681 Flippin' IQ Test - 2

Well, turns out that the IQ test mentioned in the previous entry is a joke. When you take it, you are given a score (which may or may not have anything to do with your answers) and a graphic showing that score which you can post in your journal. However, the test writer has planted a cookie that shows you the high score, but shows everyone else who looks at your journal a LOW score. Cool, huh? You can read the whole story, and the reactions of other test-takers here: http://triggur.livejournal.com/155904.html

I agree with a lot of what Triggur says about IQ tests. As a member of Mensa for more than 30 years, I am exceedingly aware that a high IQ score does not correlate to smarts, success, ability, or common sense. It simply means that a high scorer sees patterns more clearly than most. Period. That means that high scorers often enjoy puzzles and words more than most. Period. Some (actually, now that I think about it, all) of the biggest idiots I have ever met I've met in Mensa.

Mensa serves a purpose in that it's a social group where puzzle people can play with other puzzle people, and that's pretty much all it is meant to be. I get annoyed with Mensans who seem to think they're better or "smarter" than others. The more they seem to be dissatisfied with and disappointed in their own lives, the more they look down on non-members.

If you've been reading this journal for any length of time, you already know all of that.

By the way, you can't compare scores from different IQ tests. Beyond a certain point, the standard deviation, um, diverges. For example, a 145 on the California Test of Mental Maturity is a lot higher than a 158 on the Stanford Binet. That's why Mensa and most other groups go by percentile.

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Daughter helped me with that one question that confused me. She asked me to describe it over the phone. I said it starts with the back-to-back "C"s. She said, "Mother, listen to what you just said. What's the next figure?" Me, "Looks like back-to-back 'D's. Oh crap! Then back-to-back 'E's. Yup. Ok. Got it."

Sheesh.