# Poll: what's your IQ score **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 21, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840 "2024-05-21T02:03:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/41 "2024-05-21T17:02:06Z")
My IQ score _was_ supposedly 134 way back in 1974. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/42 "2024-05-21T17:03:52Z")
Hey, my mom paid for mine. You callin’ my mom dumb? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/43 "2024-05-21T17:11:49Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > My score accurately (and generally) reflects my experience in school and in groups. It is very often going to match with experience in school, because school’s very often set up and judged according to the same mindset as the tests. And doing well in school tends to be a selecting factor for certain kinds of groups; though that’s going to vary more as it isn’t for all kinds of groups. It’s not entirely meaningless, no, because the ability to think in the fashions required to do well on that kind of test is very useful in this society; and the training required to be able to think in that fashion, for those who don’t but are capable of faking it, is similarly useful. But it’s meaningless IMO for judging somebody’s overall intellectual worth or their abilities in situations dissimilar to the schoolroom and the ones the schoolroom is training for. > [@Gyrate](#): > > I’m of the view that deciding not to pay money to Mensa just to achieve a superficial level of validation was probably a better measure of intelligence than the actual entrance exam. Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/44 "2024-05-21T17:38:19Z")
A lot of people score very high on IQ tests given at a young age. Since the score is calculated relevant to age their IQ could be significantly different as adults. Each IQ score you have tells you whatever IQ scores tell you at the time you were tested. Which is not much that you don’t know already. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/45 "2024-05-21T17:48:10Z")
I voted “never tested it”, but I was given an IQ test when I was in maybe the 4th grade or so. But I don’t actually know what my score was; my mom wouldn’t tell me. But I never tested it as an adult, and based on the post above it’s probably significantly different now anyway, so “never tested it” probably is a valid response. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/46 "2024-05-21T17:57:25Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > But I question whether an IQ score is _completely_ meaningless. There is no question to me that it is not meaningless, when part of a complete package of analysis, such as in the context of a neuropsychological evaluation. We _define_ learning disability as a significant mismatch between overall IQ and specific subdomains. It is not however what some think it is. I do think this a crowd that veers to being literate and of intellectual interests. While that doesn’t necessarily equate with high IQs (high IQ individuals can have no such interest) it does tend to go against popularity on the low side. I would not be surprised if we had an over representation of high side outliers either. But mostly I _suspect_ our average is average for a college and advanced degree crowd, which I suspect is somewhere 120 to 130ish. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/47 "2024-05-21T17:58:21Z")
I must have been tested at the start of 2nd grade, when my parents switched my brother and me to a Catholic elementary school, because I was put in an extracurricular club called “The Super Sleuths” that I only realized many (many) years later was for Smart Kids. But I never cared about my number until 2020, when I started working for a woman who I learned belonged to Mensa (she never mentioned it; I only knew because I had access to everyone’s resumes, and she had it listed). I got curious enough about my own IQ to take the Mensa home practice test, which said: “You scored a 65. Scores between 63 and 70 are above the 86th percentile and indicate an approximate IQ range between 116 and 125.” I played it safe and selected “110-119.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/48 "2024-05-21T18:01:45Z")
Good way to put it, 50 years and plenty of alcohol along the way, I doubt my number would hold. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I don’t remember what my score was; and if I did remember I wouldn’t post it, because it’s meaningless. Sounds like something a person with a 99 result would post. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/49 "2024-05-21T18:04:15Z")
Okay my suspicion for college degrees is wrong, even if it may have been correct once upon a time. > **[Meta-analysis: On average, undergraduate students' intelligence is merely...](https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14293%2FPR2199.000694.v1)** > > Background. According to a widespread belief, the average IQ of university students is 115 to > 130 IQ points, that is, substantially higher than the average IQ of the general population > ( > > M = 100, > ... ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/50 "2024-05-21T18:19:00Z")
I just took a quick online IQ test and it registered at 125+. It was only 10 questions, but I’ll take it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/51 "2024-05-21T18:26:28Z")
No idea. Supposedly I took one when I was a kid but I never knew the score. I’m sure my brain has turned to mush since then. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/52 "2024-05-21T18:34:23Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > The SDMB is the Lake Woebegon of message boards. A while back I did a study of Doper Jeopardy contestants. The percentage Jeopardy contestants on SDMB is several orders of magnitude higher than in the population as a whole. I didn’t adjust for non-US dopers, so we do even better. When I was in junior high in the mid-60s our IQ scores were in the class roster, and when the teacher was gone and left the book open someone in the front seat reported on it for us. I was told the same score two different years. It would be interesting to do a similar poll on SAT and Achievement test scores, but I know they readjusted. Back when I took them, ETS didn’t release sample tests so prep classes weren’t such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/53 "2024-05-21T18:52:17Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > I do think this a crowd that veers to being literate and of intellectual interests. While that doesn’t necessarily equate with high IQs ( **high IQ individuals can have no such interest** ) it does tend to go against popularity on the low side. My bold. Yeah, the _boring_ individuals. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/54 "2024-05-21T18:55:01Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > A-hem. I refer you to: > > > Straight Dope Message Board > > Your direct line to thousands of the **smartest** , hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks. > > My bold. Which the OP quoted early in his original post. That banner _may_ be deceptive by calling the user base some of the “smartest” people, but it would be extremely deceptive if it described the user base as being people that all read the op before replying to it. (_That_ happens in just about every thread.) ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/55 "2024-05-21T19:07:27Z")
I’ve never taken an official IQ test. According to the internet tests I see on Facebook I’m probably a 300 or so… In reality, I’m just an average guy. I have a college education in computer science and hold a senior management position in a fortune 500 company. For that I’d guess that I’m above 100 but not by much. I’d assume a real test would put me between 100 and 115. ---
**Author:** ![Humans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dfb087/32.png) [@Humans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Humans)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/56 "2024-05-21T19:11:23Z")
I’m also curious who’s smarter hackernews users or users here. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/57 "2024-05-21T20:51:55Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I voted “never tested it”, but I was given an IQ test when I was in maybe the 4th grade or so. But I don’t actually know what my score was; my mom wouldn’t tell me. I was tested in elementary school, but the school never told anyone what anyone’s score was. They said if it was low, students would get discouraged if it was high, they’d slack off and be overconfident. I did a couple of online tests ages ago with several years gap in between. Both times I came out around 140. Now I’m old, and I think I lose a few points every year. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/58 "2024-05-21T20:58:15Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I was tested in elementary school, but the school never told anyone what anyone’s score was. They said if it was low, students would get discouraged if it was high, they’d slack off and be overconfident. My mom’s reasoning for not telling me was probably similar, but I did get put in the “gifted” class as a result, so it was obviously high. I just don’t know _how_ high. And like you I suspect if I was tested again as an adult it would likely be less high. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/59 "2024-05-21T21:07:40Z")
> [@Humans](#): > > So naturally I was curious… Just for fun, even accepting scores from online tests if you never did a real one (most people haven’t). There are no online IQ tests. There are things online that claim to be IQ tests, but they’re so inaccurate as to be completely meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Humans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dfb087/32.png) [@Humans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Humans)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/60 "2024-05-21T21:10:15Z")
This was true in the past, but now you can find some decent ones that can get you in the same ballpark as a written test. There’s a Mensa Norway one and others that give reasonable results [https://test.mensa.no/Home/Test/en](https://test.mensa.no/Home/Test/en) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840.md?page=4)