Average IQ score. What is IQ and how does it work? A person who is smart and successful in all visible respects with an mediocre or even low IQ is far from an exception

The highest IQ level is for an Australian mathematician, the author of the Green-Tao theorem, his name is Terence Tao. Getting results above 200 points is a very rare occurrence, because most of the inhabitants of our planet barely score 100 points. People with extremely high IQs (over 150) can be found among Nobel laureates. It is these people who move science forward and make discoveries in various professional fields. Among them are the American writer Marilyn vos Savant, astrophysicist Christopher Hirata, phenomenal reader Kim Pik, who can read a page of text in a few seconds, Briton Daniel Tammet, who memorizes thousands of numbers, Kim Ung-Yong, who already studied at the university at the age of 3, and other famous personalities with amazing abilities.

How is a person's IQ formed?

IQ level is influenced by several factors, including heredity, environment (family, school, social status of a person). The test result is also significantly influenced by the age of the test taker. At the age of 26, as a rule, a person’s intelligence reaches its peak, and then only declines.

It is worth noting that some people with exceptionally high IQs found themselves completely helpless in everyday life. For example, Kim Pik could not fasten the buttons on his clothes. Moreover, not everyone had such talent from birth. Daniel Tammet gained his ability to remember huge numbers of numbers after a terrible attack of epilepsy as a child.

IQ level above 140

People with IQ scores over 140 are owners of excellent creative abilities who have achieved success in various scientific fields. Famous people with IQ test scores of 140 or higher include Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking. Such geniuses of their era are known for their outstanding abilities; they make an incredibly high contribution to the development of knowledge and science, creating new inventions and theories. Such people make up only 0.2% of the total population.

IQ level from 131 to 140

Only three percent of the population has high IQ scores. Famous people with similar test results include Nicole Kidman and Arnold Schwarzenegger. These are successful people with high mental abilities; they can reach heights in various fields of activity, science and creativity. Want to see who is smarter - you or Schwarzenegger?

IQ level from 121 to 130

Only 6% of the population has an above average intellectual level. Such people are visible in universities, since they are usually excellent students in all disciplines, successfully graduate from universities, realize themselves in a variety of professions and achieve high results.

IQ level from 111 to 120

If you think that the average IQ level is around 110, then you are wrong. This indicator refers to above average intelligence. People with test scores between 111 and 120 are usually hard workers and strive for knowledge throughout their lives. There are about 12% of such people among the population.

IQ level from 101 to 110

IQ level from 91 to 100

If you took the test and the result was less than 100 points, do not be upset, because this is the average for a quarter of the population. People with such intelligence indicators do well in school and universities, they get jobs in middle management and other professions that do not require significant mental effort.

IQ level from 81 to 90

A tenth of the population has a below average intelligence level. Their IQ test scores range from 81 to 90. These people usually do well in school, but most often do not go on to higher education. They can work in the field of physical labor, in industries that do not require the use of intellectual abilities.

IQ level from 71 to 80

Another tenth of the population has an IQ level from 71 to 80, this is already a sign of mental retardation of a lesser degree. People with this result mainly attend special schools, but can also graduate from regular primary school with average grades.

IQ level from 51 to 70

About 7% of people have a mild form of mental retardation and an IQ level from 51 to 70. They study in special institutions, but are able to take care of themselves and are relatively full-fledged members of society.

IQ level from 21 to 50

About 2% of people on Earth have an intellectual development level of 21 to 50 points; they suffer from dementia, moderate mental retardation. Such people cannot learn, but are able to take care of themselves, but most often have guardians.

IQ level up to 20

People with severe mental retardation are not amenable to training and education, and have an intellectual development level of up to 20 points. They are under the care of other people because they cannot take care of themselves, and live in their own world. There are 0.2% of such people in the world.

Almost everyone knows about the existence of tests that determine human intelligence (IQ). However, few people know IQ level norm by age. Therefore, before you start taking such a test, it is worth finding out what the IQ score of an adult should be.

The IQ level of each person depends on various factors, for example, on his social position in society, heredity, environment, and others. In addition, a person’s age is also of great importance. Thus, the intellectual level usually grows until the age of 26, reaching its peak at this age, and then begins to gradually decline. That's why IQ norms by age will be different for each age category.

How to test your intelligence level?

There are a lot of tests that allow you to quickly determine the normal IQ level by age. They contain a wide variety of tasks that can test your logical thinking, counting skills, finding missing objects, recognizing fragments, identifying missing letters, remembering certain facts, recognizing drawings, and more.

Normal human IQ with average intelligence ranges from 100 to 120 units. To get this result, you need to solve about half of the tasks correctly. The maximum result reaches 200 units if you solve all the tasks correctly.

Using the test, it is also possible to understand the specific thinking of the person being tested. After passing the test, a person will be able to understand exactly where his knowledge gaps are, and if desired, he can fill them by solving the corresponding problems.

What results does the test show?

In reality, an intelligence test does not determine a person's overall intelligence, it only evaluates general indicators. Such tests were invented specifically in order to be able to distribute the results with averages. The IQ level of an ordinary person may vary, but there are also normal indicators.

About half of all people tested get a result from 90 to 100 points, a quarter - less than 90, and the rest - more than 110 points. If the IQ is less than 70 points, then the person has mental retardation.

That is, with the help of an intelligence test it is possible to understand only the level of an individual’s abilities, but in no way to reveal his erudition. By passing the test, a person will be able to clearly determine in which area he should develop.

Many of us have heard the expression “human IQ.” This term sounds when we are talking about the abilities of an individual, his mental development. The concept of “IQ” is the intelligence quotient. It is an assessment of the level of ability in comparison with the average intelligence of a person of the same age as the subject. To determine the level, you must pass a special test for logic, flexibility of thinking, the ability to quickly count and identify patterns.

A little history

The concept of “intelligence quotient IQ” was first formulated in 1912 by Wilhelm Stern. This is a very famous psychologist and philosopher. He proposed using the result of dividing actual age by intellectual age as the main indicator of the level of development. After him, in 1916, this concept was used in the Stanford-Benet intelligence scale.

Gradually, people began to take an active interest in their level of intelligence, so a huge number of various tests and scales were invented that made it possible to find out its coefficient. The creation of numerous tests led to the fact that many of them were unreliable, so it is quite difficult to compare the results of different tests.

How to determine the level of intelligence? Today, in many schools, children are tested to find out their level of intelligence. The development of the Internet has contributed to the fact that people, including adults, can easily get tested online.

How to find out your IQ

To determine the IQ value, special tests were developed. There are two types:

for children 10-12 years old;
for children over 12 years old and adults.

The measurement technique is the same for all options, only the level of difficulty of the questions changes. Each test has a certain number of questions and a limited time to complete them.

They are designed so that the results, which are described by a probability distribution, show an average IQ of 100. The values are grouped according to the following scheme:

the coefficient of 50% of all people is in the range of 90-110;
the remaining 50% of people are divided equally between those with a score below 90 and those with a score above 110.

What IQ level corresponds to mild mental retardation? If its indicator is below 70.

The tasks in the tests are varied, the complexity of each subsequent task increases. There are problems for logical and spatial thinking, knowledge of mathematics, attentiveness, and the ability to find a pattern. Naturally, the more correct answers a person gives, the higher the assessment of his level of intelligence will be.

The tests are designed for different age groups, so the indicators of a teacher and a 12-year-old student can be the same, because the development of each of them will correspond to his age.

Today on the Internet you can find a huge number of different tests that offer to find out your level of knowledge and intelligence. But most of them were not developed by professionals, so they are unlikely to show reliable results.

To find out your level of intelligence you need to use professional tests, such as:

Kettler;
Amthauer;
Eysenck;
Ravena;
Wexler.

Main influencing factors

The human mind is quite difficult to define and measure. Intelligence is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities that accumulate throughout a person's life. Our intelligence is based on several important factors that influence its coefficient:

genetics;
feeding habits of a child in the first years of life;
education and mental stimulation of the child’s mental activity by parents;
order of birth of children in the family;
environment.

All this, to one degree or another, affects the mental development of the child.

Genetics

Scientists have long begun to explore the question of how much the level of intelligence IQ depends on genes. For more than a century, studies have been conducted on the influence of genes on mental abilities, which have shown that the percentage of dependence is in the range of 40-80%.

The level of intelligence in a person depends on the structure of the brain and its functionality. These two factors are key. Differences in the parietal-frontal parts of the brain of different people indicate different levels of their IQ. The higher the level of functionality of the frontal areas of the brain, the better it can work: perceive and remember information, solve various problems.

Genetic factors represent the potential that is passed on from parents to the child. They are little studied, but have an important function for the development of mental abilities.

Chromosomal abnormalities that are inherited also affect the level of intelligence. For example, Down's disease, which is characterized by poor mental development of the child. Quite often it occurs in children whose parents belong to the older age group.

Illnesses during pregnancy also affect the baby's mind. For example, rubella, which an expectant mother suffers from, can lead to negative consequences for the baby: loss of hearing, vision, low level of intelligence.

Influence of nutrition

The level of intelligence depends on what exactly we eat in the first years of life, and what the expectant mother ate during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Proper and nutritious nutrition has a positive effect on brain development. The more nutrients, vitamins and microelements the child consumes through the mother and the next few years after birth, the larger the size of the cerebral velum will be. It is responsible for learning and memory.

Consumption of large amounts of fatty acids has a positive effect. Scientists have conducted studies that have proven that if a woman consumes a lot of fatty acids during pregnancy, then children will be significantly ahead of others in their development.

Upbringing

Education is one of the key factors in the development of mental abilities. Even if a person is by nature genetically predisposed to a high IQ level, due to the lack of proper upbringing and quality education, the coefficient will not be higher than average.

Education includes many factors:

family lifestyle;
home conditions;
the level of education;
parents' attitude.

To study the influence of upbringing, academics separated twins and placed them in different environments. After all, if intelligence is a biological concept, then in theory it should be the same in twins, regardless of living conditions. This is wrong. Studies have shown that children who live in orphanages have lower intelligence levels. Also, the indicator depends on how the parents treat the child: whether they take him to additional clubs, force him to study music, drawing, or instill a love for logic games.

Family birth order

This issue has been studied for a long time, but scientists have not been able to come to a common conclusion regarding the influence of the order of birth of a child and the number of children in the family on their mental abilities. Many studies have shown that first-born children are more mentally developed than other children. In history, most astronauts, presidents, scientists and famous political figures were firstborn.

Many people are interested in the question of why this happens. Birth order is not a judgment. The biggest impact is that a family with one child can devote more time, attention and resources to learning. Testing has shown that first-born children are only 3 points ahead of other children.

Environment

Whether we can use all the capabilities of our brain depends only on us: on our lifestyle, the presence of bad habits. Various diets and toxins affect the development of intelligence throughout life.

If the expectant mother smokes, drinks, or uses drugs, the child is unlikely to be healthy. A person’s mental performance may deteriorate if he drinks or poisons his own body.

Scientists have found that the level of intelligence of people from different countries differs significantly. Some tests have shown the dependence of average IQ on the country's GDP, crime, birth rate, and religion.

Some interesting facts about IQ:

the higher the coefficient, the more sociable the person;
breastfeeding increases the score by 3-8 points;
during the summer holidays the indicator decreases;
a score above 115 guarantees that a person can cope with any job;
people with scores below 90 are more likely to become antisocial, end up in prison, or live in poverty;
the lower the IQ, the more difficult it is for a person to cope with stress;
The higher the score, the more confident the person is.

IQ values

The highest level of intelligence is achieved by mathematician Terence Tao from Australia. He has a coefficient above 200 points. This is very rare, because most people barely reach 100. Almost all Nobel Prize winners have a high IQ - above 150 points. It is these people who help technology develop, actively participate in research, make various discoveries, study space and physical phenomena.

Notable people include Kim Peake, who can read a page of a book in just a few seconds, Daniel Tammet, who can memorize an incredible number of numbers, and Kim Ung-Yong. He entered and successfully began his studies at the university at the age of 3.

Let's look at all possible intelligence indicators of IQ tests:

Above 140. These are people with incredible intelligence and rare creative abilities. They can easily achieve success in scientific activities. Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking can boast of this indicator. People with high IQs make the greatest discoveries and are geniuses of their era. They are the ones who explore space, create new technologies, search for cures for diseases, study human nature and the world around us. The percentage of such individuals is only 0.2 of the Earth's population.
Indicator 131-140. 3% of the world's population can boast of this level. They include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nicole Kidman. Successful people who achieve their goals have a high level of intelligence. They can become successful politicians, managers, company leaders, and specialists in science.
Indicator 121-130. High level intelligence. People with this indicator find it easy to study at a university. They make up 6% of the population. They are successful, often become leaders, and are actively involved in creativity.
Indicator 111-120. Above average intelligence level. Occurs in 12% of the population. They love to study, they have no problems with science. If a person loves and wants to work, then he can easily get a well-paid job.
Indicator 101-110. Most people on the planet have this level of intelligence. This is the average IQ, which indicates the usefulness of a person. Many of its holders have difficulty graduating from university, but with enough effort they can study and get a good job.
Indicator 91-100. The result for a quarter of the world's population. If the test shows such a result, do not despair or be upset. Such people study well and can work in any field that does not require significant mental effort.
Indicator 81-90. The coefficient is below average. Occurs in 10% of people. They do quite well at school, but rarely receive higher education. They often work where they do not need to make mental efforts; they prefer to work physically.
Indicator 71-80. Approximately 10% of the population with this level of intelligence. Occurs in people who suffer from mild mental retardation. They often study in specialized schools, but can also study in normal secondary educational institutions. Only their successes rarely rise above average.
Indicator 51-70. Occurs in 7% of the population who have a mild form of mental retardation. They are rarely full members of society, but they are quite capable of living independently and taking care of themselves without outside help.
The indicator is 21-50. Very low level of intelligence, which occurs in 2% of people. Individuals suffer from dementia and are far behind their peers in development. They cannot study normally and have guardians who help them take care of themselves.
Below 20. Such people make up no more than 0.2% of the population. This is an indicator of severe mental retardation. Such people cannot live on their own, go to work, earn their own food, clothing and accommodation, so they are constantly under guardianship. They cannot learn and often suffer from psychological disorders.

The result should not be taken as a single truthful authority. After all, the indicator depends on many factors: environment, heredity, lifestyle, place of residence, religion.

by Notes of the Wild Mistress

Today we will try to decipher the values of IQ level by translating the numbers into understandable language. I would like to immediately note that popular intelligence tests do not cover all your capabilities and, therefore, are not decisive in measuring the human mind.

It is known that theoretical physicists usually have the highest IQ scores. They constantly calculate the most complex speculative models, this type of thinking is fine-tuned, and these tests are easier for them to cope with. But, let’s say, artists usually don’t score comparable points. But can we really say that Aivazovsky is stupider than Landau? Of course not. They just have different types of intelligence.

Moreover, some people with exceptionally high IQ turned out to be completely helpless in everyday life. For example, Kim Pik could not fasten the buttons on his clothes. Moreover, not everyone had such talent from birth. Daniel Tammet gained his ability to remember huge numbers of numbers after a terrible attack of epilepsy as a child.

IQ level above 140

IQ level from 131 to 140

IQ level from 121 to 130

IQ level from 111 to 120

IQ level from 101 to 110

A quarter of the population has intelligence scores ranging from 101 to 110 - this is an average IQ level that allows one to achieve certain heights, but one cannot count on special success. By the way, intelligence can be developed, just as muscle mass can be pumped up, in the same way you can do brain fitness.

IQ level from 91 to 100

IQ level from 81 to 90

IQ level from 71 to 80

IQ level from 51 to 70

IQ level from 21 to 50

IQ level up to 20

To accomplish a complex task is a useful tool for selecting the best candidate. The interview provides some information, but it cannot always be verified. Testing from a variety of tasks and cases, carried out with a time limit, will be more effective in this situation. At the same time, you need to trust the machine taking into account the error. The test may not take into account the strengths and weaknesses of the subject, his emotional state and other characteristics. The IQ of a normal person is in the range of 90-120 points, but does not guarantee the presence of outstanding abilities.

History of the IQ test

IQ tests were created in 1905 by French psychologist Alfred Binet to determine the psychological age of mentally retarded adolescents. William Stern in 1912 adapted the technique to determine intellectual age. In this version, the test result was called “intelligence quotient” or IQ. The question of what the IQ of a normal person should be was resolved as follows. The test result is compared with the average score within the age group, determining the coefficient of compliance with the average statistical data.

The essence of the technique

The IQ of a normal person is determined by tasks that test the ability to operate with images and numbers, think logically and solve complex, confusing problems. A good memory and a high level of general knowledge help you pass the test with a higher score. The test can evaluate the speed of perception and processing of data, visual-spatial thinking.

In this case, the ability to learn, cognition and understanding is assessed first of all. People with high IQs have the resources to solve complex problems. But having a high IQ does not guarantee a person's success. All outstanding people have a high level of intelligence, but not all carriers of excellent IQ achieve good results. Much depends on the person himself, his motivation, character traits, and talents.

Age characteristics

What IQ a normal person has depends greatly on age. It is believed that peak development occurs at age 26. The moment of highest development of intelligence can vary from 20 to 34 years, depending on the conditions of the particular subject. After 60 years, the level of intelligence sharply decreases only if a person stops setting difficult tasks for himself and does not load his thinking in any way, limiting himself to standard situations.

It is accepted that the IQ level is a constant value. For children, different norms for the development of intelligence have been adopted, approximately assessing normal development. The normal IQ of a 14-year-old person is considered to be 70-80 points, but for an adult this would indicate a deviation from the norm. Thus, the level of intellectual development is constant compared to the group (by age), but when considering an individual, IQ changes significantly with age.

Decoding the results

The IQ level of a normal person may vary at different times. Even one person, being tested in different emotional, physical and mental states, will show different results. Motivation to take testing also has an impact.

Study results up to 85 points are interpreted as mental retardation of varying levels of severity. Average intelligence is characterized by scores of 85-114. A score of 100 points indicates the correct solution to half of the tasks. Solving all the questions will allow you to get 200 points, but no one has yet achieved such a result.

Areas of use

Testing is actively used in psychology and personnel work. Psychologists assess the level of development of children, referring them to corrective classes if necessary. When working with adults, IQ tests are also used to show the level of development of thinking processes. Often tests are supplemented by other, more narrowly focused ones. This approach helps to obtain a more adequate result.

When selecting candidates for a vacancy, the personnel department often uses IQ tests, but here you need to remember that with training, the result increases by 20-30%. Thus, a person may simply have the skill to pass a test, which does not at all indicate a high level of intelligence.

Lately, EQ has been paired with IQ tests. This coefficient characterizes the development of emotional intelligence, which is responsible for a person’s communication skills, intuition, and ability to build relationships with other people. These two methods characterize the work of different hemispheres of the brain, so both do not always show results at the same level. This fact explains situations where having a high IQ does not help a person achieve success.

IQ Development

How much IQ a normal person has depends on heredity by 60-80%. The remaining 20-40% depend not on education at all, but on lifestyle and thinking, especially in early childhood. Illness, stress and injury are important.

You can independently develop intellectual abilities by adhering to the following recommendations:

Intellectual games (for example, chess, Sudoku, etc.). Starting to master games will be difficult; the brain is not used to solving such problems. The skills of non-standard strategic thinking will gradually be developed. In this case, it is important not to stop at one game, to continue to move on, setting yourself more and more complex intellectual tasks. Timed logic games and puzzles are useful. Spending free time in this way stimulates the development of thought processes and has a positive effect on the level of intelligence.

Constant learning. The process of learning new things stimulates attention, memory, and thought processes. New activities stimulate the production of the hormone dopamine, the level of which determines the number of neurons. Thus, by expanding the boundaries of one’s own experience, a person increases his IQ level.
Physical exercise. An active lifestyle maintains the overall health of the body, removes toxins and promotes intellectual development.
Healthy lifestyle. Proper nutrition and sleep routine are necessary for the harmonious functioning of the nervous system. Accompanying any activity with motivation for development increases the result, giving a feeling of satisfaction and strength to move on.