# If you didn't know your I.Q., would you want to find out? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 27, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-didnt-know-your-i-q-would-you-want-to-find-out/301292 "2005-04-27T01:01:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-didnt-know-your-i-q-would-you-want-to-find-out/301292/21 "2005-04-27T19:12:22Z")
> [@PsychoBabble](#): > > If the author of the test is not Wecshler or Woodcock-Johnson, I wouldn’t put too much stake in the results. Heh heh. Heh. Heh heh heh. “Woodcock-Johnson.” Heh heh. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-didnt-know-your-i-q-would-you-want-to-find-out/301292/22 "2005-04-27T19:45:16Z")
I had my IQ measured when I was seven. My parents didn’t tell me what it was until I was 18, because they knew I’d lord it over my brother, who is a smart guy, but dyslexic and slow at tests and was quite sensitive to having a brainy little sister when we were growing up. I know what it was and I’m kind of curious as to what it is now, but I don’t care that much. I thought about sitting for Mensa tests, but Mensa isn’t very active around here anyway. Besides… what if I didn’t get in! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-didnt-know-your-i-q-would-you-want-to-find-out/301292/23 "2005-04-27T21:15:27Z")
I know mine. I was subject to many tests as a child. I don’t think it matters in day-to-day life, so it’s not something I hold much stock in. So, no. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-didnt-know-your-i-q-would-you-want-to-find-out/301292/24 "2005-04-27T21:42:02Z")
No, I wouldn’t want to know. I know that I’m smart enough to write reasonably well, argue intelligently (when I can be bothered to do so), and possess genuine intellectual curiosity. I also know that I’m tremendously lazy, self-centered, and chronic procrastinator. This tells me pretty much everything I need to know about my capabilities and the difficulties I face in exercising them - I don’t know what a number would add to that. What I _do_ know is that knowing my IQ score would probably not be a good thing. If it’s high, I’ll get even more lazy and insufferable than I already am - after all, I’d _know_ I was as great as I’d always thought I was. If it’s low, I’ll get lazier - after all, if I’m so ill-equiped for success, why even f–king try? And if it’s a pretty normal IQ…_shrugs_…don’t suppose it would make a difference. So between the fact that knowing my IQ wouldn’t do any good, it would probably do some harm, and taking an IQ test requires me to not be lazy - I doubt I’d ever bother. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-didnt-know-your-i-q-would-you-want-to-find-out/301292/25 "2005-04-27T21:59:22Z")
I don’t know mine, and I’m comfortable not knowing it. We took them as children and our parents didn’t tell us what our scores were. Apparently I scored higher than my big brother and my mom thought that would be too hard on his ego. I’ve been mildly curious at times in the past, but I know how successful I am at work and how good I am at my job, and that’s what matters to me. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2005, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-didnt-know-your-i-q-would-you-want-to-find-out/301292/26 "2005-04-27T23:11:02Z")
I’m with **Dinaroozie**. I was tested in grade school and again in high school, and they wouldn’t tell me the results. This made me want to know them. A college admissions counselor told me what they were. I later took an IQ test for fun with a group of friends in college. Interestingly, the college and grade school scores were identical, and the high school score was only one point different. Pretty darned consistent, if you ask me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-didnt-know-your-i-q-would-you-want-to-find-out/301292.md?page=1)