What is the normal iq level. A high IQ doesn't mean you're smart
Tests to determine IQ level are carried out in companies and schools; many people are familiar with these two letters. But not everyone understands what this indicator means: what it depends on and how it affects learning ability and career success.
What is IQ?
IQ (intelligence quotient) is a quantitative indicator of the level of intelligence in comparison with the level of the average person. The statistical average is considered to be a person of the same age and development as the one for whom this coefficient is measured. It turns out that IQ does not show the level of intelligence itself, but its compliance or deviation from the norm, i.e. middle level.
Average IQ can be compared to average height. For example, according to research In Kazakhstan average height women - 164.4 cm, men - 177.5 cm. We compare a person’s height with the average and give an assessment: if the height exceeds the average, then we consider the person tall, and vice versa. At the same time, it is important to understand that this average level is not constant, but depends on various factors. The situation with determining IQ level is approximately the same.
How are IQ tests developed and what scores are considered normal?
There are no uniform standards for the development of tests to determine IQ, but all tests are divided by age categories. Therefore, the same IQ indicator for a child and a student does not mean that the student is stupid and the child is smart. After all, they have different age categories of tests.
The authors of the tests also write instructions for them, which explain how to pass them. These instructions are needed to minimize error. The tests include tasks on reasoning, memory, logic, and acquired knowledge. The average score is considered to be 100: tests are designed in such a way that the majority of results correspond to this indicator. The results of the test takers are then compared with this average result.
It turns out that average result IQ test is the level of most people. Therefore, an average level of intelligence is just normal. There are deviations from the average level in the results, because this can be influenced by many reasons: excitement, fatigue, haste. Only results less than 70 points can be considered a sign of backwardness in mental development. A high level of intelligence with a score above 130 points is found in 2.2% of people - this data is provided by researcher Stuart Ritchie in his book “Intelligence: Everything That Matters.” At the same time, 68.2% of those tested correspond to the average level.
Source: book Intelligence: All that Matters
What determines our level of intelligence?
Intelligence is the ability to perceive and solve problems. Intelligence includes human cognitive abilities: sensation, perception, memory, representation, thinking, imagination.
Humanity cannot say unambiguously what intelligence depends on. For example, we know for sure that thinking is a function of the brain. It can be assumed that intelligence depends on some characteristics of the brain and nervous system: volume and relief of the brain, amount of gray matter, speed nerve impulses. Moreover, it is more likely that combinations of different characteristics influence it. If we consider each characteristic separately, then it is impossible to identify its influence on intelligence. For example, women's brain volume is on average smaller than men's. But on average, women perform as well as men on IQ tests. This fact also suggests that intelligence does not depend on biological sex.
Scientists have also not established the influence of race or nationality on intelligence. Ushakov in his book “Psychology of Intelligence and Giftedness” provides the following data: black orphans raised in foster families with access to better education have higher IQ scores. It is likely that intelligence in this case was influenced more by social factors than by hereditary factors. This is confirmed by studies of twins with an identical set of genes, which Steward Ritchie cites. While twins are children, their IQ levels are approximately equal, and this can be explained by genetics. As children grow older, they begin to create their own environment: some spend time reading books and other activities, others loiter around. Then, with the same heredity, the IQ level ceases to be equal. It turns out that as we age, we have more control over our environment. And the environments we create affect IQ levels.
About the influence on intelligence external factors Other facts also speak. The average IQ level is higher in countries with a high standard of living. The quality of food and health care, access to education, crime rates and social attitudes in society can also affect IQ levels.
Surprisingly, the average IQ level is gradually increasing both in the world and in individual countries. This process is called the Flynn effect, named after the scientist who collected data on these changes. The Flynn effect is paradoxical: the average IQ level increases every 10 years. This is too short a period of time for genetic and evolutionary changes. In addition, these data do not allow one to firmly link intelligence with heredity, race, nationality, gender, or brain characteristics. It turns out that people become “smarter” for various reasons, and the level of intelligence does not depend on anything specific.
How has the average IQ changed over time /
Have you ever wondered who is the smartest, most talented and well-rounded developed person in the history of mankind? You can confidently call Leonardo da Vinci, but he is far from the only genius of our civilization. High intelligence is a double-edged sword. It can be both the greatest gift and a real curse for the person who possesses it. However, each of these people is a real person, despite the complex destinies and complex relationships with surrounding individuals, who fade against the background of such bright “stars”. But don’t be upset, the brain can be developed and “pumped up” with knowledge and skills. So take this list as motivation!
The most famous person is Albert Einstein
The "disheveled" symbol of the 20th century
Born in Germany, Einstein became a symbol of science and progress throughout the 20th century. His surname became a common noun to designate smart people. He is one of two theoretical physicists that almost anyone can name (the other would most likely be Stephen Hawking). During his life he wrote more than 300 scientific articles, but is also known as an ardent opponent nuclear weapons(he regularly wrote letters to President Roosevelt warning about the dangers of using atomic bombs). Einstein also supported the Jewish scientific development and stood at the origins Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
The physicist’s IQ is difficult to calculate accurately, since no such studies were conducted during his lifetime, but his friends and followers talk about a figure in the range from 170 to 190 points.
Last update: 06/03/2017
There's a lot of talk about IQ tests these days, but many people still don't know what these scores actually mean. What exactly is high level IQ? What about the average? How many points do you need to score to be considered a genius?
IQ, or intelligence quotient, is a score obtained on a standardized test designed to measure intelligence. Formally, it is believed that in the early 1900s with the introduction of the Binet-Simon test, but later it was revised, and the Stanford-Binet test acquired universality.
IQ tests have proven to be very popular not only among psychologists, but also among other specialists, but there is still a lot of debate about what exactly IQ tests measure and how accurate they are.
In order to adequately evaluate and interpret test results, psychometricians use standardization. This process involves administering the test to a representative sample of the population. Each participant takes the test under the same conditions as all other participants in the study group. This process allows psychometricians to establish norms or standards against which individual results can be compared.
When determining the results of an intelligence test, as a rule, the normal distribution function is used - a bell-shaped curve in which most results are located near or around the average score. For example, the majority of scores (about 68%) on the WAIS III test tend to fall between 85 and 115 points (with an average of 100). The remaining results are less common, which is why the area of the curve on which they are located is directed downward. Very few people (approximately 0.2%) score more than 145 (indicating a very high IQ) or less than 55 (indicating a very low IQ) on the test.
Because the average score is 100, professionals can quickly evaluate individual scores by comparing them to the mean and determining where they fall on a normal distribution scale.
More about IQ scores
In the majority modern tests IQ mean score is set at 100 points with a standard deviation of 15 points - so that the scores follow a bell curve. This means that 68% of the results fall within one standard deviation from the mean (that is, between 85 and 115 points), and 95% fall within two standard deviations (between 70 and 130 points).
A score of 70 or below is considered low. In the past, this mark was considered an indicator of mental retardation and intellectual disability, characterized by significant cognitive impairment. Today, however, IQ test results alone are not used to diagnose intellectual disability. Approximately 2.2% of people score below 70 points.
A score greater than 140 is considered a high IQ. Many people believe that a score of more than 160 points can indicate a person’s genius.
A high IQ is certainly closely related to academic performance, but is it related to success in life at all? Are there people truly more successful than their counterparts with lower IQs? Many experts believe that other factors, including .
That is, the scores are interpreted as follows.
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We have all come across the expression “IQ” more than once. This term can be heard especially often when it comes to the mental and intellectual development of a person. Actually, “IQ” means intelligence quotient. And today we will talk in detail about what it is and with what, so to speak, it is “eaten.”
The term “intelligence quotient” comes from the English phrase “intelligence quotient” and is a quantitative assessment of the level of intelligence of a person, i.e. his level of intelligence compared to the level of intelligence of the average person of the same age. Specialized tests are used to determine IQ. But we'll talk about tests a little later, but for now let's delve a little deeper into history.
Brief historical background
The term "IQ" was first coined in 1912 by the German philosopher Wilhelm Stern. It was he who put forward the proposal to use the results of dividing a person’s mental age by chronological age as the main indicator of intellectual development. Four years later, in 1916, IQ was used for the first time in the Stanford-Benet intelligence scale.
Over time, people's interest in IQ tests became stronger, which led to the emergence of a huge number of various scales, among which there are often unsubstantiated ones. Based on this, today it is quite problematic to compare the results of different tests. But, despite the fact that the IQ indicator itself has begun to lose its value, a huge number of people around the world continue to take all kinds of tests to determine the level of their intellectual development.
IQ tests
Every person has the power to increase their level of intelligence. The main thing is to constantly learn and not stand still. And for additional reasons, you should always remember that people with a high IQ are much less susceptible to various diseases and live longer.
Almost everyone knows about the existence of tests that determine human intelligence (IQ). However, few people know IQ level norm by age. Therefore, before you start taking such a test, it is worth finding out what the IQ score of an adult should be.
The IQ level of each person depends on various factors, for example, on his social position in society, heredity, environment, and others. Besides, great importance has also the age of the person. Thus, the intellectual level usually grows until the age of 26, reaching its peak at this age, and then begins to gradually decline. That's why IQ norms by age will be different for each age category.
How to test your intelligence level?
There are a lot of tests that allow you to quickly determine the normal IQ level by age. They contain a wide variety of tasks that can test your logical thinking, the ability to count, find missing objects, recognize fragments, identify missing letters, remember certain facts, recognize drawings, etc.
Normal human IQ with average intelligence ranges from 100 to 120 units. To get this result, you need to solve about half of the tasks correctly. The maximum result reaches 200 units if you solve all the tasks correctly.
Using the test, it is also possible to understand the specific thinking of the person being tested. After passing the test, a person will be able to understand exactly where his knowledge gaps are, and if desired, he can fill them by solving the corresponding problems. 
What results does the test show?
In reality, an intelligence test does not determine a person's overall intelligence, it only evaluates general indicators. Such tests were invented specifically in order to be able to distribute the results with averages. IQ level ordinary person may vary, but there are also indicators of the norm.
About half of all people tested get a result from 90 to 100 points, a quarter - less than 90, and the rest - more than 110 points. If the IQ is less than 70 points, then the person has mental retardation.
That is, with the help of an intelligence test it is possible to understand only the level of an individual’s abilities, but in no way to reveal his erudition. By passing the test, a person will be able to clearly determine in which area he should develop.
