What does your IQ score mean? An IQ (intelligence quotient) indicates how you score on an intelligence test compared to what the rest of your age group scores on the test.
IQ score
The group of people on which the test score is based has an average score of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. If the standard deviation is 15, we can assume that 68 percent of the population is between 85 (100 15 = 85) and the 115 (100 + 15 = 115) scores. That is, 68 percent of the population has a score that is within 1 standard deviation of the mean (100). In addition, 95 percent of the population has an IQ score that is within 2 standard deviations of the mean. So 95 percent of the population scores between 70 (100 30 = 70) and 130 (100 + 30 = 130).
An example to give an idea of what an IQ score means:
If you get 100 on the test. This means that half of the population of your age scores lower and the other half higher than you on the test. And if you get 130 on the test. This means that 97.5 percent of the population in your age group scores lower and 2.5 percent higher on the test.
What exactly does the IQ test measure?
An IQ test does not measure how smart you are, but that is also impossible. What the IQ test does measure is: your ability to reason, think abstractly, solve problems and apply knowledge. The IQ test also measures different types of intelligence through different questions, but more about that in the chapter on the quality of the IQ test.
Can you increase your IQ?
It is certainly possible to increase your IQ. As you get older you experience things that expand your knowledge. It is also true that frequently taking different IQ tests makes your IQ higher. Then you are more trained in taking these types of tests. It has also been proven that unhealthy food and an unhealthy lifestyle can lower your IQ. For example, it has been tested that children who have a vitamin and mineral deficiency have a lower IQ than if the same children do not have this deficiency.
When can someone be called a genius?
According to research, it appears that recognized geniuses have an IQ of around 160, but that does not mean that an IQ of 160 makes you a genius. Since most IQ tests consist of multiple choice questions with 4 possible correct answers, you have a 25% chance of guessing the correct answer. So if you happened to guess a number of questions correctly and weren’t actually sure, you are not a genius. And even if you do achieve an IQ of 160 without gambling, that still doesn’t mean you’re a genius. It is also about how you live and what you do with it, if you live a life in which you smoke a lot of pot and drink and do not use your intelligence you will not be called a genius. Furthermore, geniuses often have a high IQ but a low EQ.