Free IQ Tests

Brian asked:


Q. Can you really tell anything about someone’s intelligence by having them take an IQ quiz?

A. The answer to this question requires a bit of background information, so let me put my professor hat on and tell you a story.

An IQ quiz measures a person’s Intelligence Quotient (IQ). IQ is calculated using this formula: IQ = 100 MA/CA where MA = Mental Age and CA = Chronological Age.

The IQ test was originated back in 1905 by French psychologist Alfred Binet and his physician research partner Dr. Theodore Simon. These two guys came up with the “Binet Simon Test”. This test’s purpose was to measure the intelligence of retarded children.

The test was based upon several observations:

1. Children grow more mentally capable as they grow older

2. Some children perform at higher grade and age levels than their actual grade and age level. While other children are just the opposite.

The mental age (MA) portion of the formula is the age level that the child is found to perform at. For example, a 6-year-old who performed at the level of an 8-year-old, is assigned a MA of 8 and, of course, a CA of 6. Conversely, an 8-year-old, who performed at the level of a 6-year-old, is given a CA of 8 and a MA of 6. With me so far? If you are then you’ve already passed my IQ test because I’m starting to get confused and I’m the one who is writing this article!

3. Binet and Simpson also discovered that these gaps between MA and CA grew wider as the children aged. Our child who had a MA of 8 when he was 6, was found to have a MA of 12 by the time that he reached age 8. Conversely, the child who had a MA of 6 when he was 9, had a MA of 8 when he reached 12.

4. They also noticed that although the MA/CA gap widened as the children grew older, the ratio of MA:CA remained constant. This constant ratio was called the “Intelligence Quotient”.

The IQ quiz, or IQ test, was developed as a way of determining the MA:CA ratio of any person at any age.

So, what (if anything) can be deduced about a person based upon the results of an IQ quiz?

According to an article “The General Intelligence Factor”, Scientific American Presents “Exploring Intelligence”, pg. 24, 1999, author Linda Gottfredson writes:

“Adults in the bottom 5% of the IQ distribution (below 75) are very difficult to train and are not competitive for any occupation on the basis of ability. Serious problems in training low-IQ military recruits during World War II led Congress to ban enlistment from the lowest 10% (below 80) of the population, and no civilian occupation in modern economies routinely recruits its workers from that below-80 range.”

“Current military enlistment standards exclude any individual whose IQ is below about 85.” “Persons of average IQ (between 90 and 100) are not competitive for most professional and executive-level work but are easily trained for the bulk of jobs in the American economy. By contrast, individuals in the top 5 percent of the adult population can essentially train themselves, and few occupations are beyond their reach mentally.” “People with IQs between 75 and 90 are 88 times more likely to drop out of high school, seven times more likely to be jailed, and five times more likely as adults to live in poverty than people with IQs between 110 and 125. The 75-to-90 IQ woman is eight times more likely to become a chronic welfare recipient, and four times as likely to bear an illegitimate child than the 110-to-125-IQ woman.”

Wow, those are some pretty dramatic conclusions that are based solely upon IQ as determined by an IQ quiz. If you believe what Ms. Gottfredson writes, then the answer to your question of “Can you really tell anything about someone’s intelligence by having them take an IQ quiz?” is: It would appear so. Like any quiz, however, don’t feel too bad if you “fail” an IQ Quiz. Some people just suck at taking tests!



Gary

Duncan Kelly asked:


Most people know that IQ is a measure of how clever a person is, but what is it exactly, and how is it calculated?

It all started with a french psychologist named Alfred Binet in 1905. He was working with retarded children and devised a test with his associate Theodore Simon to measure the mental age of children, as opposed to their chronological age. Then in 1912, the german psychologist William Stern devised a ratio of mental age to chronological age. He found that this ratio remained constant as children grew into adults.

This ratio was called the “Intelligence Quotient” or IQ and is equal to:

100 x (mental age/Chronological Age).

So if you are 40 years old, but have the intelligence of an average 34 year old, your IQ is :

100 x 34/40 = 85. This is a low IQ. An IQ of 100 is normal or average for the whole population, and higher IQs mean that the person is advanced for their age mentally.

The tests that are done to determine your IQ are specially designed to test all areas of your brain: calculations, pattern recognition, series progression, logic, verbal skils, common sense, etc. The results are then compared to the population norm, and an IQ figure is determined. There are a number of different tests in use, some timed and some untimed.

IQ’s can be as high as 200 in adults, with some children scoring up to 250. But most people fall into the IQ range of 90 to 110. In fact, around 80% of the population fall into the 80 – 120 range.

Some high IQ individuals were: Thomas Jefferson: about 155 Albert Einstein 170 and Isaac Newton 200

There are many societies for people with high IQs. Mensa requires an IQ of 132 or more, TOPS (Top ne Percent Society) requires an IQ of 137 or more, 150 gets you into the triple nine society and into OATH (One in a thousand) and if you are above 163 you can join the Prometheus Society. There are also a few people that have managed to join the Mega and Pi Societies, with an IQ of higher than 176.

IQ test results have been found to give a remarkably good indication of an individuals abilities and future prospects, and has been useful in predicting how a person will perform in a complex job. Most professors have an IQ of 130, which puts them in the top 3% of the population, for mental ability.

Although IQ test results are not infallible, they are a useful indicator of one’s abilities, and the ratio normally stays constant throughout one’s life.



Terry

Brooke Hayles asked:


The belief that IQ tests are the most reliable means of scientifically testing the intelligence and smartness of a person has always been surrounded by controversial opinions, sparking heated debates. Some have even questioned the so-called scientific basis of the popular IQ tests. Many feel that the outcome of such tests is biased and does not reflect the true intelligence of a person that makes him successful in life. A person may score genius grade in the test, but in real life may be a total failure.

How it all Started?

Back in 1905, the French psychologist Alfred Binet decided that he wanted to pinpoint in advance the “slower” students from the rest of the class, so that they could be provided extra attention in school. Along with a colleague Theodore Simon, Binet created a scale to measure the intelligence of the students, the Binet-Simon (B-S) Intelligence Scale.

They revised the B-S scale in 1908 and once again in 1911, just before Binet’s death. In 1912, a German psychologist, William Stern, gave it a new name –

‘Intelligenz-Quotient”, the English equivalent being Intelligence Quotient or IQ. Lewis Terman, a professor from Stanford University, revised it one more time in 1916. And lo & behold, the IQ test was officially ready for mass implementation!

How it Works?

The way it works is pretty simple. The mental prowess is tested for a number of skills, such as logical reasoning skill, pattern recognition skill, cognitive skill, mathematical computational skill, three-dimensional visualization skill, language fluency, general knowledge, etc. Scores are given for each of these skill categories and based on them an overall score is assigned that indicates the IQ of the person.

This IQ score is supposed to indicate a person’s general intelligence. The score graph (score versus number of people) of IQ tests conducted in large populations is a bell-shaped curve, indicating that most people in general population have an average score around 100. At both the extremes on the score line there is a steep decline in the curve, implying that very few people fall in the genius category or in the imbecile category.

Sounds great, right? No. The controversies started simultaneously with these studies and umpteen questions were being thrown open for debate.

The Controversies

The controversial issues were: What exactly does an IQ test measure? What exactly is general intelligence? Is the test racially biased? Is it a measure of one’s acquired genetic intelligence or is it a measure of cultivated intelligence? Do you have to be a part of some elite family to fair well in these tests? And what about the improvement in scores that comes with familiarity with the tests and practice? Does it mean the person has suddenly become a genius after taking the tests a couple of times?

Another issue about the validity and the effectiveness of these tests was that they cover only the left-brain-controlled skills, and no skills characteristic of right part of the brain, like emotional intelligence, so very important to for achieving success in life. A low IQ person can accomplish great things in life through grit, determination; courage and love instead of through ability as defined by IQ tests (remember Tom Hanks in the movie Forest Gump?). These tests also do not reflect on the creative skills or the body intelligence of a person.

In the End

So what types of people score high on IQ tests? Are they justifiably intelligent people? Does race play a role? One study showed that blacks scored poorly until the 1950s, before education took off in a big way.

The IQ test scores of some famous personalities were: Einstein, 160; Mozart, 165; Leonardo Da Vinci, an incredible 220! There is no set recipe on how to score high, but training your senses to be receptive to things happening around you and maintaining your physical and emotional health go a long way in increasing your IQ.

Summary:

In the eyes of the common man the IQ tests are the perfect way to measure scientifically how clever a person is. But the reality is that many controversial opinions exist on these tests, and the debate will continue till a better measure of intelligence is formulated.



Marvin