks my BA is in history.

 

[megalomania]

I AM afraid of the results. That's the problem.

Well sounds like you've already learned something: If you thought it was going to be one of your strengths, maybe your less confident than you would like people to believe. If you thought it was going to be one of your weaknesses...Im not so sure what that means, maybe that you haven't admitted defeat on it yet, which is a good thing!

Either way you shouldn't lose any sleep over it, its just a number, and its only a small part of intelligence!