Why you should take an IQ test

Probably you are familiar with term IQ test. You find them everywhere, in particular in ladies magazines. Doing a web search will also find as many as you like. You'll get this page of questions filling your screen and you've got to select your answer online quickly. Then you submit the test and before you can count to ten, you get your results - a two or three digit number. Neat and simple.

But what exactly is an IQ test, anyway? And what's the number mean? IQ stands for 'Intelligence Quotient', meaning how smart you are. It may be used to see if you are likely to do well in some proffessions or in academic studies.

The basic concept of an IQ test is to estimate how well the brain solves problems in paper form. Written problem solving is the core idea of IQ tests. The raw test scores are then compared to other persons. It's one of the standard methods to estimate 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.

Positive sides of the IQ test

• Employment Let's say you're hiring someone for a new job. You could get a better understanding of the applicant's intelligence by conducting an IQ test. You could select the type of test to use. These may be more related to the type of work involved. 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.
• Academic admission 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 far from infallible though Many people who score well in IQ tests may not perform well in real life situations. Quite a large share of high IQ persons are simply not as successful as you would expect from their IQ score.
• Other factors may be more important Many students with high IQ are a dissapointment when they hand in 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.

• Many abilites are not measured by IQ testsFor example IQ tests can't measure how well you'll do as a leader. 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. Intelligence is so much more than a single score.

Cheap Home Insurance Cover