I am hoping not to "catch h___" on this one, believe me...?

Question

I have always felt I was an intelligent person for many reasons. I have done well in most of my classes, I have intelligent conversations, I am able to converse with people of all races and nationalities (ones that atleast can attempt English), Dr.'s, Lawyers, Engineers, you name it--and I can pull my own weight in good conversations on almost any subject. This is "NOT an egotistical or arrogant thing"-- just a confident thing.
Ok, NOW here's the clincher/ question:
I was very curious about "how smart" am I REALLY? I wanted facts!
So, I took an I Q test (one that was standard), and scored a slightly above average score, but NOT a high one. Like I said..an above average one.
Is it still ok to consider myself to be intelligent, when an I Q test determines me to be just above average?
This is a legitimate question. Please "no slack"-- just honest answers/ comments, please.
Thank you for your viewpoint.

Answer 1

The tests are totally subjective and can't measure your intelligence with complete accuracy. After all, they are a convention of modern society designed by humans who have flaws.
On that note, sociaeconomic factors Ior simply, lack of life experience) common sense, social skills, intuition, prediction, conversational skills, and other "human" considerations are left out of the test. The current theory of people having "multiple intelligences" is really not entered in typical intelligence testing.

An interesting article I recently read for a class follows. Certainly an interesting and hotly debated topic!

Answer 2

Yes it is okay. People can still be highly intelligent even if they don't have a high IQ. There are many different kinds of "smarts" so to speak. And just the same...people with a high IQ can also be pretty dim. I had an IQ test done by a professional because of a law suit I was involved in. It came back extremely high. Of course that made me feel good! But there are still some things that I am not that great with...it all depends on what your interests are and how much you read. Seriously. Reading is how people learn. Now my hubby...he has always been a bit slow. He took an IQ test online and the score was very low. But he knows so many other things....things that I don't even know about. We compliment one another well. Other factors in figuring out an IQ score are your state of mind while taking the test, if you are hungry, if you had enough sleep...the list goes on and on. So depending on what you do and how you feel when you take it affects your score a great deal! If you are really interested in finding out your IQ I would suggest having a real test done. The ones you find on the interent just aren't inclusive enough. Mine took a total of 9 hours to complete and we didn't even break for lunch! Anyhow...yes you sound like a smart person and if I were you I wouldn't allow a silly little number to decide how you should feel and look at yourself. Best of luck to you!

Answer 3

An above average IQ test score is nothing to be ashamed of. Consider the bell curve and that most people (close to or more than half) will be average. Very few will be far above or below average. Being above average puts you in the 70-85 percentile which when taken globally is an achievement.

Also consider that a single IQ score may be inaccurate. You should find a number of standardized tests from different sources and take them all. Your real IQ is likely an average of your scores on 3 or 4 different tests.

Consider also that certain IQ tests may be based on your language ability more than your actual thinking strength. Try to look for IQ tests that rely on various modes of thinking, including spatial reasoning, abstract thought, problem solving, complex patterns and memory recall. (not solely on literature analysis and technical word usage.)

Last of all: be proud of what you are! IQ scores are simply that, a score. At the end of the day, the score means only that the group of people who design those tests think that you are about that intelligent as compared with other people. Being thought of as intelligent and creative by your friends, family and peers is a far truer fact than a number created by some test.

Answer 4

Short answer: Yes. From your short description of yourself, I would say you are unquestionably intelligent. Anyone who would say you are or aren't based on a score on a test is selling you short and putting far more faith in the test than is deserved. You might do better (or worse) if you took the test again and your score, your IQ is as much based on what everbody else got as what you actually got yourself. There is a feeling among some - perhaps somewhat cynical, perhaps not that much - that all IQ tests measure is one's ability to pass IQ tests. So don't worry about it, you sound like an intelligent, perceptive, insightful, well-educated, highly-skilled individual and that's really what it's all about.

Answer 5

The concept of mental age has fallen into disrepute, and few tests continue to involve the computation of mental ages. Many tests still yield an IQ, but they are most often computed on the basis of statistical distributions. The scores are assigned on the basis of what percentage of people of a given group would be expected to have a certain IQ.
In other words, quit worrying about minute details. Focus on the fact that you are intelligent because you are.

Answer 6

IQ tests really aren't all they are cracked up to be.

I would suggest a couple of things.

First, be confident in yourself. You don't need strangers on yahoo answers to confirm what you already know.

Second, try and avoid the ego thing. Why is it so important that you consider yourself intelligent?

Third, use your powers of intellect for good. If you find yourself making tons of money because you're good at whatever you choose to do, make sure to give back.

Last, don't even take any of these answers as gospel. Self-image is just that...a part of yourself. You can think you're as smart / sexy / funny as you want to think. The beauty of it is nobody and no test can tell you otherwise if you truly believe.

Answer 7

IQ tests have been shown not to be very precise. They basically weed out actual morons. It sounds like you are very intelligent with a broad base of knowledge, which is great. Mix that with some decent common sense and you are a great person to converse with. Just don't get caught up in the I.Q. thing. It's just a number derived from a limited number of questions.

Answer 8

Average is not a good score as you know. (slightly above isn't much better. However, you can still consider yourself to be what you want. You seem to base your success on being able to mix with professional people and I find that a little sad. No one is asking you to measure up are they? Take it easy, enjoy life instead of trying conquer the world.

Answer 9

in my opinion, it's always best to doubt you're intelligent than to assume you are.. having said that, the IQ test isn't perfect -- there are certainly many areas that it fails to evaluate. And on the other hand, you might be underestimating how good being "slightly above average" is..

one thing that didn't look good was saying you talk to people of "all races".. there's no such thing as many human races..

Answer 10

Intelligence and the portrayal of "smarts" has as much to do with common sense, thinking before you speak, and utilizing a professional appearance and personality. IQ measures intelligence, but even low IQ's can do very well and be considered smart based on how they present themselves and how they utilize the gifts they were given.