# What is a "good" IQ score? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 9, 2001, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171 "2001-06-09T11:08:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/41 "2001-06-10T16:45:22Z")
Preview once, preview twice, preview 3 times… :o ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/42 "2001-06-10T23:30:22Z")
I want to understand how IQ tests are scored different for children and adults. I was tested when I was nine, and scored 132. If I was tested now, as an adult, would I expect that number to go up, down, or remain the same? And does an adult’s age play any part in the score, like on a child’s test, or would it make no difference if I did it this year or in 20 years? Also, could I have been tested in high school and not know it? I didn’t know I was taking one when I was nine, since we took them along with standardized tests and were not told that that test wasn’t one of them…would they do that to a teenager? ---
**Author:** ![Ross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Ross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ross)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/43 "2001-06-10T23:37:23Z")
Dude… I’m deliberately not reading the other replies so it may well be that the results are relative, etc. However I have a score of 137 (once, on a 64k Amstrad CPC 464, against my then girlfriend, roughly 2 years ago) and I’m told I’m around GENIUS rating so you may consider yourself a genius plus, and everyone else should have a new test. L. O. L. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/44 "2001-06-10T23:46:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bob Scene \* > \*\* > Anyway, I know I really am a genius because of [The Spark’s online IQ test.](http://test3.thespark.com/iqtest/) They said I was way above average. \*\* I got a measly 112 on this one, but I question the methodology! _Actual Macdonald-Cartier High School guidance counsellor quote to then 16 year old eunoia:_“People with I.Q.'s as high as yours don’t tend to be very successful in life.” Thanks for the advice. ---
**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:** [June 11, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/45 "2001-06-11T01:26:59Z")
Quoth **Amadeus** : > [@](#): > > I don’t know, by all accounts it is Greg Smith. That page just says that his IQ is too high to be measured, not that it’s the highest in the world. I don’t think that there’s an IQ test yet that can accurately measure higher than the 99.5 percentile or so, which would mean that one person in two hundred merits that distinction. Ten years also isn’t the record for a college student, by any means: We had a physics major here last year who was seven. No, I won’t reveal names: This student already has exactly as much publicity as the parents want. For those worried about being replaced by folks like Greg, remember that child prodigies often don’t amount to anything in particular, as adults. See Cecil’s article about [William Sidis](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/991210.html) ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/46 "2001-06-11T02:23:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elfkin477 \* > \*\*I want to understand how IQ tests are scored different for children and adults. I was tested when I was nine, and scored 132. If I was tested now, as an adult, would I expect that number to go up, down, or remain the same? And does an adult’s age play any part in the score, like on a child’s test, or would it make no difference if I did it this year or in 20 years? Also, could I have been tested in high school and not know it? I didn’t know I was taking one when I was nine, since we took them along with standardized tests and were not told that that test wasn’t one of them…would they do that to a teenager? \*\* Child IQ scores tend to be inflated, so your score now on the same test would likely be lower than it was when you were nine. And no, an adult’s age is not taken into consideration when figuring the scores, that’s only a factor with children. FWIW, those mass IQ tests administered in elementary schools are not very accurate (even as IQ tests go) and I don’t believe they are used any more. ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/47 "2001-06-11T02:46:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elfkin477 \* > \*\*I want to understand how IQ tests are scored different for children and adults. I was tested when I was nine, and scored 132. If I was tested now, as an adult, would I expect that number to go up, down, or remain the same? And does an adult’s age play any part in the score, like on a child’s test, or would it make no difference if I did it this year or in 20 years? \*\* An IQ score of 132 would be expected to remain stable. It’s only at the extremes of IQ (top and bottom) that the MA/CA are an issue. Your score is unlikely to have gone up or down if the test were a valid test administered by a competent psychologist. If the test were a group test, then there is a possibility that it is not accurate. there’s a lot of links from this page which might help explain some of it [http://hoagiesgifted.org/testing.htm](http://hoagiesgifted.org/testing.htm) ---
**Author:** ![dylan\_73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dylan\_73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dylan_73)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/48 "2001-06-11T10:03:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by eunoia \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Bob Scene \* > > \*\* > > Anyway, I know I really am a genius because of [The Spark’s online IQ test.](http://test3.thespark.com/iqtest/) They said I was way above average. \*\* > > I got a measly 112 on this one, but I question the methodology! > \*\* My score on the same test: > [@](#): > > * * * > > ``` > Your IQ: 175 > Genius. > Worldwide Average: 102 > > ``` > > * * * I suspect that’s the only test I’m likely to achieve such a score, though I think it really says something about me 😉 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/49 "2001-06-11T18:43:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cartooniverse \* > Your MEMBER NAME IS **KNEADTOKNOW** , and you tell us we don’t want to know??? \>\>Snort\<\< please. For those of us who are not Pun Deficit, fine, you got your laugh. Share, or get outa the pool 😃 Yes, my username is **KneadToKnow**. First person to give me a [shoulder rub](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=683006#post683006) hears the secret. 🙂 Seriously, though, **Cartooniverse** , the laugh is all I wanted … y’all should know that about me by now. 😃 Having gotten my laugh, I’ll play fair: when I took the WAIS at age 17 or so, mine was 140. Nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to get excited about. It would get me into Mensa were I so inclined, which I’m not. Sorry to be such a tease. I just don’t open up on command, that’s all. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/50 "2001-06-12T00:39:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by eunoia \*\*\* > _Actual Macdonald-Cartier High School guidance counsellor quote to then 16 year old eunoia:_“People with I.Q.'s as high as yours don’t tend to be very successful in life.” > > Thanks for the advice. \*\* Wow. That complete failure of a _high school guidance counselor_ (snicker) must have had an awesome I.Q.! ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/51 "2001-06-12T00:40:27Z")
> [@](#): > > * * * > > ## Your IQ: 175 Genius. Worldwide Average: 102 Why does this put me in mind of “Wile E. Coyote, GEN-ius”? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ssj\_man2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ssj\_man2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssj_man2k)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/52 "2001-06-12T06:45:16Z")
That densa test made me feel stupid. DAmn you to hell!! ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/53 "2001-06-12T07:13:51Z")
Maybe you could help me figure out which IQ test I took when I was 11. It was administered by a school psychologist, all the portions were timed. One part had me trying to recreate a pattern shown to me on a sheet of paper by rearranging these half red/half white blocks. There was also an extensive analogy section, some pattern completion questions (‘What is the next number in this series?’ ‘What is the next shape in this series?’) and a part where I had to rearrange these pictures (similar to a comic strip without words) into the correct order and explain what is going on. I scored a 158 on that, which is the only ‘real’ test I have taken that I know the scores for. On most of the online tests I score anywhere from the high 140s to the mid 160s. ---
**Author:** ![Synergist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Synergist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Synergist)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/54 "2001-06-12T09:01:00Z")
My scores on various tests, IQ and otherwise, to put my comments in context: Stanford Binet (Mensa administered): 148 California SomethingOrAnother of Adult Inteligence (It was 20 years ago, also Mensa administered): 152 PSAT: 648 out of 800 (Highest in Texas that year) SAT: 1500 out of 1600 (Second highest in the state, Leo F. beat me with a 1510) LSAT: 48 out of 48; 94 out of 98 raw score Whatever it is that IQ tests measure, it is, at best, only one aspect of a persons personality and talents. Although Steven J. Gould, in The Mismeasure of Man, makes a good argument that nobody knows what IQ tests measure, I tend to lean toward believing that they simply measure the ability to take IQ tests. Don’t get me wrong. I am proud of the numbers above. But as was mentioned earlier in the thread, in the real world other factors are usually more important. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/55 "2001-06-12T14:39:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Badtz Maru \* > \*\*Maybe you could help me figure out which IQ test I took when I was 11. It was administered by a school psychologist, all the portions were timed. One part had me trying to recreate a pattern shown to me on a sheet of paper by rearranging these half red/half white blocks. There was also an extensive analogy section, some pattern completion questions (‘What is the next number in this series?’ ‘What is the next shape in this series?’) and a part where I had to rearrange these pictures (similar to a comic strip without words) into the correct order and explain what is going on. > \*\* It was probably the Stanford-Binet, although it might have been the WISC. I’ve taken them both so many times I can’t remember which is which, but given the setting it was more likely the Stanford-Binet. ---
**Author:** ![blainer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a698b9/32.png) [@blainer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blainer)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/56 "2001-06-12T20:02:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by red\_dragon60 \* > \*\*163. Not bad for a 16 year old. > > And 130+ is considered gifted. \*\* FYI - IQ tests are generally scored taking into account the age of the test taker. Thus the responses of a 16 year old that score a 163 might yield a lower score for an older subject. I think that my score showed I was special . . . ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/57 "2001-06-13T03:21:11Z")
Quoting myself (a rare act): > [@](#): > > Outside of gaining admittance to Mensa perhaps, one’s IQ score bears no currency in real life. As has been noted here by others, the original intent of IQ testing was to take a snapshot of society and analyze on a global scale, but the end result somehow migrated to the individual. And my statement related above, along with other similar sentiments expressed, remains true. But now **Synergist** has introduced admissions testing scores to the mix, and that’s a different, but not too much so, bag. No university I know of admits to looking at IQ test scores in their admissions reconnaissance, but they _do_ look at SATs. And that’s a whole 'nuther subject. SATs are designed to identify those who will most likely (not benefit, not grow) succeed in a college environment. IIRC, and I’m stretching, my SAT total score was 1460. I never applied to UT (University of Texas at Austin), I just showed up and registered. I managed to get through and graduate with nary a challenge, but my SAT scores and high school transcript/diploma were never asked for nor transmitted to the school. And I never saw a counselor. I guess the end result of my musings on the subject are that the OP has expressed some curiousity about what an IQ score means, and has received some good feedback, and is also at a point in life where these apparently objective measurements can guide decisions that are long felt. IQ scores really mean nothing in the long run. SAT and related scores can bedevil or beknight one way beyond reason. But only for a little while. Gaa! I can think up an essay that’s probably way outside of what the OP contemplates. Suffice to say, you didn’t flunk the test, pal! ---
**Author:** ![Neurodoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@Neurodoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurodoc)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/58 "2001-06-13T05:57:37Z")
That I took an IQ test in 9th Grade (at 14, I began first grade at five). I don’t know which test they gave me, but I was told I scored 186, which made me feel better about the B+ I got in Latin (yeah, I was in Parochial School…Cardinal Spellman HS in the Bronx). I didn’t get a perfect 1600 on the SAT, however. I got an 800(V) and 760(M), which surprised me because I thought I was better at science than literature. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/59 "2001-06-13T15:42:57Z")
IQ is intelligence based on age. 100= same intelligence as someone your age. 150= intelligence of someone 1.5 times your age, Etc. Thus, if you are 50 & have an IQ of 150, you have an IQ of someone who is 75 years old 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171/60 "2001-06-18T03:54:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\* > IQ is intelligence based on age. 100= same intelligence as someone your age. 150= intelligence of someone 1.5 times your age, Etc. > > Thus, if you are 50 & have an IQ of 150, you have an IQ of someone who is 75 years old 🙂 \*\* That explains my senility. Thank heaven, I though it was the drugs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-iq-score/68171.md?page=2)