IQ test facts
January 28, 2010
Almost everyone has heard about IQ tests. In a lot of printed publications, focused on women in particular, you may find them. Or just google ‘IQ tests’ and you will get as many as you like. You’ll get this page of questions filling your screen and you’ve got to select your answer online quickly. Press ‘Submit’ and seconds later you will have the judgement of your mental capacity.
But to start from the beginning, what is an IQ test really? And what’s the number mean? IQ stands for ‘Intelligence Quotient’, meaning how smart you are. It may be used to see if you are likely to do well in some proffessions or in academic studies.
The IQ test measures your intelligence to solve problems written on paper. What is measures is the ability to solve written problems. Then your results are compared to other people. It is the most used method to measure human intelligence.
The average IQ score is 100. If your score is higher than 100 you are more intelligent than average. Any score less than 100 indicates your intelligence level doesn’t match up to the average John Doe.
Positive sides of the IQ test
- Recruitment E.g. you like to hire someone for a position. You could get a better understanding of the applicant’s intelligence by conducting an IQ test. You could select the type of test to use. These may be more related to the type of work involved. The results should give a clue on the suitability of the candidate for the position. Some candidates who would probably not be able to do the work could be screened out this way.
- Academic admission On top of the SAT and other tests IQ tests to judge their intelligence. This would be useful if there are too few places on the course to accommodate everyone who wants to study. You could pick the cream of the crop from the high IQ scorers and send rejection slips to those who didn’t make the grade.
Disadvantages of the IQ Test
- IQ tests don’t tell the full story Many people who score well in IQ tests may not perform well in real life situations. They didn’t rise high enough or fast enough up the corporate ladder.
- Not the most important success factor Many students with high IQ are a dissapointment when they hand in their term papers. According to some scientific studies have shown that a high self-discipline is more important than a high IQ score. Relying only on smartness is not enough you must put whatever IQ you have to work to do really well. Many high IQ scorers have been overtaken by so-called ‘weaker’ minds with much lower IQ.
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IQ does not measure everythingLeadership is one area which is not measured by IQ tests Another area not covered is your emotional intelligence, also called EQ, how good you are at handling other people and relationships. There is also the theory of multiple intelligences, that defines 8 different aspects of intelligence that you may have to varying degrees. Intelligence is so much more than a single score.