Free IQ Tests

Evgheny Stivenson asked:


There might be some people who claim to have a very good IQ because they have scored good in some tests. Some go to the extent of displaying their IQ score wherein sometimes the score is said to be as high as 120! The intelligence is directly proportional to the score – so is the prevalent belief. But such a claim and belief is false and biased. Each IQ test is unique, hence a high score in one test may cannot be compared to an average score of another test.

A good IQ score is highly subjective. Raw score is what you obtain when counting the answers that are correct. They should be evaluated and interpreted using some rules, otherwise it would be useless. Psychometric principles may be used to compare two scores, but some issues discussed below cannot be ignored before coming to a conclusion about the IQ score.

The Title of the IQ Test

It is rather unfortunate that psychologists haven’t till now frozen on a system to compare two IQ scores from two varying tests. Comparing two scores just on the basis of their magnitude may not be a very good idea. To determine if a score is good you have to know what the test is about and what was the highest score that one secured.

How tough is the test

The second parameter to be focused on is how tough the IQ test it. It will be easy to know if the score is really good, if we know how tough is the test. Usually the tougher the test is the lower one scores. It is highly probable that the IQ scores of two tests with the same name differ. This is because the level of difficulty of both the tests is not the same. Those who design the test decide upon the level of difficulty depending upon the age group, education and other parameters.

The Matter matters

There can be a lot of tests which have the same title or name but have different matter or subject they focus on. A 120 IQ score on one test, say verbal capability doesn’t mean you have the same level on a test with the same name but focus on mathematical abilities. Usually IQ tests try to include subject from all other categories, but today IQ tests are becoming more and more focused. Hence the subject of focus of the test should also be given its due consideration.

Age: another parameter to be addressed

When you are young, you tend to be a high IQ scorer. As you grow up the intelligence start deteriorating. But the actual intelligence that you possess may be different. The label of test, the level of difficulty or the focus area of the test is crucial. The highest score that you have got in any IQ test may not be the correct indicator of your intelligence.

Standard Deviation Units may differ

Mental age was believed to be good enough to evaluate your intelligence. But soon it was found to be of no use and a concept of intelligence quotient (IQ) was born. It is ratio of mental age to chronological age interpreted in percentage. 100 is believed to be an average score and any difference is believed to be above of below average. This system was good until it was proved worthless, because the standard deviation is not the same throughout your life.

All IQ tests don’t use same standard deviation. One may use a standard deviation of 15 and another 20. it is obvious then that two different scores cannot be compared at the same level. Hence interpreting a good IQ score becomes all the more complex.

The foundation has vanished

You can find all the above discussed parameters – the level of difficulty, the matter, standard deviation explained in detail in the IQ tests. But you will never be able to find the systedm from which the test was designed.

The system is a perfect sample taken from the population. But the population cannot be perfect since the pubic varies a lot. The situation even more convoluted when you compare different societies. Hence no IQ score can be perfect or be considered the best, even though the variables remain stable.

IQ Score: does it exist?

No digit cannot be established as a good IQ score. Any such claim is false and biased. So there neither exists a good IQ score or a bad one for that matter. But the industry is not at all concerned to remove this misconception. No efforts are being taken to clarify this issue by anyone.



Willie

Saqib Ali Ateel asked:


You might have heard that somebody has obtained very good IQ score. Some may even show you their certificates to prove that they have got more than 120 IQ score. Higher the score, higher the intelligence level is presumed. However, such claims and assumptions are baseless, false and misleading. The highest IQ test score in one IQ test may not be equivalent to an average score of another test.

A good IQ score is a relative term. The initial score obtained by answering the items correctly is called a raw score. It is useless unless interpreted in meaningful terms by following the established norms. Even when two scores are processed through the psychometric principles, you can’t ignore the following important issues before determining a good IQ score:

Name of the IQ Test

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Unfortunately, the psychologists have not succeeded yet to develop a perfect system of comparing two IQ scores got from different IQ test. Naïve comparison of two digits, however higher they may be, can’t help you to determine a good IQ score. First of all you need to know on what IQ test on which the highest score was obtained.

Difficulty Level of the Items

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The second problem to determine a good IQ scoring is the difficulty level of the test on which the claimed good IQ score was obtained. Your score will decline with the increasing difficulty level of the items being offered. It is possible that you get two different IQ score with two tests having same label. One reason for this variance would be the difficulty level of the items. The test developers vary the difficulty level of the test with the change of age, education and some other important factors.

Content Variance

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You can find a number of tests with the same name but with different content. Even when you obtain 120 IQ score on an IQ test of verbal capabilities, you mayn’t claim the same level on another test of the same label containing mathematical items. General IQ tests try to develop items from all categories of intelligence but modern day testing industry is getting more specialized with every passing day. You need to consider content variation while determining any score a good IQ score.

Time and Age Differences

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You may have got 120 IQ score in your fifth grade, 115 in sixth and 110 in seventh grade. Apparently, your intelligence level is decreasing with each passing year. However, the actual position may be entirely different for a number of reasons including the label of the test, the difficulty level or even difference in the content. You can’t be sure that your highest IQ score is your good IQ score.

Difference of Standard Deviation Units

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Originally, the mental age (MA) was considered sufficient to measure your intelligence. It soon proved useless and the term of intelligence quotient (IQ) was introduced. It was nothing more than a simple ratio of the mental age to the chronological age, multiplied by 100 to eliminate decimals. A score of 100 was considered an average IQ score and any deviation could place you in the range of above or the below average population. The system worked well unless it was proved that standard deviation doesn’t remain constant throughout your life.

Now different IQ tests use different levels of standard deviation. It is possible that one test use a standard deviation of 15 and another of 20. In such situation two apparent equal IQ score can’t be interpreted into equal level of the intelligence. Thus determining a good IQ score becomes further difficult.

Composition of the Samples

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You may find guidelines about difficulty of test items, content, longitude differences and standard deviations in the manuals of the given IQ tests. However, you will rarely find the systems which helped the test developers to establish norms.

To establish norms, the test developers try to take a perfect sample of the subject population. However, there is so much variance in the general public that a perfect representative sample is almost impossible. The situation worsens when you try to compare IQ scores in different societies. Under the circumstances, no IQ score can be claimed as the best IQ score even when all other variables remain constant.

But What is Good IQ Score…?

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It is sufficient to prove that any digit is insufficient to be claimed as a good IQ score. All such claims are misleading, inappropriate and unhelpful. Similarly, no score can be claimed as bad IQ score. Unfortunately, the testing industry cares very little to remove this misunderstanding either by intent or inadvertently.



Norman

Alexander Roulinski asked:


For the last 140 years, scholars have been preoccupied with identifying the exact factors that influence one’s IQ. The numerous studies on the subject have led most scientists nowadays to the belief that one’s IQ is determined by a variety of both genetic and environmental factors, although there is contention about the exact weight of each.

The majority of studies on intelligence have shown that environmental factors account for about 25% of the differences in people’s IQ scores. The factors that have been of greatest interest to scholars include prenatal development, nutrition, birth order, home and family environment, and the effects of schooling.

Prenatal development

Scientists have discovered many factors during a woman’s pregnancy that could affect a child’s cognitive development. Among them are:

… the mother’s health, including her nutrition and smoking and drinking habits during pregnancy, her age and the number of previous pregnancies, the interval since her last pregnancy, blood type and Rh incompatibility of mother and fetus, her history of X-ray exposure, and her red blood cell count, to list a few (Jensen; 169).

Nutrition

Despite researchers’ initial belief that nutrition played a significant role in a child’s cognitive development, so far, there has been no substantial evidence that differences in nutritional habits have a noticeable effect on IQ, unless a child has suffered severe and prolonged malnutrition in early childhood.

Birth order

Surprisingly, statistical data shows that birth order can somewhat affect IQ:

Each successive child born into a family has, on average, a slightly lower IQ, by about .7 IQ point, than the previous born child… A parallel effect is found on scholastic achievement as well (Jensen; 171).

Home and family environment

One of the factors that many people attribute an important role to in mental development and differences in IQ is home and family environment. The latter encompasses variables such as:

… neighborhood, the number of rooms in the home … the number of magazines and books, the parents’ educational and occupational level, family income, whether private music lessons and dance lessons are given to child, membership in established organizations, and travel experiences (Jensen; 173).

Schooling

In addition, scholars have also examined the effects of schooling on a child’s IQ. They have discovered that differences in school quality have no detectable influence on a child’s intelligence test scores. What proves to be of greater significance is regular school attendance, especially in elementary school.

Genetic factors

Besides environmental influences, most scientists today believe that genes also play a part in determining one’s IQ. However, there is currently an intense debate whether genetic or environmental factors are the deciding influence.

To sum up, science has come a long way in understanding the different factors that shape one’s intelligence. However, there are still contentious issues that need to be clarified.

References:

Jensen, Arthur R. Straight Talk About Mental Tests. New York: The Free Press, 1981. 168-190.



Virginia