I am sure you’ve heard of an IQ test by now. You find them everywhere, in particular in ladies magazines. Or just google ‘IQ tests’ and you will get as many as you like. You simply fill in your answer to the tasks given in the test. Enter the answers and the site will respond with an estimated score.

To start over, what is an IQ test really? What is the meaning of the IQ score? IQ stands for ‘Intelligence Quotient’, meaning how smart you are. It’s supposed to give you an idea of how well you’ll do at a certain profession or how well you’ll perform academically.

The whole idea of the IQ test is to measure the potential of your brains using problems posed to you on paper. Written problem solving is the core idea of IQ tests. Your intelligence is gauged in respect to another person. It is the most used method to measure human intelligence.

Taken over the whole population the average IQ score is 100. If your score is higher than 100 you are more intelligent than average. Any score less than 100 indicates your intelligence level doesn’t match up to the average John Doe.

Advantages of the IQ Test

• Hiring E.g. you like to hire someone for a position. One way to get a better understanding of the candidate’s capabilities would be to let them take an IQ test. You could select the type of test to use. This should be guided by the requirements for the type of work offered. A high score would indicate the candidate is well suited for the position. That way some candidates could be eliminated since they would most likely not be able to make the job.
• College entrance On top of the SAT and other tests IQ tests to judge their intelligence. This would be useful if there are too few places on the course to accommodate everyone who wants to study. That way there is a better chance to pick the top performers and weed out students with less potential.

Disadvantages of the IQ Test

• IQ tests are not perfect A High IQ sore does not guarantee that you also perform well in other important aspects. They didn’t rise high enough or fast enough up the corporate ladder.
• Other factors may be more important College students who initially showed promising scores on their IQ test ended up not being so hot when they sat their term papers. Studies have found out that a student’s self-discipline is a better gauge of how well they’ll do at college or high school. Relying only on smartness is not enough you must put whatever IQ you have to work to do really well. Often high IQ students are overtaken since they do not put in enough effort as the courses become more difficult.

• IQ does not measure everythingLeadership is one area which is not measured by IQ tests It doesn’t measure your emotional quotient or EQ – how you’ll get along with other people, including co-workers, superiors and peers. There is also the theory of multiple intelligences, that defines 8 different aspects of intelligence that you may have to varying degrees. So your IQ score may not be the only defining factor in your overall intelligence.