The IQ test revealed
Almost everyone has heard about IQ tests. You find them everywhere, in particular in ladies magazines. You can find them online too, just by Googling ‘IQ test’. A number of more or less difficult questions will pop up and you have to figure out the appropriate answer. Enter the answers and the site will respond with an estimated score.
To start over, what is an IQ test really? What is the meaning of the IQ score? IQ stands for ‘Intelligence Quotient’, meaning how smart you are. It’s supposed to give you an idea of how well you’ll do at a certain profession or how well you’ll perform academically.
The whole idea of the IQ test is to measure the potential of your brains using problems posed to you on paper. It assesses the ability of your brain to figure out solutions to issues presented to you in written form. 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
- Hiring Let’s say you’re hiring someone for a new job. You could get a better understanding of the applicant’s intelligence by conducting an IQ test. The test could be on logical, linguistic and spatial intelligence. This should be guided by the requirements for the type of work offered. The results should give a clue on the suitability of the candidate for the position. That way some candidates could be eliminated since they would most likely not be able to make the job.
- Academic admission IQ tests could complement the SAT in the judgement of a student’s intellectual potential. As there are often fewer places than applicants, this could be an additional screening tool. That way there is a better chance to pick the top performers and weed out students with less potential.
Disadvantages of the IQ Test
- IQ tests are not perfect Plenty of folks who have taken an IQ test as part of the interview process didn’t do so well at work. Quite a large share of high IQ persons are simply not as successful as you would expect from their IQ score.
- Other factors may be more important 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. Quite often students who made a stellar performance with little work at lower levels fare less well as courses become more difficult, as they are not used to work and become discouraged when they do not immediately understand.
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Many abilites are not measured by IQ testsFor example IQ tests can’t measure how well you’ll do as a leader. It doesn’t measure your emotional quotient or EQ – how you’ll get along with other people, including co-workers, superiors and peers. There is also the theory of multiple intelligences, that defines 8 different aspects of intelligence that you may have to varying degrees. So your IQ score may not be the only defining factor in your overall intelligence.