What is IQ?

IQ stands for intelligence quotient and in short, it is a measure of a person's intellectual abilities and potential.

What are IQ tests?

IQ tests are used to calculate a person's IQ. They are one of the most commonly administered psychological tests. IQ tests consist of different categories of questions and are designed to reflect a wide range of cognitive skills, such as reasoning, logic, and problem-solving.

IQ tests can be used for a wide range of purposes: Assessing cognitive abilities and intelligence, Job candidate evaluation, Educational purposes, Diagnosis of intellectual disability and cognitive research.

How is IQ measured?

A person's IQ score is not an isolated number. It represents how a person's results compare to those of other people in the same age.

All IQ scores follow a bell curve. The average IQ is 100 and is at the peak of the bell. The scores of most people are represented in the middle of the bell, between 85 and 115.

The classification of the results is as follows:

More than 145 – Very gifted
130 and more - Very high IQ
115 – 130 - High IQ
85 – 115 – Average
70 – 85 - Under the average
Less than 70 - Low IQ

Is IQ important?

This is a difficult question and depends on the specific person. IQ score can be informative to know, but sometimes unnecessary.

While people with high IQs typically do well in school, often earn more money, and tend to be healthier in general, IQ scores do not necessarily predict an individual's success in life. Some people may struggle in one area and have a weakness in one or more types of intelligence but could perform excellent in other areas.

Experts suggest that other important elements contribute to success in life, including social and emotional factors, ambition, motivation, opportunities. It is important to remember that IQ tests are only a measure of intelligence and most people have the capacity to learn regardless of their IQ score.

Factors affecting the IQ result

The person should feel well and comfortable while doing the IQ test. There are certain factors that could affect the IQ score and lead to a lower result:

- Making the test too quickly
- Not focusing on the questions
- Anxiety, stress, depression, discomfort
- Low motivation
- Lack of sleep

More useful resources:

» How is IQ measured? Average and high IQ meaning
» Is IQ important?
» How to improve your IQ and brain function?
» Einstein's IQ