# What's your IQ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664 "2003-03-11T22:00:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![preacherswife](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@preacherswife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/preacherswife)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/121 "2003-04-03T17:07:58Z")
I just came up with 127. I think that is a good thing. Mine would probably be higher if all that useless information I carry around were not clouding my intelligence… ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/122 "2003-04-03T18:26:38Z")
Somewhere in the 130’s I was told. While this puts me in a very high percentile, the odd thing is I don’t feel smart. I’m sure that in the circles in which I move I’m pretty typical, so I feel…average! Another aspect of it is probably that it’s like a physical characteristic that you’ve lived with all your life and are used to, such as your height. I don’t suppose tall people ‘feel’ tall, they’re just used to being that way. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/123 "2003-04-03T20:45:50Z")
I officially tested at 154 when I was about 12 or so. I took an internet test at 22 and scored 157, so I’m guessing it’s somewhere around there. ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/124 "2003-04-03T23:37:56Z")
What’s my IQ? According to my own estimates, quite high. Muahahahaha! Of course, I didn’t take one of the test, as in the OP, with questions being asked out loud. What’s up with that? **Coldfire** > [@](#): > > So what exactly is “gifted”? What tests do schools use? Guess it depends, but some of the schools I know of use a test called the “the parents made a fuss” test. **Primaflora** > [@](#): > > The neuropysch took 3 hours to do the report and interpretation of her findings. It cost $700. That’s way cheaper than it costs in the US BTW. Que? It’s a good living, but not $700 a pop. \*\* > [@](#): > > In many (or most) states it is illegal for anyone but a licensed psychologist to give and score an actual IQ test… Are you sure? I’ve seen everybody from social workers on up to genuine brain surgeons give and score and “actual IQ test.” Actually, now that I think of it, I’m pretty sure mere graduate students sometimes give and score actual IQ tests! ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/125 "2003-04-04T00:05:13Z")
A person who has been instructed in how to give a standard IQ test may do so under the supervision of a licensed psychologist in most if not all of the states in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![DrLizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@DrLizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrLizardo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/126 "2003-04-04T00:39:39Z")
In the glory days of Rolls-Royce, their sales literature listed horsepower as “sufficient”… I’ll go with that answer for my IQ too. ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/127 "2003-04-05T05:27:16Z")
Curious thread. Are we all geniuses, liars, or wishful thinkers. I was tested pretty much every year through elementary school (mostly because we kept moving to new states). I never saw any scores, but I always ended up in special classes or advancing grades. In fourth grade a friend of mine who was also the son of my teacher told me that he had seen my record and I had an IQ of 187. For whatever it’s worth, I believe that score was not unlikely, but I never got independent confirmation. When I asked my mother, she said, “It’s just a number. Go outside and play.” _shrug_ I do know that I have always done well on standardized tests of any kind. I also know that after college that is a skill which has proven to be precisely useless. ---
**Author:** ![IEatFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c5a1d2/32.png) [@IEatFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IEatFood)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/128 "2003-04-05T07:30:09Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t suppose tall people ‘feel’ tall, they’re just used to being that way. Actually we do. But only because cars are are made for shorter people (6’4" here, & I know for a fact my car was designed for someone closer to 5’8" all the way on down…), as a doorways, countertops, cabinets, etc… Also it is somewhat normal to hear “Gee, you’re tall. Ever play basket ball?” on at least weekly basis, lol… As for IQ, yeah I have one of those. ---
**Author:** ![elfje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19b73/32.png) [@elfje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfje)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/129 "2003-04-05T11:59:49Z")
my IQ is _that_ high, that even I can’t comprehend the actual figure 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/130 "2003-04-05T15:03:35Z")
According to the official test we took in grade school (about age 10 or so, IIRC), mine is 165. Various internet tests currently give anywhere from 145 to 170. In other words, who the hell knows? Me am smart. ---
**Author:** ![TheFunkySpaceCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@TheFunkySpaceCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFunkySpaceCowboy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/131 "2003-04-05T16:35:00Z")
Tested officially (don’t know which test) when I was in grade school at 145, was tested again in college by a psych-major friend at 159, again I don’t remember which of the test’s she used. On a side note, while the school did disclose the results of the test to my parents they were told not to tell me and that if I became very insistant about knowing to lie to me and underreport my score. Years later my mom fessed up to this and explained that the school felt it would have a negative impact on the self esteem of the dumber childern if the gifted ones knew their IQ’s. And since other people have been reporting it too on the M-B personality test I’m an ENTP. ---
**Author:** ![Merla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Merla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merla)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/132 "2003-04-05T17:00:09Z")
Test on internet: 155 Official test: 130. OUCH! Don’t you know that’s only two points away from being able to join Mensa… My IQ test isn’t considered official by many people, since I was tested when I was under 16. Merla ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/133 "2003-04-05T18:05:11Z")
Correct expression of it requires numbers that have yet to be invented. Sadly, like the root of negative one, they are imaginary. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/134 "2003-04-05T20:58:28Z")
I have tested several times and usually fall into the 145-150 range, but anyone who has ever met me will likely try to convince you otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![coosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@coosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coosa)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/135 "2003-04-08T00:25:52Z")
Thanks for the congrats, **MLS** and **John Carter**. I’m not going to detail my personal problems here; suffice it to say that the validation was very important to me, and I love the local Mensa group and am delighted I qualified to join. **j.c.** , I’m going by what I’ve read on the internet, what the Mensa proctor told us, and what my therapist said, which is that the mental health center quit doing any sort of testing when they were told they had to keep a properly trained and licensed psychologist on staff in order to do so (this is in Alabama - apparently it varies from state-to-state). I think “supervision” is the key word here, as well as distinguishing between an “official” IQ test and one given for, perhaps, research purposes. I _do_ know that you can’t buy one of the ‘accepted’ tests unless you present the proper credentials, at least not in the USA. It may be different in other countries. Also, as someone (I think **MLS** ) pointed out, your ‘score’ depends on which test you take - if you look [here](http://www.us.mensa.org/join_mensa/testscores.php3) you’ll see a partial list of various tests accepted by Mensa and the scores required on each in order to qualify. For example, they require a score of 132 on the Stanford Binet, and a score of 148 on the Cattrell. Not that a high IQ means doodly-squat unless you have the character and ability to do something with it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_plural\_of\_anecdote\_is\_data](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@The\_plural\_of\_anecdote\_is\_data](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_plural_of_anecdote_is_data)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/136 "2003-04-08T00:31:41Z")
Mine is the same as that Dr. Faustus, except that I’m not a medical doctor but an herbalist. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/137 "2003-04-08T00:40:57Z")
In high school me and my friends came up ‘The Wesley Rule of IQ detirmination’, named in honor of an obnoxious liar named Wesley. Basically most people’s reported IQ is 5-10 points higher than the average of the people in the room who have already said theirs. Not that I have the inclination, but it would be interesting to go through all these posts and see how many of them fit that. ---
**Author:** ![meyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@meyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meyer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/138 "2003-04-08T01:21:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The plural of anecdote is data \* > \*\*Mine is the same as that Dr. Faustus, except that I’m not a medical doctor but an herbalist. \*\* Wait a minute - Dr. Faustus wasn’t a real person, was he? Do you mean Goethe? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/139 "2003-04-08T01:46:50Z")
The thread lives on, and the astoundingly high IQs continue to pile up. I could write these posts myself under a series of sock puppets, just vary the words a little for each sock, and you’d never know: “Well, I was tested and I have an IQ of 177, but it’s 179 on days I eat haddock. Not that my incredibly high IQ means anything, of course, ha ha ha. Heck, it’s almost a disadvantage, since my brain is so enormous I can’t find hats that fit. But, it’s just a test. That was 177, by the way.” You guys know it’s a logarithmic scale, right? ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664/140 "2003-04-08T02:20:53Z")
Yeah Rick but you left out the bit where nobody knows which test was used and who administered the test and when the test was given. But of course all the scores are valid ;). I’m especially fond of the anecdotes where adults are getting scores over 160 when there is no currently normed test which goes that high. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-iq/160664.md?page=8)