# Test The Nation (U.S. - IQ) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899 "2003-06-05T18:59:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/1 "2003-06-05T18:59:24Z")
I understand that on June 9th at 7pm Central Time the Fox network will run a two-hour program called _Test The Nation_. This is based on a popular program by the same name that has aired in England over the past few years. So you think you’re IQ smart? How about taking this National 2003 IQ test I found on the BBC site. BBC apparently sponsors the British version of the show. While I KNOW Dopers are smart as hell – I’ll still wager we will not see any 150 scores on this test! Each of the questions are timed and must be answered in about 10 - 15 seconds. There are 70 total questiuons. This is not your typical on-line IQ test. Here’s the link to that BBC IQ test – for those who care and dare- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/testthenation/takethetest/](http://www.bbc.co.uk/testthenation/takethetest/) ---
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/2 "2003-06-05T19:07:06Z")
I should add that the average ON-LINE test taker score during the English version was about 105. Depending on the city it ranged from 103 to 107. Just so we don’t have too may bruised egos. ---
**Author:** ![Nate\_the\_Great](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ea924/32.png) [@Nate\_the\_Great](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nate_the_Great)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/3 "2003-06-05T19:31:09Z")
It would be helpful to note that this test (the Fox one) is for entertainment purposes only; however, American Mensa has assisted in the norming of this test. It should give you a good indication about how you would do on a real IQ test. ---
**Author:** ![Aguecheek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Aguecheek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aguecheek)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/4 "2003-06-05T19:39:33Z")
1. Language - 11/12 Memory - 11/12 Logic - 21/22 Numbers - 9/12 (Gad, I hate math) Perception - 10/12 (I almost had 11 - I clicked the right answer just as time ran out) Yay me! ---
**Author:** ![that.sound.again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@that.sound.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that.sound.again)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/5 "2003-06-05T20:06:41Z")
Can’t compete. 118 (of an estimated 110), Language: 9/12 Memory: 11/12 Logic: 18/22 Numbers: 9/12 Perception: 11/12 But then, English isn’t my first language… ---
**Author:** ![Optihut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/edb3f5/32.png) [@Optihut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Optihut)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/6 "2003-06-05T20:15:47Z")
Here is the breakdown: Your IQ Score is 125 (you estimated 128) Language 10 / 12 Memory 11 / 12 Logic 19 / 22 Numbers 12 / 12 Perception 9 / 12 To be fair (to myself, heh) I’m sure that I would have done slightly better, if English were my native language. Oh, but it was a nice test. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/7 "2003-06-05T20:23:43Z")
I got a 117 Language: 10/12 Memory: 12/12 Logic: 18/22 Numbers: 8/12 Perception: 8/12 ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/8 "2003-06-05T21:17:11Z")
130 (estimated 120): Language: 11/12 Memory: 12/12 (huge surprise - my memory sucks) Logic: 18/22 (ran out of time just as I was going for a couple) Numbers: 11/12 (I don’t even remember what I was being tested on in this section…see above about memory!) Perception: 10/12 Not bad, considering I was taking this at work, with lots of distractions. And I have no idea how Bristish money works… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/9 "2003-06-05T23:21:19Z")
Dang, I coulda _sworn_ I was gonna get at least a 150. 😉 Not bad: 134 (estimated 127) Language: 11/12 Memory: 12/12 Logic: 22/22 Numbers: 10/12 Perception: 11/12 I always hate quick mental arithmetic. I can’t do the stuff too quickly in my head (although I still got 10 correct :)) but I can figure it out on paper. ---
**Author:** ![Bren\_Cameron\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@Bren\_Cameron\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bren_Cameron_1)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/10 "2003-06-05T23:52:11Z")
113 Gah! But then, the kids were bugging me during the visualization test– Language–11/12 Memory–9/12 Logic–21/22 Numbers–9/12 Perception–4/12 I think we can all see where my downfall was. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/11 "2003-06-06T00:12:19Z")
125 (estimated 130) Language: 10/12 Memory: 10/12 Logic: 21/22 Numbers: 11/12 Perception: 9/12 ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/12 "2003-06-06T00:17:14Z")
That was fun. Overall: 134 (I guessed 115 – no confidence, I suppose) Language: 12/12 Memory: 11/12 Logic: 21/22 Numbers: 10/12 Perception: 11/12 ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/13 "2003-06-06T00:44:12Z")
```auto 130 (estimated 120) Language --- 11/12 Memory ----- 10/12 Logic ------ 19/22 Numbers ---- 10/12 Perception - 11/12 ``` ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/14 "2003-06-06T01:13:32Z")
Only 113 (I fell down on numbers and perception) but I want to conrest the one that was based on a UK phone pad :). ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/15 "2003-06-06T01:40:03Z")
Woo Hoo! 136! I didn’t keep track of what I got in each category, but I did the worst at the anagrams. I’ve always hated those… Eric ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/16 "2003-06-06T02:27:39Z")
How to solve multiple-choice anagrams: look at the answers and think of a related word, not the other way around! Since the reported average was about 105, I guessed a 102, which was ridiculously low. No self-confidence I suppose :). I scored a 130, but I ran out of time on one of them - I clicked just as the timer went, and I didn’t get the score! The breakdown: 12/12 languages, 12/12 memory (which is good, considering my username), 20/22 logic, 9/12 for numbers (gah I hate math!) and 10/12 for perception. I don’t know which I got wrong. The standard UK phone one stumped me as well, until I assumed it was the same as here! What threw me, though, was the “A” placed at the 1 position, when everyone knows that A is on the 2!! Neat test! ---
**Author:** ![jesleigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@jesleigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jesleigh)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/17 "2003-06-06T03:44:46Z")
language 11/12 memory 12/12 logic 16/22 numbers 9/12 perception 8/12 total of 117…I have no excuse…I resign myself to that score ---
**Author:** ![LtningBug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/73ab20/32.png) [@LtningBug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LtningBug)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/18 "2003-06-06T06:08:45Z")
130, I estimated 140 (d’oh!) I went pretty fast though, since I assumed time would be taken into account (well, yeah, the ones I missed were usually because I ran out of time, but oh well). I wonder how accurately this lines up with actual IQ test measurments. I also hope I didn’t skew their results for London. I couldn’t find Washington in their list of areas :wally ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Badger\_Racing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@Atomic\_Badger\_Racing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Badger_Racing)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/19 "2003-06-06T06:27:41Z")
I got 103… wha? I _know_ I’m not below average. ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899/20 "2003-06-06T07:35:43Z")
130, that could have been worse. I estimated 108 - a bit too cautious, but I’ve had language turn around and bite me on this sort of test before. Good fun. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-the-nation-u-s-iq/179899.md?page=2)