echoes420

Are there any tests on the net that are equivalent to "real" IQ tests? And while we're on the subject, does anyone else have a problem with the concept of "intelligence quotient"? I haven't organized my thoughts completely but I think I view intelligence more like art, as subjective, and not quantifiable... what do YOU think?

badflsh

I agree, I don't think there is any way to truly measure IQ...only to estimate it at best.

I know I have seen some on the net but I don’t recall where, I am sure someone else can help you out there. I just wanted to tell you to be a bit wary of the results of online IQ tests. The environment is much less controlled than the environment in which a true test would be given. There for the results aren’t quite as meaningful.

cliche

There are plenty of real IQ tests on the net (try a quick google search). But they're not quite as reliable as a 'real one' conducted under exam conditions (though a lot cheaper, and not bad!) - you have to be quite honest with the timings, plus half of them are only valid in the range, say, 70-130 and have real problems if your IQ is higher (I say higher because you're on TFP and I think <70 is a bit unlikely )

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I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones. -- John Cage (1912 - 1992)

JamesS

Echoes420, an IQ test is designed to measure only a few specific concepts: capacity for reasoning, logic, ability to express thought, things of that nature.

It would be impossible to objectively measure someone's creativity or, as you say, their capacity for art, et cetera.

To draw an analogy from air, think of an IQ test as a measurement of how efficiently the brain's BIOS operates - such a test can't begin to measure the software built upon this base.

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The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.
-- Albert Schweitzer

micah67

Or to draw another analogy...

It's similar to a person asking if they're insane. If you can honestly ask the question, then the answer is "no". If you start or post in a conversation about IQs, then you don't need to be concerned: you are intelligent.

Yes, my tongue is firmly in my cheek.

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~micah

dexlargo

Most of the IQ tests online are fun to do, but don't pay for them, and don't believe them. I have found that most of them tend to tell you that you are really smart so that you'll get excited and buy something from them. So, if you score super-high don't get too excited, I suspect that they tell most people that.

CSflim

Yeah thats true.
A post of mine in a thread in nonsense, with a link to an IQ test.

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...threadid=19805
http://www.emode.com/tests/uiq/

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cliche

CSFlim - you're right, that test's a total crock! Randomly clicking on the answers without reading the question ->
IQ 88 - you are a 'Precision Processor'

Well, my index finger is a 'Precision Processor' and 'This means you're exceptionally good at discovering quick solutions to problems' - very quick considering the entire test took about 10 seconds...

So, it looks like we need to find some reliable internet tests. Links/ideas anyone?

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I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones. -- John Cage (1912 - 1992)

micah67

Another 88. That must be their bottom of the scale.

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~micah

orange monkeyee

IQ tests are lame. I know one with an IQ well over 145. He is lazy and still has about a B average whereas if he worked at school he would be able to have a 4.0 + .

CSflim

IQ doesn't measure you're commitment, it measures (part of) your intelligence.
You said it yourself, if he worked, he would do well in school.

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jfm

Quote:

IQ doesn't measure you're commitment, it measures (part of) your intelligence.


don't you mean your commitment???

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I am, therefore I think.

CSflim

sorry, yeah, badly chosen word.

An intelligent person who is also lazy isn't going to do well in school. Doing well requires both intelligence and work.
Admitedly having a higher than average intelligence, will let you get away with doing less work, and conversely people who work hard can get good results, even if they aren't particularly intelligent.

So, orange monkeyee's claim that IQ tests are rubbish because he knows someone with a high IQ who is lazy is a flawed argument.

Intelligence and laziness are not mutually independant characteristics.
And academic sucess doesn't have any direct implications for your intelligence.

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micah67

I am that person. High IQ but unmotivated. My parents made the argument that the IQ test hurt: I was told I was a genius so, basically, I didn't study or strive to better myself. It was only by really pushing myself later in life that I excelled.

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~micah