by: Steve Gillman
You Want Brain Power, Not Scores!
Would you like to know what your IQ is? Want to improve it? What is IQ anyhow? The American Heritage Dictionary defines Intelligence Quotient as "The ratio of tested mental age to chronological age, usually expressed as a quotient multiplied by 100." Basically, it's a test of intelligence, with 100 as the average score. There are some problems with IQ tests however.
A recent IQ test asked which of four fruits was different. It was the one with more than one seed; but what if you were not familiar with these fruits? Obviously this test is culturally biased. You are assumed to have certain knowledge, yet you are being tested for intelligence, not knowledge.
Now look at these letters: "ANLDEGN." Rearrange them and you'll have the name of a(n): Ocean, Country, State, City or Animal. This is from an IQ test I took. Hmm.. very few oceans, so I could eliminate those - but wait a second! That's a test taking technique. An intelligence test shouldn't be testing your test-taking ability. I'm bound to score higher than a person of equal intelligence who hasn't learned simple techniques for scoring higher on multiple - choice tests.
Real Life Results vs Scores
Maybe an imperfect test is better than no test at all, and it is entertaining. I just took an IQ test, and though I don't think my IQ is really the 138 it showed, it was fun. You can try a free IQ test on my website. Of course you know you'll score higher on a good day than a bad day. If you didn't know that, try these tips to make it a good IQ test day:
Now let me ask you a question. What was Henry Fords IQ? Who cares! The man was one of the most innovative people of the last century, and he did what he did by surrounding himself with intelligent people. That practice alone has to be worth more than 20 IQ points. Do you get the point?
Real life results are what you want, right? So if you want to be more creative, learn to use creative problem solving techniques. If you want to concentrate better, there are techniques for that. Learn to speed-read and you'll have double the knowledge in the same time. After you paint your first Mona Lisa, build your first skyscraper or make your first million, what will your IQ score be? Who cares!?