It’d be riiight about here Mrs. Gump.
Is there a Mr. Gump?
I don’t know what my IQ is. When I took the Stanford/Benet test in high school in the late fifties the school wouldn’t even tell my parents what the result was. Anyway, IQ is only one measure among many, and I believe it takes a lot more than a test to rate the intelligence of a human being.
As far as the SDMB is concerned, I think the general level is higher here than in the wider public, partly because of the standards of conduct expected of dopers. Jerks and morons (who are often the same people) tend not to last long here, or just go to other boards to begin with. Dopers are superior people, no?
DesertGeezer, Astro, Mr. Cynical, and the rest of the long term Dopers, if you folks are morons, may I humbly ask to join you. I’m hosting a Mensa games night tonight, and half expecting one individual who may have the numbers, but not the personality. Fortunately I’m fully expecting others who have both. I wish I could get the rest of you guys here – it’d make for one heck of a party!
Yes, I’d say Dopers do have a higher than average IQ, but more importantly, we’ve got a willingness to learn and to consider new ideas. That is not connected to IQ, and is a much better measure of how much I’m likely to enjoy your company.
CJ
In 1970 and again in 1985, I took the GATB (General Aptitude Test Battery) conducted by the California State Department of Rehabilitation–long before the advent of the Internet and widespread availability of microcomputers and Windows. The counselor said that in both cases I had one of the highest scores the Department had ever seen in California.
In 1982, I took the Wechsler (sp?) test, conducted by a Torrance psychologist I was sent to. During the section in which he asked me trivia questions, the psychologist paused and asked me if I was peeking at the answers. I was surprised at the question but I assured him I was not. (This test was administered one-on-one.) According to the psychologist, my IQ was 139. :o 
When I applied for Mensa in 1985, I submitted the later results of the test conducted by the psychologist, and the second GATB. Mensa reviewed the results and declared me qualified.
When I was in fifth grade, I took the standard California Achievement Test (I think it had Lennon in the name, but I could be wrong) and scored somewhere in the 135-145 range (I could find the paper - it’s lurking in my attic somewhere - but I’d prefer not to right now). I got put in all sorts of advanced classes, but I was ranked 3rd out of the students in the school - meaning there were two kids with higher IQs than that.
Not that I think it matters that much. I’m convinced that I have done and continue to do so well in school because I am able to write well, organize my thoughts, and think logically.
I also oppose the fact that in a lot of elementary schools in the late 80s and early 90s (I couldn’t tell you if they still do it), they would give those IQ tests, then seperate the smarter kids and give them a lot more advantages. Even though I was lucky and was put in challenging academic programs, I think the kids with the lower scores needed the after-school reading groups, the special math classes, and the science prep courses at local high schools. I am grateful that I was able to participate in those programs at such a young age, but I could have gotten where I am today without them. I worry about the kids with below-average or average IQs who were just ignored, because they probably needed more help than I did. The money spent on us (the five kids with high IQs who got to attend those programs) could have been better spent on those children.
Also, I am a testament to the fact that high IQ/school smarts DO NOT equal common sense and “street smarts,” if you will. I have as much common sense as a doorknob.
I would guess that the average Doper IQ is somewhere around 125-135.
IQ isn’t a direct indication of a person’s innate intelligence.
At any rate, my guess of the average IQ of Dopers is 100, no more and no less than the average as defined.
Now, if you are talking about the median or the mode, it might be a diiferent story.
These are smart people, organized and logical. It’s not just the information and knowledge they have, it’s the way it’s presented. Anyone can give an answer or an opinion, but these people have the kind of intelligence, order and humor that shines through whether they’re talking about the Middle East or the quality of the interior decorating in porn films. My guess is 140.
I can support the statement that IQ is fairly meaningless. As an example I provide… me!
My IQ last time it was measured was 163. No, really it was. In terms of actual intelligence it doesn’t show that much. I’m good at maths (but not as good as everyone seems to think - I seem to be better at giving the impression of being good at maths than at actually doing maths), reasonably competent at a fair number of other subjects, and can usually manage to tie my shoelaces after only 4 attempts. 
Ok, so I’m more intelligent than the average person (so’s my cat for that matter), but 163 supposedly puts me well into the top 1%, which is complete bullshit.
In general I’d say dopers are significantly more intelligent than the average person, but I doubt the IQ scores are that much higher than average. Maybe an average of 120 tops…
And all this time I considered myself exceptional. It turns out I was just an average doper.
I’ve never had an IQ test (not a real one, anyway), so I have no idea what mine might be. But, I do know that I’m not nearly so smart as some people (in “real life”) think I am. See, there is very little that I know. I have a poor memory, so everything I learn leaks out in a relatively short time. So ask me some trivia or other factual information, and I’m clueless.
I do know how to find the answers, though. And I am somewhat competent at problem-solving.
By most standards, I would probably not be seen as “smart” by many Dopers (especially since I don’t give a rat’s ass about politics, which is what seems to be a standard topic of conversation for intellectual-types). I’m not particularly well-read, either, because most books bore the hell out of me (and, as a result, I can’t focus long enough to finish reading them). I’d much rather read a text book than anything else.
So, I don’t doubt that I’m bringing down the average here.
Mine’s around 68.
(Was that supposed to be in Fahrenheit, Celsius, or gradians?)
I recently took an (online) IQ test and got something around 125.
Is that good?
IQ tests measure ability to perform on IQ tests.
I think that the point is that for General Questions and Great Debates, we can count on some of the well educated posters to come up with very informative answers and ways of considering the nuances of the question too. For example, if one were to ask a Christian religion question (or debate point), we have a number of posters who can frame the issue in a way that people observing would understand the parameters of the debate and have some ready made answers so that if you studied the thread, you’d be able to carry on a conversation with professors in the subject without looking like an idiot. On the other hand, if you were to ask a Tolkien question, you’d get so much information that you would frighten off any potential person of the opposite sex who happened to be overhearing. For some reason, there does not appear to be an equivilent Star Trek contingent on this board.
I consider myself above average, and am usually considered above average by others. I’m no genius, though.
The online IQ tests are weird. I have gotten scores anywhere between 120 (or was it 112?) to 160. I just consider myself above average, and leave it at that. There are many dopers here are clearly more intelligent than me (I say this with no sadness or modesty, it’s the truth) but there are also some real dull-witted folks here too. But overall, I’d say we are, as a whole, definitely above average.
I agree with those who say that the average IQ here is probably somewhere around 120. I’d put it in a range of 115-125, which is about the average for college-educated adults, I believe.
Remember, the average may be 100, but the reason that is the average is because there is a significant number of people with IQ’s down in the 80-90 range, and a smaller group in the 70-80 range. Those people are not likely to want to use the SDMB, or have the skills or income to do so.
So take the standard distribution of the population, chop off the bottom third, and whatever is left is probably an approximation of what the SDBM looks like.
I’m reminded of a Herman cartoon in which a kid holds up his report card and asks his father: “I got six percent in math. Is that good or bad?”
Whatever our average IQ is, it won’t matter until we take over the world.
my score is one-forty-seven or one-seventy-something, depending on which of the scales you are using.
that’s not exactly recent, though. does someone have a link to a good online I.Q test, and maybe a I.Q test in swedish?
I recently took an online IQ test and it gave my IQ as 156.
Hmm… much as I would just love to believe the accuracy of that test…
I’m sure to bring down the average considerably…:o
www.thespark.com has a few IQ tests among others. I seem to score 135-140 which I thought was high, but nothing like the claims in this thread. I’d agree that they are meaningless apart from testing IQ test taking ability. Most of the people I know, insist I go on Who Wamts to be a Millionaire? but I like my anonymity too much to risk it even for a Million at such long odds. Many of the same people who call into WWtbaM for me, also think I’m the dumbest, most absent-minded guy they know. They’re probably right too.