Many of us have heard about the IQ test, which shows the level of intelligence of a person. However, most people know virtually nothing about it. Before you start taking the test, you must find out what the IQ of a normal person should be.
general information
The abbreviation IQ stands for what can be translated as “amount of intelligence.” In the Russian-speaking language environment, the established expression “intelligence quotient” is more often used. However, it is believed that in order for the results to be as truthful as possible and really be trusted, it is worth taking into account not only the results of the test itself. Other factors such as age and gender need to be taken into account.
Many also believe that the results of this test are more likely to indicate a person's aptitude for a particular type of task, rather than actual intellectual ability. Therefore, you can prepare for it by solving problems that resemble those presented in the tasks.
Story
Attempts to study the IQ of a normal person began in the 30s of the last century. Researchers have made a number of attempts to determine IQ through various experiments. Scientists tried to find a pattern that would connect the processes of the central nervous system, reaction characteristics and mental abilities, even the size and weight of the brain were taken into account. In addition, they studied the relationship between the IQ of parents and children, its relationship to social origin, age, and so on.
IQ test today
It is currently accepted that the coefficient mental intelligence depends on many factors, mostly heredity. However, the IQ level of a normal person can be increased by solving various problems and tests. Besides, in modern world It is not so much intelligence that is the source of success as it is motivation and perseverance. Individuality, determination and ambition also play an important role. However, it is a high level of intelligence that can help in solving difficult life circumstances and contribute to more advantageous conditions.
Despite the fact that the first tests were created exclusively with vocabulary exercises, today they use a wide variety of tasks. Among them are counting exercises, logical series, the ability to find the missing geometric figure, the ability to recognize a fragment, remember facts, technical drawings and identify the missing letter.
How much IQ does a normal person have?
The average level of human intelligence ranges from 100 to 120 units, which is about half of correctly solved problems. The person who completes all the tasks receives 200 points. In addition to the level of intelligence, the test also determines other indicators; it helps to identify the way of thinking of the person who is taking it. By identifying the category in which the subject has the lowest level of ability, you can help him identify gaps in his abilities, practice with different types tasks and raise your IQ.
First tests
For the first time, V. Stern spoke about the IQ, who considered the determination of the level of skills on the Binet scale to be incorrect, since it had a serious disadvantage related to age. The scientist proposed to determine by dividing mental age by chronological age. The IQ test of a normal person demonstrates a quantitative assessment of an individual's abilities in relation to the average representative of the same age.
Averages
It is rightfully believed that an IQ test does not show a person’s level of erudition, but only an assessment of general indicators. They are designed specifically to produce a distribution of results with an average score. The IQ of a normal person can vary, but there are common indicators. So, about half of the people who passed the test show a result between 90 and 100 points, a quarter - below 90, and the other quarter - above 110 units. The average score for graduates of American universities is 115 points, with excellent students ranging from 135 to 140. An IQ level that is less than 70 points is usually considered a sign of mental retardation.
Conclusion
IQ tests show a person, but they should not be assumed to in any way indicate the level of erudition. They only help to understand in what area and in what direction a person needs to develop.
It is believed that the IQ level of a normal person varies from 90 to 120 conventional units. The Eysenck test is most often used to determine IQ. However, do not forget that the most accurate results will be those obtained the very first time you take the test, and all subsequent attempts will only distort them.
Good day to all! In the process of self-development, sometimes it becomes interesting to learn more about your capabilities and characteristics. IQ tests help determine what is well developed and what needs more attention. And today we will talk about what it is like, the IQ of a normal person, because sometimes a high result does not indicate that life is beautiful and easy.
Definition of iq
The iq level indicates which areas of a person’s thinking predominate, and not the level of his erudition. Therefore, when achieving success, the most important thing is motivation and internal resources, which it becomes possible to rely on in stressful and unfavorable situations. Typically, IQ depends on heredity. But if you practice regularly, it can be significantly increased. It is believed that the peak of the best indicator is 26 years of age, then the level gradually decreases, especially if a person does not keep himself in good shape. Therefore, it is very important to read books, solve problems and not give up in the face of difficulties, brainstorming for yourself to find creative solutions.
The most the best way It can be verified by the Eysenck test, but it should be taken into account that the first result will be true. Therefore, you should not chase a high score, and constantly recheck yourself. The Cattell, Raven, Wechsler and Amthauer tests are also quite reliable.
Explanation of meanings
- From 130 and above is the largest indicator, and such people can be called geniuses. But, unfortunately, there is a downside to genius. Such a person, for example, can easily perform complex mathematical calculations in a matter of seconds, but at the same time does not know how to determine his desires, or simply prepare food. There are only 2% of people in the world with this level of intelligence, including Nicole Kidman and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- From 111 to 130 – above average. Such people have the highest grades in all subjects at the University, easily master the material and achieve success in science, medicine, politics, business... Sometimes they themselves are surprised at how much energy and interest in knowledge they have. They are irrepressible and never stop developing.
- From 91 to 110 is the average level, which a quarter of the world’s population has.
- From 81 to 90 - below average, if they do not engage in self-development, then they do not achieve any colossal success, occupying the niche of an employee who does not stand out for his abilities and achievements.
- From 75 to 80 is an indicator of mild mental retardation. They are able to study and work on an equal basis with other people who have a higher IQ.
- From 51 to 74 – they study in specialized institutions, but are full members of society, are responsible for their actions and are able to take care of themselves.
- From 21 to 50 - dementia, usually under care, but able to take care of themselves.
- From 0 to 20 - only 0.2% in the world; they are not capable of learning or independence. They have no idea what this world is like, what they are like, all attention is directed deep into themselves.
Conclusion
I hope you were able to find the answer to the question of what is the IQ level and what is normal, and no matter what results you get, remember that it is important to always be on your toes. I recommend reading my article on why to read books,
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. 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 are different age categories 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 the average IQ test score 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 scores less than 70 points can be considered a sign of mental retardation. 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: the volume and relief of the brain, the amount of gray matter, the speed of nerve impulses. Moreover, it is more likely that combinations influence different characteristics. 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 /
IQ – intelligence quotient. Over the last hundred years, psychologists and doctors have become interested in the question of how to classify and quantify the intellectual abilities of people. In this regard, many intelligence tests appeared, with the help of which the authors sought to rank the planet's population.
Subsequently, most IQ tests were criticized. Thus, it was found that by taking an IQ test several times, you can learn to solve it, as a result of which the test will show an inflated result. In addition, most of the tests that can be found today, including on the Internet, do not stand up to criticism, and their results are often deliberately inflated.
The Eysenck IQ test, which is so popular, also, according to most scientists, does not fully reflect a person’s real mental abilities. Today, the Wechsler test is recognized as the most successful, which assesses a person’s intelligence on 11 scales using specially developed 11 subtests. To interpret the data of this test, special training of the diagnostician is required, therefore, despite the high degree of objectivity, the test is not widely used.
IQ and heredity
After tests were created, albeit with large errors, assessing the IQ of people, scientists became interested in whether IQ level is a genetically inherited factor. A number of studies have been conducted, the results of which have had quite significant differences. However, the generalized data allowed us to draw the following conclusion: human intelligence is 40-80% inherited, and 60-20% is the result of environmental influences.
Currently, a project has been launched whose goal is to discover genes responsible for the development of intellectual abilities and determine the mechanisms of inheritance of this trait.
IQ and gender
There is still ongoing debate regarding differences in the levels of male and female intelligence. However, most studies suggest that the intellectual abilities of men and women are on average equal, noting that among men there are more often those whose intelligence is below or above average, while among women there are more people with average intelligence. Men are better at tasks assessing spatial thinking, while women are better at questions assessing verbal abilities.
IQ and race
Some studies have found that African Americans have lower IQ scores on average than other races. However, it has been clearly shown that this difference is a consequence low level education in most African countries. African Americans living in developed countries, particularly in European countries, are not inferior in IQ to whites. A study published in 2002 showed that residents of Asian countries: Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Japan have the highest intelligence. Their average intelligence was 104-107 points. The Russians were in 24th place with their average population level of 97 points. The last place in terms of IQ level was taken by residents of Ethiopia and Equatorial Guinea, whose average IQ score was 66 points.
In general, it has been established that IQ among the human population of the Earth has tended to increase over the last hundred years.
IQ and age
The highest IQ scores are demonstrated by young people aged 26 years. Subsequently, IQ begins to decline.
IQ and career
A reliable inverse relationship has been established between the level of intelligence of job applicants and the time spent by them on mastering certain skills. Thus, when hiring for a job involving mental work, the employer can reasonably count on higher productivity of people with higher IQ numbers.
According to the data available today, the speed of mastering new skills depends on IQ by almost a third. Among other reasons that make a big contribution to work productivity, experts name the ability to communicate in a team, psychological characteristics personality, etc. At the moment, there are no reliable tests assessing the contribution of other personality traits to the final performance of work.
IQ test scores
Most intelligence tests are designed to ensure that at least 50% of the population has an average IQ, with 25% of the world's population scoring below and above average. The median intelligence of the human population is usually taken to be 100. Thus, for the Eysenck intelligence test, the average IQ values are 90-115 points. Many researchers consider an IQ of 75 points or lower as an indicator of intellectual deviation - mental retardation.
It has been established that the average IQ of outstanding scientists is 154-166 points, the IQ of candidates of science is 125, the IQ of those who have received higher education is 115 points. People with incomplete higher education, people working in sales, as well as so-called office workers show an IQ in the range of 100-110 points. The IQ of skilled workers (electricians, mechanics, etc.) averages 100 points.
The modern world provides a person with great opportunities for self-realization, but in return it places high demands on him. We must be able to adequately assess the situation and do right choice. Scientists around the world have proven that a person’s abilities are influenced by his IQ level. Surely you have come across this concept more than once, and most likely, you have even taken one or another IQ test. But let's figure out what IQ gives us and why it is needed in general.
IQ test
So, intelligence quotient or IQ level is a quantitative assessment of a person’s level of intellectual abilities compared to the IQ of a normal person of the same age as the subject. This indicator is determined using various tests, the most famous of which are the Eysenck, Wechsler, Raven, Amthauer and Cattell tests. The very concept of “intelligence quotient” was introduced by the German Wilhelm Stern in 1912. IN Lately Interest in determining this indicator has increased many times; employers often ask job applicants to take an IQ test, and applicants take it when entering a university.
In principle, IQ test questions are structured in such a way that their difficulty increases, so that the test taker must use his logical and spatial thinking. As a result of passing the test, you receive a quantitative assessment of your IQ. The average IQ level of an adult according to the Eysenck test is from 91 to 110 points; 25% of the world's population has such indicators. If your IQ level is from 111 to 130 points, you can safely consider yourself smart person. And if your score is above 131, then you are a lucky person who is included in 3% of the world's population. People with high IQs become outstanding scientists, inventors and explorers. There are geniuses with an IQ above 140, such as Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking, these people make up approximately 0.2% of humanity.
The level of intelligence is affected a large number of various factors, such as, for example, heredity, genes, sex and race of a person. According to recent studies, the average IQ of an African American is 85, a Hispanic is 89, a white European is 103, an Asian (China, Japan, Korea) is 106, and a Jew is 113. It has also been found that most men have IQ scores higher than women. The level of intelligence is also influenced by the environment in which a person grew up, as well as the education of his parents and even the country of residence.
How to find out your IQ
After all of the above, most likely you will ask yourself the question: “How to find out your IQ.” Today it is very easy to do, just find one of the many intelligence tests on the Internet. However, be careful as not all of them are licensed and may contain errors in tasks and answers. Your IQ calculated this way may be incorrect. The time-tested Eysenck test can be taken on the website iqtest.com at English language. There is no exact answer to the question: “What should IQ be” today, so if you are not satisfied with something, just work on increasing your level of intelligence. How? We will be happy to tell you about this.
How to increase your IQ
Your IQ level is a quantitative assessment of mental development, determined by tests that measure a person's ability to solve problems, perceive different mental images, as well as memory and general knowledge. We present to you several ways to increase your IQ.
Method number 1 - get into the habit of playing Mind games(for example, Scrabble, Sudoku, chess, etc.). These games are great exercises for the brain. When you learn to play one game well, move on - master the next one, because when you master a skill, your brain stops working as intensively to solve the problem, and the production of the hormone dopamine, which is responsible for intelligence, decreases. In addition to intellectual board games, try your hand at logic and strategy video games. Please contact Special attention for games aimed at quick decision making. It is also useful to solve logic puzzles, puzzles, crosswords and sudoku. All these types of activities stimulate thought processes, increasing IQ levels.
Method number 2 - constantly study something new, be it a foreign language, art, architecture or, for example, cryptology.
Method number 3 - lead an active lifestyle, constantly exposing yourself physical activity, because this is a scientifically proven way to increase your intelligence level. Expand your horizons, set yourself a goal for life - not to stop learning, constantly learning something new. From time to time, give yourself a shake-up, jump with a parachute or try your hand at bungee jumping. New experiences release the hormone dopamine, which increases the number of neurons and produces a feeling of satisfaction. And in general, the more you know and can do, the richer your life experience, the higher the level of your intellectual development!
And here are a few more simple tips, which will help you enjoy life and increase your level of intellectual development.
- Try to enjoy everything you do, enjoy classical music, good books and communicating with people you like.
- Use electronic devices less. If you need to write something down, use a notepad and pen, and send a handwritten letter instead of an email. This stimulates visual and kinetic perception.
- Learn to write with your non-dominant hand, which stimulates the hemisphere of your brain that is opposite to your hand.
- Try to eat healthy and balanced, include in your diet fresh vegetables, fruits and fish, rich in omega 3, which has a positive effect on brain function.
- Get enough sleep, because only during sleep does the information received move from short-term memory to long-term memory.
- Work on yourself and continue to learn throughout your life.
