# Do IQ Tests actually work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2002, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-iq-tests-actually-work/105280 "2002-04-24T03:41:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mistteak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bcef8e/32.png) [@Mistteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mistteak)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-iq-tests-actually-work/105280/1 "2002-04-24T03:41:13Z")
I was wondering if IQ Tests actually worked? If they do or if they give a fair understanding of a persons intelligance, is there somewhere on the net - FOR FREE to take one? If you can all aggree on one… care to post your results?? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-iq-tests-actually-work/105280/2 "2002-04-24T21:21:51Z")
I think IQ test discussions have been done to death and no one really cares anymore, hence the dearth of replies. Points: 1. IQ tests determine how well you do on IQ tests. This may or may nor correlate to what other skills you have. 2. The questions are oftentimes flawed, like Anthony Burgess’s favorite example: 20 words, put into two groups. A student noticed half were of Greek origin and half were of Latin origin. Got it all wrong. Half were nouns and half were verbs. You can start an endless debate about the “Sun is to day as \_\_\_\_ is to night.” one. I have seen absolutely horrible, ambiguous and downright wrong IQ questions. 3. I was curious and tried to find one on the Net not too long ago (to get examples of bad IQ questions) but what Google returned first were sites with really dubious things going on. If you are serious about getting an IQ test, contact Mensa (whether you are interested in joining or not). I have not had a serious IQ test done since grade school. But I got a perfect score on an advanced GRE test. That qualifies me for not just Mensa, but the next level up Uber-Mensa club (whatever it’s called). BTW, it was in an area other than my own. I’m _good_ at multiple choice tests. (And we’ll skip those essay questions, if you don’t mind.) ---
**Author:** ![kitarak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kitarak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitarak)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-iq-tests-actually-work/105280/3 "2002-04-24T22:35:52Z")
I’d say IQ tests do work sortof. The correlation is pretty low, but smart people are in general better at IQ tests and vice versa. One doesn’t imply the other, but it makes it more likely. They’re pretty bad, but not entirely broken. As for the net, no. There are no good online IQ tests AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-iq-tests-actually-work/105280/4 "2002-04-24T23:28:48Z")
Heh. I just took [this test](http://www.iqtest.com/iqtestprep1.html) again. (Warning: have a dummy e-mail account ready–you will be spammed after your results come in.) A year ago, I did exceptionally well on that test–above where I normally test. This time, I was working on the premise that no matter how bad I did my score would still be an ego-pleasing number. So I intentionally gave the _wrong_ answers, to the least of my ability. Well, here it is: > [@](#): > > Thank you for recently taking the Self Discovery Workshop’s IQ Test. Because of the Internet’s ability to mishandle transmissions, we are reconfirming via email that your IQ Test score was: **38** That actually pisses me off a little, because I was shooting for a goose egg, but I guess I’m not as stupid as I could wish. Anyway, it seems as if the honesty of that particular test isn’t very much in question (unless I _really did_ score a zero and they spotted me 38 points). ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-iq-tests-actually-work/105280/5 "2002-04-24T23:40:32Z")
- - - Online IQ tests work, but people can cheat by putting two of those stick-on cellphone antennas on their head. And also rubbing some Oxy-Clean on them too. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-iq-tests-actually-work/105280/6 "2002-04-25T03:03:23Z")
Online IQ tests are so inaccurate that they’re essentially useless. The ones in books called _Figure Out Your Own IQ_ aren’t much better. Even the IQ tests sometimes given in schools aren’t very good. For an accurate IQ test, you would need to be individually tested by a psychologist who’s an expert at it. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-iq-tests-actually-work/105280/7 "2002-04-25T05:51:50Z")
**Wendell** , as always, speaks the truth. However, I’m still basking in the microwave radiation of my 38 I.Q. _Nobody_ on these boards is stupider than I, ha-ha! I’m going to go chew on a rock now…