IQ test
I've never been a one for IQ tests; I just don't think it's possible to measure intelligence in that way, the varying standards leave me wary, and isn't it amazing that so many of those who quote their score generally have such high ones ;-)
However this morning I received a reminder of one such test I undertook at IQTest.com I can't recall why I took it and I couldn't recall my score. Nice of them to provide me a link.
Apparently I made a score of 144. Is that good? According to Wikipedia that puts me in the top 0.2% of the population meaning 99.8% of the population are stupider than me, yeah well I've always known that :-P
Heh no I'm not believing that score particularly as the site tries to encourage me to buy a full chart, possibly to frame and stick on the wall. I doubt anyone with a score sub-100 would be interested in that; then again if they're truly sub-100... I can also offer some copper bracelets used for millennia to cure all sorts of ailments; going cheap.
4 comments:
Ah yes, IQ tests.
Trouble is they almost all revolve around getting you to solve puzzles. And if you've seen that type of puzzle before, it's quite easy to solve, and if you don't already know the trick, it's fiendishly hard. So it's not really a test of how good you are at thinking, it's a test of how much knowledge you have. Which isn't the same thing as intelligence.
Then again, define exactly what “intelligence” means and then get back to me. ;-)
The other day I got one proffered at me, and it involved a series of strongly mathematical questions. This is especially flawed. For example, if you already know how to calculate the angles of a triangle than it's a trivial matter of adding and subtracting. And if you don't know, then unless you're Euclid, you're unlikely to figure it out while taking the test.
Then again, an online IQ test basically means you can use whatever resources you want to attack the problem. Heh, maybe that is the test? To see whether you're smart enough to know how to Google the answer? ;-)
I honestly can't recall what questions this posed, but I do know there was a time-limit imposed that would prevent Googling.
For a definition of intelligence - hmm, 'the ability to solve puzzles' isn't that bad. Unless, as you say, you've already seen the solution it does demonstrate the ability to manipulate a problem to create a solution.
Of course that doesn't mean the solution itself might be the best one and it could be said that more intelligence means a greater probability of overshooting the simplest and possibly most effective solution. In that regard too much intelligence might be regarded as being selected against in evolution. Although the IQ normal is currently rising it has been suggested it's peaked in some areas
Bill and Ben spent £90 today, but Bill spent twice as much as Ben. How much did Ben spend?
If you happen to know how to solve systems of linear equations, this one is absurdly easy. If you don't happen to know what the trick is, you could spend a very, very long time trying to figure out how on Earth to get to the answer. (Most people would apparently just start taking pot shots at the answer until they stumble across a number which fulfills the criteria.)
This is nothing to do with intelligence. This is simply “do you already know the trick to solving this specific type of problem”.
As for “IQ is rising”, well that's a bit daft, since the IQ is, by definition, your intelligence in relation to the average intelligence. If everybody's intelligence were to rise, their IQ would remain static since it's adjusted by the average. :-P
But then consider that the puzzle "Write the word Ben" can only be solved if you understand how to solve the English language.
As I've already said I'm not fond of such things because they do require some level of knowledge. To make one up beyond addition:
Complete the sequence:
grab, lend, pill, slosh, ...
bed - toggle - drum - fear - note
I won't give the answer yet. I'd say it requires intelligence to solve, but is underpinned by certain knowledge. Without that it's unsolvable.
Hah yes, and there's the joke - get into Mensa with an IQ of 140 (or whatever) and stay there for 20 years. Assuming a rise of 3 points a decade and your adjusted score would be along the lines of 134; oh noes you've been kicked out :-P
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