What Do IQ Scores Mean?

by IQ Brain

Is Having a High IQ Score Important?

Modern IQ testing, or intelligence quotient testing, has been around since the nineteenth century.   While the methods have varied over the years to finally create a concise and accurate IQ test, there are still a variety of different testing methods.   The most accurate IQ tests assess mental capabilities from several broad categories which are then broken down into a large number of narrow mental abilities. The broad categories of mental intelligence include the following: fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, quantitative reasoning, reading and writing ability, short-term memory, long term storage and retrieval, visual processing, auditory processing, processing speed, and reaction speed.

Not every modern IQ test that’s available today will cover each and every one of these broad categories.   However, the best tests include as many categories as possible to get a full scope of intellectual abilities.   While many intelligence tests will still give an overall IQ score in the results, they generally break the scores down into the categories that were tested.   Reading the results of an IQ test can actually be a little confusing if you’re not familiar with the test and how IQ scores are calculated.

Averages: The Basis of IQ Scores

The most important thing you should know is that IQ scores are based on averages.   A score of 100 is considered the average IQ score of the general population.   Any IQ scores above 100 are above average and scores below 100 are considered below average.   The majority of people, fifty percent of the population, should score near 100 on an IQ test.   That means that twenty five percent should score below 100 and twenty five percent should score above 100.   It is also accepted that ninety five percent of the population should score within two standard deviations of the mean.   In this case, one standard deviation is 15 points.   That means that ninety five percent of the population should have IQ scores that fall between 70 and 130.   To give you a clearer understanding of high IQ scores are ranked, generalized IQ score ranges may be helpful.

A score above 130 is considered very superior and approximately two percent of the population can claim these scores that are often associated with genius level intelligence.   An IQ score between 120 and 129 is considered superior.   Scores between 110 and 119 are considered high average, with 90 to 109 being considered average.   IQ scores between 80 and 89 are low average.   Scores between 70 and 79 are considered borderline, with scores below 70 being considered extremely low and are often associated with mental retardation.

This type of scoring system should not be confused with the typical percentage scoring that most schools use.   For example, in percentage scoring 8 correct answers out of 10 yields an 80% on a test.   Sometimes IQ score results are displayed as percentiles, which is completely different than giving a percentage test score.   IQ percentiles indicate the percentage of the population that you are smarter (or in some cases less smart) than.   For example, a score of 100 gives a 50th percentile ranking, meaning the test taker is brighter than fifty percent of the population.   A score of 80 indicates that the test taker is in the 9th percentile or outscores nine percent of the population. And a score of 120 indicates the 95th percentile, meaning the test taker is brighter than 95 percent of the population.

These boundaries and ranges are not definitive.   That means that falling one point below “average” does not mean the test taker automatically falls into the low average category.   There are many factors that IQ tests can’t consider and a single point is not enough to make an accurate distinction in the different levels of scoring.   Instead, the scoring system should be used more like a generalized guideline to be used as a tool and not as a scientifically supported fact.

What is the Reason for an IQ Score?

But what is the point of an intelligence test score?   We can take the test, but when can we do with the information?   It is thought that China first began mental testing with their Imperial Examination, which was aimed to find the best administrative officials.   But modern testing began in nineteenth century France and was aimed to discern children of inferior intelligence from the rest, so that the children could be placed in special schools that offered more individual attention.   This is still a very useful tool and today we use intelligence testing to place children of superior intelligence in more vigorous academic settings and children with inferior intelligence in specialized classrooms for individual attention.

The measure of IQ can also help predict possible career paths that people may take.   Keep in mind that this is not a very definitive tool and is actually a generalized model.   Typically,   professors, research scientists and top civil servants have IQ test scores near 140.   At an IQ score of 130, we typically see physicians, surgeons, engineers, and lawyers.   Teachers, accountants, managers and pharmacists often have IQ scores near 120.   Policemen, electricians, salesmen and clerks are often seen near 110.   IQ scores ranging from a little over 100 to 90 often include laborers, carpenters, cooks, machine operators and welders.   Again, this is simply a generalization and does not imply for example, that all pharmacists have an IQ score of 120.   Career paths are not driven only by factors of intelligence.   Often, they are driven by a combination of personality type, personal experiences, social class as well as intelligence.

IQ tests have also been very important tools for socioeconomic research, with their results providing important information about the heritability of intelligence, the correlation between health and intelligence, as well as the social effects of intelligence.   It is often found that intelligence level can be connected to school performance, job performance, crime, religiosity and income.

Some Well Known IQ Tests

Some of the more well known IQ tests include Wechscler Intelligence Scale for adults and children, the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive abilities, and the Stanford-Binet.   They are all regarded as highly accurate, with many psychologists indicating that IQ tests provide important statistical information for clinical purposes.   These widely known tests are often not offered for free; however, there are many free IQ tests available online that are based on the ideas of these tests.   While a free IQ test may not be quite as accurate as the real thing, they can actually give you insight into many things, especially if the score is broken down into smaller categories instead of an overall score.   For example, if you score low on the visual category of the test, you can make an effort to try to work on visual mental skills.   If you do not have the ability to improve those skills, then at least you will know that being an architect or interior designer probably is not going to be your best career path choice.

Taking an IQ test regularly throughout your life can also give you insight into the possibility of declining health.   For example, a decrease in IQ as your get older can be an indicator of diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Dementia.  In addition, comparing your IQ score as you age can also give you insight into your mental development and can aid you in improving mental skills if you wish to do so.   But don’t forget that it’s not necessary to spend a lot of money to take these tests; there are many free IQ tests online that will suffice.   However, if you wish to gain entrance into a high IQ society, like Mensa, you will need to take one of the Mensa approved IQ tests, which won’t be offered for free online.

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What is the Difference Between an IQ Test and a Personality Test?

by IQ Brain

IQ Test or Personality Test?

We live in world where we are consistently and continuously being critiqued, tested and measured against varying scales. The two main attributes that are said to contribute largely to a person’s success and outcome in life are their personality and IQ. However when these two elements are tested there are a few main distinct differences between them. The two methods of testing will be discussed in further detail below, and later further discussion on the very differences between them will be assessed.

The Personality Test

A personality test has a descriptive attribute, in the sense that it aims to describe aspects of a person’s character that remain constant throughout a person’s lifespan. When referring to character we mean the thoughts, behavior and feelings of that person. There was large interest in defining separate personality types in the early 20th century which was fueled by the interest in the topic of psychology, and with this interest, several tests emerged. To date there are many different types of personality tests. Frequently used personality tests contain a large number of items, in which the person being tested must rate the applicability of each item and relate it to themselves.

The IQ Test

An IQ (intelligence quotient) does not contain the descriptive attribute and is more objective in its purpose and its findings. An IQ test consists of a range of standardized tests, and which at the end of results in a score which represents your level of intelligence. IQ scores are used in various contexts, but largely as a means to predict educational or academic achievement, to predict level of income and job/task performance, and finally they are continually being used by social scientists who revise the allocation of IQ scores in populations and draw conclusions between the relationships of someone’s IQ score against a myriad of other variables.

The IQ Test, the Personality Test and the Differences

The most notable difference between the two tests is that they aim to measure two completely different things. However regardless of this from many corporate perspectives both personality and intelligence elements are significant in predicting someone’s future success and contribution.

Another big difference between personality and IQ tests is that the IQ tests are largely standardized so it becomes a lot easier to draw comparisons between large groups of people from varying geographical regions based on them, their quantitative nature makes them more measurable which aids this comparison factor greatly.

Arguably the biggest difference is depicted clearly by the phrase “the respondents must rate” which was used above when defining personality tests, the phrase shows that this type of test gives the respondent the power and the open choice to rate their own personality how they perceive it. This opens the tests up to large levels of bias and manipulation, hence the tests trustworthiness is questioned more so than IQ tests which have a more objective and measurable result, suggesting greater reliability and validity in comparison to the qualitative personality tests. Furthermore although in both test types the respondent has an incentive to present him or herself in a positive manner. In the case of personality tests they can lie and distort the information to display themselves in a positive manner where as in the case of the IQ test they cannot, so the difference is not just the emphasis on the respondent in one test in comparison to another, but the very fact that one test makes it possible for the respondent to positively distort where as the other does not.

On the topic of the qualitative nature of personality testing, we see that due to this the meanings of the test scores are hard to interpret and draw direct conclusions from. This results in the second big difference between the two tests, and that is that personality tests have “norms”, which are produced by the creators of personality tests as a means of creating a basis to interpret and contrast the respondents personality test scores, the IQ doesn’t require such norms so comparisons are a lot more transparent and directly measurable.

It can be seen that both personality and IQ tests hold great importance, however they are very different methods, and therefore have very different uses. The main differences being the aims of the tests, difference in the level of standardization between the tests, the varying threat of manipulation and bias between them, and finally the difference in perceived validity due to the nature of their results.

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A Personality Test: Your Guide to Total Understanding

by IQ Brain

Some people mistakenly think that personality tests and IQ tests are the same. However, they’re vastly different. To begin with, they were each created to measure two separate things and give us an understanding of two different aspects of human behavior.   For example, the questions asked in a personality test differ from the questions asked in an IQ test. The IQ Test provides a depiction of the test taker’s level of intelligence while the personality test gives us insights into how the test taker thinks and deals with the world around them.   IQ tests still have their place in society and are especially useful for determining mental strengths and weakness.   However, personality tests can give you some very pertinent information that you can use in more practical matters for the rest of your life (such as what career you would be best suited for).

IQ tests aim to measure mental abilities and give a general intelligence quotient that is based on an average.    When a test group takes an intelligence quotient test, the average of their results is given a score of 100. Then subsequent test takers are assessed based on the test results.   Therefore, a score of less than 100 is below average and a score of more than 100 is above average. Many IQ tests break results down into multiple categories of intelligence such as visual, logical, geometric, spatial, intuition, and computational speed.   These types of results can show you where your strengths and weakness are when it comes to your mental abilities.   Sometimes, knowing where your weaknesses are can help you improve them with practice.

Personality Test

A personality test is vastly different. It measures your psychological type and gives you insights into how you learn, make decisions, and think. The most powerful personality tests are those based on the Myer’s Briggs Type Indicator, MBTI.   Theses types of tests give results that explain your personality type, and this information can be especially helpful in everyday life. For instance, knowing your personality inventory can help you understand and maintain your current relationships; study more effectively; determine what job you are best suited for and much more.

In a personality test you will be given questions that aren’t considered difficult.   They simply ask your preferences when placed in certain situations and inquire about your thought processes when making decisions.   In the popular and widely used Myers Briggs personality quiz, four specific categories of personality traits are assessed. For each category, there are two specific traits, one in which the test taker will likely be most dominant. By determining the dominant trait in these four categories, a personality type is determined, with 16 different types being possible. This type of personality test is actually quite complex but very accurate and helpful in understanding our own behaviors and preferences, as well as those of
the people around us.

Categories of Personality Tests

The first category in the Myers Briggs personality test deals with your natural orientation toward the world.   Specific questions are designed to determine whether you are an introvert (I) or an extrovert (E).  Generally, a person will lean toward one side or the other.   That means that when taking the personality test, you may give some extroverted answers and some introverted answers but the one that yields the most answers is the type that plays a dominant role in your personality. The second category deals with perceiving and understanding with the two types being Sensing (S) and Intuitive (N). People who are dominant in the sensing type generally deal with the things that can be verified with their five senses. Those who are intuitive dominant often analyze and interpret all information that is collected.

The third category deals with how we make decisions. The two types in this category are Thinking (T) which is often associated with logical thinking patterns that are detached from emotion, and Feeling (F) which is associated with decision making based on emotion. The final category deals with how we store information and organize thoughts. The first type in this category is the Judging (J) type which is associated with very outwardly organized people who make plans and have a difficult time when those plans are disrupted. The other type in this category is Perceiving (P) and is associated with people who take things in as they come. These types of people are often open-minded and are very flexible, with the ability to adapt to changes as necessary.

Once you have taken a personality test that is based on the Myers Briggs personality inventory, you are given a sequence of four letters, which are associated with one of the types in each category. This four letter code is the key to unlocking how your mind works. Descriptions of each of the sixteen personality profiles are available and can be difficult for an untrained person to analyze, given that each of the separate traits interact with each other differently and give rise to the several different possible personality types.

Often, after taking a personality assessment, you will also be given information about what type of job or career pathwill best suit your personality type. For example, those with an INTJ type are often scientists, doctors, or professors. And those with an ESFP personality type are often artists, child care providers or photographers.   Providing insights into likely career paths is one of the best things that personality tests do, which IQ tests fail to do. While IQ tests can be a fun way to boost your ego or to determine why you are terrible at visual-spatial tasks, they really don’t give any information into how your mind works.   Instead an IQ test simply tells you how well your mind is working at the moment, which really isn’t useful information that you can apply to your decisions down the road.   Unless of course you happen to be brilliant enough to be accepted into Mensa International, or one of the other high IQ clubs.

Understanding your personality type can be one of the most valuable tools that you have at your disposal on an everyday basis. On top of that, it’s also helpful to know about the other personality types that people have and how their minds work. If you get really good, you may even learn how to determine other people’s personality type after talking with them for a little while.   Having this knowledge is a tool that unfortunately not many people have. This seemingly trivial knowledge can actually help you improve your relationship with your family or friends and can even help you understand why you and some of your coworkers can simply never get along.

Even though the true Myers Briggs personality test must be administered by a trained professional, there are many free personality tests available online which are quite sufficient.   While taking a free personality test online won’t give you access to a trained psychologist who can explain the subtle nuances about your personality profile and why you can’t get along with certain people with a specific personality type, there are many free type descriptions that are very accurate and can be quite helpful in aiding your understanding of yourself and the people around you.   Once you have found all the information about your type, you can really start improving your life.   You can begin surrounding yourself with people who fit best with your personality type or alter your study habits in a way that maximizes your learning ability.   Plus, you can alter your environment or daily routine in a way that makes your more efficient and successful in your daily activities.

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