Damn! Even the dopes at Straightdope are smart!
I used to wish I knew what my IQ was. When I was about 12, I took an IQ test as part of an admissions test to a school I didn’t go to anyway. My mom never let me see the results.
A couple of years ago, I took a test on thespark.com, and they determined my IQ to be 172. Then they went on to say that my IQ was calculated based solely on how long I spent taking the test - there was no end to the test, and the questions eventually repeated.
Of course, then, that score has absolutely no merit. Heh. 
Back when I was studying psychology, it was made known to us that IQ tests were considered balls by their community. They measure only a very limited amount of things. They make no measure, in particular, of emotional intelligence. In fact I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that most people who get rather high IQ figures would perhaps get rather lower (hypothetical) empathy scores. And if we start concerning ourselves with what we consider intelligence to be for - is it to help us be a ‘success’ - then an ability to relate to (and on a darker note, manipulate) others is far more useful than pattern recognition and the like. And I’m quite sure that you can be a fantastic inventor or whatnot without a high IQ. 99% perspiration and all that.
Oh, and for the record, when I did the test as a fifteen yr-old, I got 153 (go me, I must be like, a genius). If I practiced the tests for months I reckon I could bump that up to 160, as they are a task you get noticably better at the more you do them.
Sorry for veering a bit off the central ‘What is your IQ’ crux of the thread there.
All the scores mentioned here mean nothing at all I am afraid. As someone pointed out no one knows what test, or who tested or (horror) it was an internet test.
If you were tested on one of the Mensa recommended tests and scored above the 98th percentile (ie all different scores, must be converted to a standardised measure such as a z score or a percentile) you can be forgiven for boasting a bit. Otherwise I am afraid it all means nothing. A number means nothing. For all you know the 150’s 160’s and 170’s that are flooding this thread might be the mean score on that particular test.
(Congratulations coosa, my son belongs to Mensa, for him it is a waste of a yearly fee because they offer nothing of interest to him, I hope you find a special interest group you can get involved in)
I’m just gonna say I’m too smart to bother taking one of these ‘tests’
d&r
I took 8 tests from 2 different books covering 4 different aspects of intelligence - 4 hours worth of tests.
I got as low as 95 on one of them (I didnt know what the hell I was supposed to do), but got in the 120’s-130’s for the rest once I ‘caught on’.
Averaged out, I got about 125-130.
Never done an on-line test though, so coudlnt comment on those.
Thanks, auliya. I’m sure Mensa isn’t for everyone - if a person receives plenty of acceptance and support in their everyday life Mensa may be nothing more than something impressive to put on a resume. Maybe it exists primarily for misfits like me?
Dr. Nick has done a good job of explaining what I meant by my previous remark about IQ not being good for much if you don’t know how to do anything with it. I think emotional stability and maturity are probably more important to a successful and happy life than any amount of ‘smarts’.
158 last time I had a professionally administered test, but that was when I was 11 - IQ tests taken as a child often give inflated results. I took an online timed test and got a 147 a few years ago, I should probably give myself some points as I was talking with a customer at the time (on the phone), but does multitasking skill have anything to do with intelligence?