# How Smart Are You, Anyway? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105 "2005-07-19T04:55:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/101 "2005-07-22T00:13:15Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > We may as usefully discuss penis size. Well, at least _that_ can be judged by an objective standard! Don’t sell it shor…er…you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/102 "2005-07-22T00:14:05Z")
> [@The Peter Files](#): > > perhaps a better question is, _what have we done with our intelligence lately?_ That would be the question that made me kind of depressed after I looked at that GRE score conversion chart that I posted: If I’m so smart, why haven’t I made something more of my life by now? And then we get into the fact that I really have no idea what I should make of my life, just that it should probably be more than I’m doing. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/103 "2005-07-22T00:16:08Z")
I’ll take the plunge, too. After the thread started, I Googled for “IQ test”, hit “I’m feeling lucky!” took the test, scored 120. So, there you are. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/104 "2005-07-22T00:19:36Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > And then we get into the fact that I really have no idea what I should make of my life, just that it should probably be more than I’m doing. See what I am saying? CRIPPLING intelligence! 😃 I’ll bet a LOT of a baristas are a hell of a lot smarter than a lot of barristers! ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/105 "2005-07-22T06:52:34Z")
I was never told my IQ scores. I took the test in elementary school and got stuck in their “special” programs from then on until high school graduation. Against my will! A couple of my friends snuck into the super-double-dog-top-secret files to check out everybody’s IQ scores, and they told me that mine was 135. When I told that to my parents, they were surprised and said it was “much higher,” but wouldn’t actually tell me what it was. It’s just stupid; it made me feel freakish, like I was Little Man Tate or something. It’s not like I was ever particularly exceptional in anything, either academically or common-sensically. According to **Anne Nevill** ’s link based on the SAT score, I’m around 150. But I prefer the answer, “Smart enough to know that Mensa is a crock.” I’ve met plenty of people who scored higher on standardized tests _and_ are better looking _and_ had higher-paying jobs _and_ have had successful personal and romantic lives, so I’m not going to be pointing at a test I took when I was 15 and saying “validate me!” ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/106 "2005-07-22T13:03:39Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > I’ll bet a LOT of a baristas are a hell of a lot smarter than a lot of barristers! That wouldn’t surprise me. ---
**Author:** ![PhoenixFire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@PhoenixFire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhoenixFire)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/107 "2005-07-22T14:34:39Z")
135-145 depending on my mood ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/108 "2005-07-22T16:08:01Z")
My IQ test results have put me in the rather rarified upper reaches of the IQ scale, which only demonstrate what a stupid, worthless test it is. It’s taken me over 40 years to learn how to become a halfway decent responsible, semi-dependable adult who realizes just how pig-ignorant I really am. Much “dumber” people than I have done a far better job of living their lives, making worthwhile discoveries, and helping others than I have. But lately I think I’m doing more good than harm. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/109 "2005-07-22T17:05:45Z")
How does the SAT/IQ conversion work? Isn’t the SAT a test that you can do substantially better at by preparing? How does that accurately reflect raw intelligence? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/110 "2005-07-22T21:04:12Z")
I’m with Qadgop. I think IQ tests are pretty useless, and don’t require this for validation. I took one when I was 14 and got a perfect score which translated to a high number. I know many people who have done more with their lives and a few people who are smarter than I am. But I do make a real difference in people’s lives, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/111 "2005-07-23T00:25:17Z")
Plus, IQ tests discriminate against people with low IQs! ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/112 "2005-07-23T04:18:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Isn’t the SAT a test that you can do substantially better at by preparing? > > How does that accurately reflect raw intelligence? Well, one reason that many of us scoff at IQ scores is that IQ tests that are administered near the end of the school year typically score much higher than tests administered just after summer break, leading one to wonder just how much “raw” intelligence is actually measured in those tests. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/113 "2005-07-23T13:33:37Z")
I join you in scoffing then! ---
**Author:** ![splain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@splain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splain)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/114 "2005-07-23T14:25:58Z")
How smart am I? Smart enough that my friends and work associates will often think that I’m joking when I say or do something that is really stupid. Sometimes, though, when I’ve said something without thinking much about it, casual acquaintances have accused me of being deceptive or hurtful when, actually, I was just being dumb, but they don’t believe that \*I \* could be _that_ dumb. Also, I’m smart enough to realize that raw intelligence is over-rated, and that, whether you are a barrister or a barrista, the way you live your life is more important than whatever potential is implied or expected from greater intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/115 "2005-07-23T14:53:06Z")
Smart to carry out research. Asolute zero in marketing it. Dumb enough to answer this thread. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/116 "2005-07-23T20:19:06Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > But lately I think I’m doing more good than harm. 🆒 Don’t they make you take an oath to that effect? ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/117 "2005-07-23T21:09:47Z")
I have the ability to make just about anyone I meet in life happy (my existental purpose), which for me means I am as smart as I need to be. Sure, I read about linear algebra for fun, but in life intelligence is how adaptable you are to your enivronment and stimuli; not some predestined acceptability to certain logic processes. (IQ: 129 or so in 2nd grade. PSAT: Between 1034 and 1250. Etcetra - it all means nothing until you put it to use.) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/118 "2005-07-23T22:51:12Z")
I have to agree with the folks saying that IQ scores don’t mean much in the real world. My scores are high, but my memory is spotty, and my debate skills are average at best. I tend to be slow on the trigger in a “Jeopardy” type environment. If we play Trivial Pursuit, I’ll kick butt on science and technology, but I do poorly in entertainment and history. I can become mediocre at almost anything really fast, but it takes me a long time to get really good at it. I have to disagree, however, with the folks saying IQ tests are inconsistent. I took one when I was tested for a “gifted” program in 4th grade. I took another in high school. I got to see the results of both of those in a college admissions folder. I took a third test (one of the Mensa IQ tests) at a party when I was in my 20s. Just for kicks, I followed the link above to correlate my SAT score with an IQ value. The results: 150, 149, 150, 148. That looks pretty darned consistent to me. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/119 "2005-07-24T03:41:23Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Well, one reason that many of us scoff at IQ scores is that IQ tests that are administered near the end of the school year typically score much higher than tests administered just after summer break, leading one to wonder just how much “raw” intelligence is actually measured in those tests. I can see how this would make sense. You spend the school year having to use your brain and at the end of the year you’ve got a well exercised ‘muscle’. I’d be surprised if you weren’t smarter. I think it demonstrates that whatever you have now, given some effort you can improve upon it. I think this would negate any chance of getting a true ‘raw’ score. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105/120 "2005-07-24T13:01:36Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > I can see how this would make sense. You spend the school year having to use your brain and at the end of the year you’ve got a well exercised ‘muscle’. I’d be surprised if you weren’t smarter. I think it demonstrates that whatever you have now, given some effort you can improve upon it. I think this would negate any chance of getting a true ‘raw’ score. Actually, I don’t think it is like a well-exercised muscle; I don’t think that a person’s potential or intelligence is lessened with the loss specific knowledge that means nothing to the person; I think it demonstrates that human memory will purge a lot of information from the long term memory banks (or not commit it to long-term memory in the first place) unless some personal importance is attached to the information. I distinctly remember lyrics to inconsequential songs from the 80s because I enjoyed the music and it _meant_ something to me; I probably heard about as much repetition of the quadratic formula as I heard of **Life in a Northern Town** by The Dream Academy, but I can remember precious little about the quadratic formula while I can still hear that song in my head as clear as can be. Yet there was a time when I _knew_ what the quadratic formula was and when and how to use it. It’s gone now, and I quite frankly don’t miss it. So is the difference in test scores mostly a result of memorization? Can a person of “average” intelligence test on the level of a genius if they cram for a few nights before the test? I think it’s possible. It’s a measure of how well one can prepare for a specific test; and much of school is the same way, in my opinion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-you-anyway/313105.md?page=7)