How Does an IQ Test Work?

How Does an IQ Test Work?

IQ. The term has become synonymous with intelligence and merely saying the word "IQ test" can bring fear to even the most confident individual. But what exactly is an IQ test and how does it work? Most people incorrectly believe that an IQ test measures a person's intelligence.
What an IQ test actually measures is not actual intelligence, but a person's capacity for intelligence. In other words, it does not test on learned information, but instead, it tests a person's ability to learn information.
This means that if someone has a high IQ, he or she does not necessarily have more knowledge than someone with a lower IQ. It simply means that the person can learn and apply that information more easily than an individual with a lower IQ.

IQ Test History and Scoring

Short for intelligence quotient, the term IQ was developed as a way to predict students' academic success. Through a series of standardized tests that measure basic skills such as problem solving, understanding and memory, the IQ test determines how quickly and easily a person can learn and process information.
When an individual takes an IQ test, his or her scores are then compared with his or her peers' scores--typically, this is based on age.
Once this comparison is complete, the user is given an appropriate IQ score. Although scores are scaled differently depending upon the particular IQ test used, the average IQ score is usually around 100.

What's Included on the IQ Test?

Most IQ tests consist of 10 to 14 sections, with each focusing on a particular cognitive ability such as comprehension, vocabulary, letter-number sequencing, spatial ability and reasoning. Why does the test focus on these areas? The reasoning is that, since they are abilities, rather than skills, a person cannot manipulate the outcome of the IQ test.
In other words, a tester should not be able to study for the IQ test. As a result, the IQ test is meant to provide a completely fair and unbiased assessment of each tester.
However, despite these intentions, the IQ test has its critics. Many studies claim that the test is targeted to Caucasians and therefore supplies biased information about other races. In addition, the test does not measure one important skill: creativity. Yet despite these criticisms, the IQ test is still commonly seen and is used as a way to predict a person's academic and financial success.

Resources

• Take an IQ Test