For a long time now, IQ tests have been part of our life and education system. No matter if they are done as a part of a job application or to find the most talented kids in school, or for some other purpose, we tend to place a lot of trust on this single digit that represents the IQ score. But it is normal to ask some questions about these tests.
What do these scores mean, aren’t there various types of intelligence, does our IQ change with time? So let us try to analyze IQ tests a bit more and see if they really measure how smart you are, and for those who want to check out their IQ score right away, iq-global-test.com is the best place to get the most accurate IQ results.
Use of intelligence tests
The main use of these examinations is in situations when it is necessary to make a positive or negative selection which can be when someone wants to join the army or the police, or when it is required to determine the right candidate for a job in cases where there are more applicants. As these tests are economical and easy to perform, they do not require too much time to complete.
Tests aside, the interpretation of an expert is essential since it is the only way to interpret the results properly, and these tests can separate talented children from less talented ones, which can have a lot of influence on the development of education and the child itself. Gifted children can get better conditions for growth and further development, while those who are less talented will have more attention and help in mastering the material thanks to the test results. So, in the end, everyone gets what they need to progress at their own pace and make the most of their capacities.
How do they differ
Sometimes IQ is not something we need because authors today agree that there are several types of intelligence. That means that each person is better at some things and not so great at others. For example, we have Logical-mathematical, Linguistic, Spatial, Musical, Bodily-kinesthetic, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Naturalistic intelligence. People with mathematical aptitude are “smart” and can perform the tasks from those areas, but they are often not that great with words. On the other hand, those with linguistic intelligence will always have the right word, while people with spatial one will easily move around the new city without getting lost.
Musical intelligence is crucial for people who want to make music, no matter if they compose it or sing it. It is impossible to be good at any sport if you do not have bodily-kinesthetic intelligence because it is crucial for coordination and movement. Intrapersonal and interpersonal are opposites, and the first one is showing how much we can understand ourselves, while the second one can usually be noticed in the relationship with other people since it is showing our ability to understand others – empathy. Naturalistic intelligence is connected to nature and our care for it. As you can see, summarizing all of our abilities in one single number is not an ideal solution. But that doesn’t mean that tests are bad, as it just means they need better interpretation. You can learn more about how exactly IQ tests work at IQ-tests.org.
We can get better results by exercising
The problem with IQ tests is that by repeating and practicing, we can get better results because they can be learned like most other things. Those tests contain various questions, and people who know how to assign them to other people and interpret the answers will also know how to answer them. In these situations, the results do not show the real picture, nor how “smart” we really are. Also, poor instruction and interpretation can affect the outcome of the test, so the results will not be valid.
That is why it is very important to turn to an expert who will conduct the test and its interpretation to get approximately realistic results. Besides that, IQ scores have increased over time historically. If we compare students of today to students from seventy years ago, today’s students score higher. That doesn’t mean that we evolved to be smarter but some other changes. Firstly education has improved, and education is key to learning and developing our potential. Also, we are now better at logical thinking and solving hypothetical problems. All of that transfers to higher IQ scores.
What our IQ score means
So what can we know for a fact when someone scores high on an IQ test? Well, even with so many bits of intelligence existing, a high IQ test still means that you have good reasoning and problem-solving skills. Of course, there are different tests out there. Some are more focused on mathematics, some on linguistic, some on our visual spacing, and some on memory. The key aspect in all of them is how fast you can process data you received and how quickly you can solve the problem presented.
The test results are generally part of a bell curve. That means that the average is 100, and then you have people that are either on one or the other side of the spectrum. What is essential to notice is that these tests need to be done on some similar group to have sense. For example, if the kids are taking the test, we only get results for children of that age. We don’t compare those kids to adults. So while it is a helpful tool in some situations, it shouldn’t be used for global comparisons.
Conclusion
As we can see, there are good and bad things about IQ tests. The main problem with them is not the test itself but the interpretation and myths that come along. Just because someone has a high IQ in a linguistic sense doesn’t necessarily make them more capable of solving math problems, and vice versa. But, as long as they are interpreted by a professional and are done by scientific standards, there is a lot we can learn from IQ tests.