TEST-YO!· IQ & Cognitive Ability — Complete GuideIQ & Cognitive Ability — Complete Guide
IQ is one of the most misunderstood constructs in popular psychology. The number is real, the test is measurable, and the underlying ability (g) is robustly predictive of certain outcomes — but IQ is not a total measure of a person. This guide covers what the score is, what it captures, and exactly what it doesn't.
How IQ is scaled
IQ is normalised so that the population average is 100 and the standard deviation is 15. This produces a bell curve: 68% of people score 85–115, 95% score 70–130, 99.7% score 55–145. Bands are statistical calibrations, not quality judgments. "Average" just means "near the middle of the distribution."
What IQ predicts — and what it doesn't
IQ correlates moderately with academic achievement, job performance in complex roles and lifetime income. It does NOT predict wisdom, creativity on open problems, ethical behaviour, emotional intelligence, or domain-specific skill. A high IQ is neither sufficient nor necessary for most life outcomes people care about.
The Flynn effect and score drift
Raw IQ scores have risen by about 3 points per decade across the 20th century — the Flynn effect — because tests are re-normed, not because people are getting smarter in the deep sense. This matters because IQ scores aren't comparable across eras without norm adjustment. A 1950 score of 100 and a 2020 score of 100 are calibrated to different populations.
Online IQ tests vs proctored tests
A well-built online IQ test can estimate your score within 10–15 points of a proctored Wechsler or Stanford-Binet. It cannot match clinical precision because proctored tests control administration, timing, task-switching and sub-tests that online formats can't. Treat online results as rough estimates, not diagnoses.
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Frequently asked
What's a good IQ score?
It depends what you're comparing to. 100 is average. 115 is top 16%. 130 is top 2% and the threshold for most "gifted" programmes (including Mensa). 145+ is roughly 1 in 1,000.
Can you train your IQ?
You can train your score on specific tests (the practice effect) without raising underlying general ability. Working memory training shows modest transfer; most other "brain training" shows none.
References
- Jensen, A. R. (1998). The g factor: The science of mental ability.. Praeger
- Neisser, U., et al. (1996). Intelligence: Knowns and unknowns.. American Psychologist
- Flynn, J. R. (1984). The mean IQ of Americans: Massive gains 1932 to 1978.. Psychological Bulletin