# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/61 "2024-05-21T21:14:16Z")
I am surprised that 6% of 104 respondents so far have answered “under 80”, but none “80-99”. That is not what a normal distribution looks like. The whole curve is not normal here, no matter where you put the median. I used to be quite good at IQ tests: you can improve by practising. I once helped a psychology student with a series of tests he had to perform: I learned a lot. Then I asked him what the IQ-tests actually measure. He answered: They measure the skill of the subject at answering IQ-tests correctly. Not more, no less. Made sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/62 "2024-05-21T21:15:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Yeah, I remember that, too. It determined which homeroom you ended up in when you arrived at junior high (7th grade). The homerooms were labeled 7A, 7B, etc., with 7A being the highest scoring. Now, nobody told us this, but it was easy to figure out (at least for those of us in 7A) that the smartest kids were in that room. Now, children, you’ve been assigned to reading groups, isn’t that fun? All the groups are equally good, so you should all be proud! The Gold group and the Silver group will meet in our regular classroom. The Brown group will meet in the basement. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/63 "2024-05-21T21:27:11Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I am surprised that 6% of 104 respondents so far have answered “under 80”, but none “80-99”. That is not what a normal distribution looks like. Sure, but this thread is not a representative sample of society. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/64 "2024-05-21T21:28:19Z")
> [@Humans](#): > > 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. Indeed. I had taken an online IQ test that showed that I was within close-enough range of Mensa that then prompted/encouraged me to take the Mensa test itself. In fact, I actually scored higher on the Mensa (proctored, in-person) exam than I did on the online one. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/65 "2024-05-21T21:29:12Z")
Oh, so _you_ were one of the … ups! Sorry! never mind. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/66 "2024-05-21T21:38:54Z")
I like to think I’m smart but darn there are a lot of geniuses on this board. My official test, I was told, was 138. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/67 "2024-05-21T22:21:16Z")
My wife actually went through three days of lab testing as part of a study on high-functioning dyslexics. Accordingly to that, her IQ is apparently 161 (don’t remember which scale - this was 25-30 years ago). But she’s not on this board. ---
**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, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/68 "2024-05-21T22:40:11Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > but this thread is not a representative sample of society. Or even of this board. Have we ever done a poll on highest education level achieved here? My WAG is we are skewed to higher than the general population to higher education and advanced degrees. Responses to that are going to have somewhat less selection bias. ---
**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, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/69 "2024-05-21T22:44:04Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > My wife actually went through three days of lab testing as part of a study on high-functioning dyslexics. Accordingly to that, her IQ is apparently 161 (don’t remember which scale - this was 25-30 years ago). But she’s not on this board. Neither is mine, and she’s smarter than I am. I pity any fool who gets into a political argument with her. ---
**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 22, 2024, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/70 "2024-05-22T01:06:11Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Or even of this board. I would guess that people who don’t know their score are inclined to skip the thread since they can’t answer anyway and many people who DO know their score here were tested because the school called them gifted or they wanted to see if they could join Mensa or some similar “high score” weighing event. So, yeah, the responses here likely aren’t reflective of anything meaningful. ---
**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 22, 2024, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/71 "2024-05-22T01:25:41Z")
A search reveals that educational level achieved was in a polls only thread: > [@Polls only: No discussion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/2346): > > Your level of education: [poll](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/2346) > [@Polls only: No discussion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/2346): > > Your level of education: > > - 46%Bachelor’s degree > > - 18%Master’s degree > > - 14%High-school diploma > > - 13%Doctorate > > - 8%Associate’s degree > > - 1%High-school dropout In comparison national numbers as of 2018 according to US Census bureau by way of Wikipedia: Educational attainment in the United States (2018)[[5]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_attainment_in_the_United_States#cite_note-5)|Education|Age 25 and over|Age 25-30| | — | — | — | |High school diploma or [GED](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Educational_Development)|89.80%|92.95%| |Some college|61.28%|66.34%| |Associate degree|45.16%|46.72%| |Bachelor’s degree|34.98%|36.98%| |Master’s degree|13.04%|9.01%| |Professional degree|3.47%|2.02%| |Doctorate|2.03%|1.12%| So yes much more skewed to more highly educated than the general adult population, based on that sample anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/72 "2024-05-22T01:44:25Z")
I was tested in High School. My IQ is 302. If you guys were as smart as I am (and you are not), you would realize that you need to adjust those numbers for inflation. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/73 "2024-05-22T01:45:20Z")
When I was a young kid (early grade school, in the early 70s) my school did IQ tests for a bunch of kids in my class–and sent out the results to the parents of everyone who took it. Like, I mean, _every_ set of parents got the whole list. Which, of course, they’d never get away with these days. I still have the list; I found it in my mom’s papers after she died. I was the highest one on the list–it gave my score as 155+. Okay, I was a damn smart kid, and proud of it. But… I wasn’t _that_ smart. And these days, I feel like it’s a good thing I had some IQ points to spare because quite a few of them must have dribbled out my ears over the years. 😛 I’m still smart. I’m probably smarter than a lot of people. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel like a dummy a lot of the time. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/74 "2024-05-22T01:45:44Z")
The last time my IQ was tested, it was 60, but that test was scored in Celsius. ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/75 "2024-05-22T01:52:00Z")
Why is this separated from my original post? ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/76 "2024-05-22T01:55:18Z")
You’re drawing your own conclusions ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/77 "2024-05-22T12:41:57Z")
In all my years, I’ve yet to meet someone with an IQ below 130. It’s a funny old world. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/78 "2024-05-22T15:23:41Z")
In 1979, I took this [high-IQ test](http://www.lumifont.co.uk/omnitest.php) published in Omni magazine. > The test reproduced here was designed in 1979 by San Fransisco systems analyst Kevin Langdon to measure IQs in the range 125 to 180, and was claimed at that time to be the world’s most difficult IQ test. It is unsupervised and untimed. The only rule was that you were honour-bound to take it on your own, without help, but you could spend as long as you wanted on it - hours, days or months. What mattered was not the time taken, nor any special expertise or knowledge you may have, but just your power of concentration and ability to find the only logical solution by thinking deeply. > When this test was first published, those brave enough to try it sent their completed answer sheet to Omni for marking, and received an IQ report in return. The correct answers were not revealed. I have answered the poll above with the number that was given on the returned test, but if I posted it here, you’d think I was lying or bragging. The only other person I’ve told is my wife. I will admit that it is between 100 and 200. What means more to me than that number is an incident that my father related to me a while ago. He met someone who asked, when he heard Dad’s last name, if he was related to me. It turned out we had gone to junior high school together fifty years earlier. My classmate told my father, “He was _really_ smart.” I didn’t think I had a particular reputation for intelligence back then – and how smart could I have been when I was 12? – but it was extremely gratifying that, after five decades, _that_ was what one of my peers remembered about me. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/79 "2024-05-22T16:06:39Z")
In 8th grade, my teachers were confused at my ability to ace tests without doing homework or taking notes on class. So confused, they were, the administration had me do a formal IQ test. I remember it pretty clearly still, over 30 years later. Especially plowing through the “use these words in a sentence” part, and the test administrator running out of patterns during the block design portion with the red & white cubes. My official score was 131. I didn’t get accused of cheating on tests again until we moved during my junior year of high school. Turns out I was just a smart loud who did silly things, like “read encyclopedias for fun” and “pay attention in class.” ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840/80 "2024-05-22T16:23:35Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > ou got \_\_\_\_ number of questions correct, you qualify and hereby are offered admission”) but not the IQ itself, probably because different IQ tests scale to different numbers - Stanford Binet may say you are 129, Wonderlic may say you are 142, etc. I just came across my letter from 1985. It lists the score in each of several scales back then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-whats-your-iq-score/1001840.md?page=5)