Have you ever taken an IQ test?

[amadeus]

I mean a real one.

A few months ago a friend sent me an online test they had taken but it was full of questions that made it clear that it was not any sort of standardized test; it included questions that were biased, such as “who was the first President of the United States?”

I have not. Just curious!

 

[Kyriakos]

I have, but only english ones. Back when I was 19 I even took an online test (apparently free at the time, and at least according to my impression then, legit as guaranteeing entry) for the mensa thing, and although I was fast enough to google all culture-related stuff (like idioms etc), I didn't pass the bar.
I'm sure that if I had, I'd now at least be a mod here (mischief )

A nice youtuber had made an interesting video about the math questions, focusing on how sometimes thinking in a more complicated way than needed (cause you just don't know what those tests routinely ask) can be at cost to you.

 

[emzie]

I mean a real one.

I don't think I've ever heard of a valid reason to take a real IQ test, except to try and get into mensa.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I don't think I've ever heard of a valid reason to take a real IQ test, except to try and get into mensa.

I've taken one three times, though the last two were for fun and curiosity. I don't know how valid the scores were; the last one pegged me at 154, which probably means I'm good at taking that particular kind of test, but would probably not be very good at other kinds.

The first time was in elementary school, for some obscure reason I was never told, nor was I told the exact results of the test - just that I'd scored "above average."

Unfortunately it's impossible to find out the reason or results now. I looked into it 30 years ago, reasoning that I was adult now and surely entitled to know.

Well, they hadn't bothered to keep records from that far back. Thanks a bunch. This is a mystery that has annoyed me ever since. It's nice to be considered above average - but I just want to know why I had to go through that in the first place (it wasn't something the other kids had to do; this test took place under the supervision of a counselor at the school board offices).

 

[Hygro]

I did neuropsych testung at 15 in the depths of chronic fatigue and depression, scored very high on working verbal memory and very low on visual processing. I think I would score differently today.

 

[Kyriakos]

I did neuropsych testung at 15 in the depths of chronic fatigue and depression, scored very high on working verbal memory and very low on visual processing. I think I would score differently today.

Let's check: what percentage of your avatar's face are you able to see?
(is that Shaq, btw?)

 

[Hygro]

THERES A PERSON THERE?!

 

[amadeus]

A nice youtuber had made an interesting video about the math questions, focusing on how sometimes thinking in a more complicated way than needed (cause you just don't know what those tests routinely ask) can be at cost to you.

Wouldn’t it be possible to come up with math that could make any letter the “correct” answer?

The first time was in elementary school, for some obscure reason I was never told, nor was I told the exact results of the test - just that I'd scored "above average."

Maybe you were part of an experiment with questionable ethics where tested schoolchildren in your town were all told they scored above average, and schoolchildren in the next town over all told they scored below. Good thing you got the lucky school!

I did neuropsych testung at 15 in the depths of chronic fatigue and depression, scored very high on working verbal memory and very low on visual processing. I think I would score differently today.

Nobody ever gave me a test like that when I was depressed in high school!

 

[AmazonQueen]

Took one many years ago.
According to it I could scrape into Mensa but who wants to have the lowest IQ in a group devoted to boasting about how high their IQ is.

 

[Gorbles]

I don't think I've ever heard of a valid reason to take a real IQ test, except to try and get into mensa.

Believe me when I say not even that is a valid reason

I've taken plenty. A lot of them were insisted upon. Some of them were for a laugh (does a Facebook test where each correct answer adds 10 to your IQ count? Haha).

 

[Zkribbler]

... the last one pegged me at 154,

sounds a little high, but I'd buy it.

This is a mystery that has annoyed me ever since.

IIRC, MENSA will give you a free test if you ask to join.

 

[MrCynical]

I don't think I've ever heard of a valid reason to take a real IQ test, except to try and get into mensa.

Honestly I wouldn't count getting into Mensa as a valid reason either... As a young kid I went through quite a lot of IQ tests, thanks to both my parents being Mensa members and them getting rather a fixation about testing my intelligence. I think I was about 8 or 9 when I got so sick of them I went on strike, and I haven't taken a proper IQ test since.

I do remember that it was possible to improve your score on IQ tests a lot just by getting familiar with the style of questions and the type of answers they're looking for (usually the problem is over-thinking the question).

 

[amadeus]

Doesn't an IQ test for a child usually need to be conducted with the supervision of a child psychologist? I mean for it to have any sort of validity.

 

[Senethro]

My understanding was that any result over 120 (or very low for that matter) was essentially meaningless on a standard IQ test as the confidence levels made any particular value pretty much meaningless and that retesting with a second test calibrated to the top/bottom percentiles was necessary.

To the extent that one believes in the value of such things anyway.

 

[Zkribbler]

I don't think I've ever heard of a valid reason to take a real IQ test, except to try and get into mensa.

As a kid, Los Angeles divided us into Advanced Students [i.e. High IQ], Average Students, and Slow Students [low I.Q.]. This allowed teachers to present information most appropriate to each group.

 

[MrCynical]

Doesn't an IQ test for a child usually need to be conducted with the supervision of a child psychologist? I mean for it to have any sort of validity.

It's probably supposed to be - I think Mensa require it to be considered as valid below a certain age. But like I said I wouldn't read too much into an IQ test (whether it's run with or without a psychologist). For something that's allegedly measuring a fixed quantity, my IQ sure improved a lot with practice, and dropped again when I got fed up with the tests.

 

[abradley]

Took one in high school, they said I did OK.

Later, when I joined the USAF in '54, did well enough to train as an electronic tech and I continued in that field for the rest of my working career in the USAF and Civie.

Think I am about average, less then that I wouldn't have rated electronics.

 

[Commodore]

I've never taken a real one, just some fly-by-night online one when I was trying to get a rough idea of what my SPECIAL stats would be so I could make myself in Fallout New Vegas.

 

[Narz]

I took one when I was 5 years old. My mom was trying to get me into school for genius kids in NYC. The cutoff was 140 maybe or 150?

Either way I was below the cutoff by a couple of points.

Maybe in an alternate universe there's a smarty pants Narz who got in and led a more prestigious life.

 

[cardgame]

I took one in middle school that qualified me for the gifted program (130+ IQ) but never got the exact answer, probably because I would have made an ass out of myself with that knowledge.