Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with iq

What comes next in this sequence?

@homer — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:07:07 -0800

IQ tests among others usually have questions that contain a sequence of shapes or numbers with the question asking what the next shape or number in the sequence will be. Something like this or this. I don't think I've ever answered one of these questions correctly. I stare at the thing and know that I'm supposed to find some sort of pattern but I don't even know how to start. What are these questions testing and am I some sort of weirdo because I don't understand any of it?

We've got something for everyone?

ageispolis — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:04:23 -0800

DecidophobeFilter: What do you hold to be a particularly accurate/helpful free online test to label/understand yourself and thus choose a "lifepath" or "value-set". The sarcasm-loaded question against the legitimacy of these dichotomies, be it Myers-Briggs or Numerology, is probably not the best mindset to go into taking them, but that's why I'm asking what you, MeFites, believe to be worthy free online tests that you've found to be accurate, helpful, or whatever. It can be IQ, Career-oriented, EQSQ, etc.

That smarts

Christ, what an asshole — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:14:07 -0800

What are some good parameters to use when judging someone's intelligence on the fly? I tend to go by someone's mastery of context, like how quickly they pick up on jokes, extended use of metaphors, the phrasing of questions they ask, their ability to reframe something new they just picked up on, etc.

What are some other things to look for?

Help for parents of gifted kid

rikschell — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:08:50 -0800

What are some good resources for raising a gifted child? Google will pull up all kinds of things, but I'd love a recommendation for stuff more weighted toward parents who want their kids to be able to enjoy childhood and away from the more competitive stuff. I don't want to judge anyone else's parenting choices, but we want to feed our son's interests without trying to turn him into the next Einstein. We just got through some assessments, and are trying to figure out what to do next. I'm sure I'll have more specific questions later, but any online communities or background reading you can point me to would be awesome!

What's the standard for g. i.e. general intelligence?

anotherpanacea — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:34:38 -0800

Do intelligence tests measure g (i.e. general intelligence)? How do we know? With most testing standards, there's an arbitrary physical constant in the world for us to measure and quantify: the meter is defined in terms of a wavelength of light in a vacuum, for instance. However, intelligence tests seem more like the kilogram's platinum-iridium cylinder, which is a sort of moving target. What's the standard for g? It seems like "psychometrics" always assume that analytical abilities as measured in math, reading comprehension, and various logic 'games' are highly correlated with g, but I'd like to know what sort of evidence there is for this claim. The field has a vast internal body of research on this to determine whether a particularly testing question tracks with the overall testing apparatus (they call it g-loading.) But where do they get their initial g assessments from?

I'm just trying to get my head around why this isn't a vicious circle.

Where to Get an IQ Test in Person?

Kellyu — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:35:17 -0800

My mom (in her late 70s) wants to, for the 1rst time in her life, be tested to find out what her IQ is. She's not linked to the net to do this online, so to who or where could she go in person that would be reliable and reasonably priced to test her IQ ?

Intelligence tests

Yiba — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 00:13:10 -0800

Is it possible to prepare for Intelligence tests ? If yes, what are the mainstream Intelligence tests that firms or institutions use ?

Looking for the Bizarro airplane

TG_Plackenfatz — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:49:59 -0800

What's the opposite of an airplane? My friend (for reasons that shan't be discussed at this point) recently took the MENSA entry IQ test. One of the questions he shared with me is the following:

What is the opposite of an airplane?

A. A bird
B. A butterfly
C. A blimp
D. A helicopter

We both came up with different answers (which I will share later, but I'd like to see your unbiased answers and rationales).

Also, the question was posed with drawings of each object, not words, so it's probably not answers like "D, helicopter because it's the only word that doesn't start with a 'b.'"

Thanks!

Which athletes are the smartest?

dead_ — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 11:35:37 -0800

Which sport's athletes have the highest and lowest average IQ? This question came up at dinner the other night, and nobody had any real facts to back up their opinions... of course, the definition of sport may come into play here. For example, is chess a sport? Anyway, I'm curious what you'll say.

Mensa IQ test Excel file

ZenithNow — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 16:29:00 -0800

Help me find Excel file of Mensa IQ test? A few years back a friend sent me an Excel file of a fun Mensa IQ test, and I'd like to send it to another friend but seem to have deleted it. It wasn't a multiple choice; when you entered the correct answer your score was automatically increased. Anyone seen this?

Getting into Mensa

who else — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 16:06:43 -0800

Getting into Mensa Id like to see if i can get into Mensa for one, because i think i just barely qualify; second, because it may come in handy sometime; and third and most importantly, because training for the IQ test may improve my mental abilities.
So the first question is what besides practicing taking IQ tests can improve the cognitive faculties involved in doing well on a test of this kind. Although there are a lot of areas which they supposedly cover, it seems mostly math oriented which is my worst subject. Which leads to the second question:
Which of the tests that qualifies you for mensa is lightest on math / the easiest? According to Mensa UK i need:
Cattell B - 148
Culture Fair - 132
Ravens Advanced Matrices - 135
Ravens Standard Matrices - 131
Wechsler Scales - 132

And since i cant find any of these tests online to take, how do they compare to your typical 'top of google search for IQ test' tests?