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IQ Test Accuracy

Crabs

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I was at Barnes & Noble today and decided to try this Self-Scoring IQ Test designed by the Honorary International President of MENSA, Victor Serebriakoff. There are two tests comprised of verbal, mathematical and spacial questions. I didn't even bother to take the second test because the first one was so frustrating. It made me question how valid IQ testing really is. I thought I would solicit some feedback from the forum regarding a few of these conundrums.

Mistake #1 In the Example below, the third missile is clearly incorrect. (3+2) x 2 = 10, not 12.

Arrows_1.jpg


Mistake #2 Here is a description of how this problem works:



The piles of blocks shown are solid. Any block without support is shown as such. Each diagram represents a pile of identical blocks. Write a number beside each letter in the column to show how many other blocks touch the block indicated by each letter. A whole face must touch.

We're looking at SA 33 here.

Blocks_1.jpg


For A, I count one face, which is the edge of E.
For B, I count one face, which is the edge of B.
For C, I count three faces, one broad side of D, the edge of C, and the edge of B.
For D, I count two faces, one broad side of C, and the edge of D.
For E, I count two faces, the edge of E and the edge of one that isn't labeled between A and B.

According to the answers in the back of the book, however... (SA 33) A=2, B=2, C=3, D=3, E=3.

Blocks_answers.jpg


Am I misunderstanding something here? The directions clearly state that a whole face must touch.

Mistake #3 SA 35

Blocks_2.jpg


For A, I count one face, the broad side of B.
For B, I count two faces, one broad side of A, and one broad side of an unidentified block.
For C, I count two faces, the edge of C against D and one broad side of an unidentified block below it.
For D, I count three faces, the edge of D against E, the edge of C, and the edge of an unidentified block.
For E, I count one face, the edge of D.

But according to the answers, A=4, B=4, C=5, D=4, E=2. Refer to the answer for SA 35 in the second image above.

Mistake #4

Here is a description of the problem.



In SA 37, each of the three cubes have three images on them, Cubes 1 and 2 share a common image, the two dots. The directions state that the same design does not appear on more than one cube, however, if the first and second cube are the same, we see a total of five different images. The directions clearly say that each cube has two blank faces so how can you have a six-sided cube with five images and two blank faces?

Dice_1.jpg


But according to the answers, the first and second cube are the same.

Dice_answers.jpg


Mistake #5

SA 40 has five different cubes, four of which have three different images, and one of which has two images. There is a total of fourteen different images that we can see. None of the cubes can be the same because the directions state that each cube has two blank faces, therefore there must be five different cubes.

Dice_2.jpg


Yet again the answer in the back of the book states that there are three cubes. How can that be?

Dice_2_answers.jpg


Mistake #6

My issue with these questions is one of semantics. Both questions use the word turn, which suggests a rotation, but in the second image, they apparently mean to flip. The example in the first image is correct, if you turn it clockwise, you get the image that is underlined. In the second image, however, the answer in the example they give is A, which would be correct if you FLIPPED the image upside down. But if you turn it upside down (as in rotate it), it would look more like C, except with the circle in the bottom right-hand corner instead of the bottom left.

Flipping_1.jpg


Turning_description.jpg
 
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Crabs

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Keep in mind that this test was designed by the "Honorary International President of MENSA." If there are this many inaccuracies in a practice test, how many errors are there in IQ tests that you pay to take and can't verify their reliability? Consequently, how accurate is the score that you receive?
 

Fluffywolf

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Haha, that's pretty appauling.





There are many issues with IQ tests. But allow me to state one of them.

The fact that doing many IQ tests, trains you and thus artificially inflates your IQ by knowing the patterns and problemtypes before hand. It won't truely test your IQ unless you are faced with a new problem you've never encountered before and find/understand the problem quickly upon seeing it. That's the only way you'd access the parts of your brain that are relevant, and not just your memory banks. ;)

To keep making relevant IQ tests, one has to come up with entirely different concepts to test peoples IQ's. And there is a limit to how much you can do that.


IQ is not a good measure of objective intelligence.
 

Snow as White

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I have a hard time accepting the legitimacy of an intelligence quiz that isn't proofread.
 

rav3n

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Your images don't work. Have you considered a different host like imgur?

Until I see the images, can't comment.
 

Amberiat

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The entire concept of IQ is stupid imo. You can't just "measure" intelligence, it's not that simple. If the concept itself is flawed then what can you expect from some mere test? I don't care if they have MENSA labeled on them or whatever, for me MENSA is just one big joke that I can't take seriously, always has been that way to be honest.
 

Crabs

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I have a hard time accepting the legitimacy of an intelligence quiz that isn't proofread.

One would assume that all of them have been checked for errors. Problem is, when you take an official IQ test, you have no way to compare your answers to the supposed correct answers.

Your images don't work. Have you considered a different host like imgur?

Until I see the images, can't comment.

I wonder if anyone else is having problems seeing them. Are you accessing the forum on a cell phone? It was a pain in the ass to upload them in the first place so I'm probably not gonna do that again.

The entire concept of IQ is stupid imo. You can't just "measure" intelligence, it's not that simple. If the concept itself is flawed then what can you expect from some mere test? I don't care if they have MENSA labeled on them or whatever, for me MENSA is just one big joke that I can't take seriously, always has been that way to be honest.

IQ tests aren't all encompassing, but they do measure some forms of intelligence, whether it's mathematical, verbal, spatial, etc.
 

Amberiat

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IQ tests aren't all encompassing, but they do measure some forms of intelligence, whether it's mathematical, verbal, spatial, etc.

The problem with that is that they aren't accurate and many people have blind faith in them which is what leads to my negative opinion of them. The people for their blind faith and the tests for their inaccuracy.
 

Crabs

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The problem with that is that they aren't accurate and many people have blind faith in them which is what leads to my negative opinion of them. The people for their blind faith and the tests for their inaccuracy.

The practice test that I took had a lot of inaccuracies. I haven't paid to take an official IQ test, but now I'm reluctant to put too much stock in the results without being able to verify it myself.
 

Tater

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I saw the images you posted when you initially made the thread. Now they have disappeared even though I'm using the same device. Why is that? ;) No matter, I have the book, too.

#1 seems like a typo, but the same image is printed on a previous page in the correct format. Furthermore, the answers compute correctly and consistently for every problem associated with the example. The rules text is the same for each, so anyone reading the book from front to back shouldn't have much confusion.

25tb2bp.png


For #2 and #3, the rule states a "whole" face must touch, but it doesn't specify the face of which block. Therefore, all faces can be included. For instance, for block D of SA 35, the right side of block D entirely touches the structure next to it, so that would be aggregated in the total.

t6zg95.png

2wckyo7.png


For #4, the image on the top of cube 1 is the same as the image on the front of cube 2. Therefore, there are 4 images, making it possible for the first 2 cubes to be the same. So, we assume they are the same. A shitty drawing, but considering the way the other top-sided dots are drawn in the other images, a test-taker can still discern the image.

ztu6ox.png

fayo1s.png

For #6, the problem explicitly concerns reflection, which becomes even clearer given that the description of the problem involves transparent objects that can be flipped.

2n8bu35.png


A lot of documentation exists that questions the veracity of IQ tests; this one, for example, heavily relies on the test-taker's verbal IQ because the problems involve written rules in English. This reduces the number of people who can be more accurately tested with this book. More issues exist with general IQ measurement processes.

However, it seems that you made a few mistakes in your answers and decided to blame the test maker for them.
 

Crabs

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I saw the images you posted when you initially made the thread. Now they have disappeared even though I'm using the same device. Why is that? ;) No matter, I have the book, too.

I have no idea. Occasionally, they don't appear on my cell phone either.

For #2 and #3, the rule states a "whole" face must touch, but it doesn't specify the face of which block. Therefore, all faces can be included. For instance, for block D of SA 35, the right side of block D entirely touches the structure next to it, so that would be aggregated in the total.

I call bullshit. The statement reads: Write a number beside each letter in the column to show how many other blocks touch the block indicated by each letter. A whole face must touch. The implication is that for each point of contact, a whole face must touch. I don't know if you're deliberately being obtuse or need your eyes checked, but the right side of D does not entirely touch the structure next to it, as you claim it does. All of the blocks have the same dimensions. You can see that blocks A, B and a third unidentified block overhang block C. Blocks C, D and E are stacked congruently in regards to their length. A and B are not flush with the backside of C, D and E, therefore a portion of the right side of D isn't touching any block.

For #4, the image on the top of cube 1 is the same as the image on the front of cube 2. Therefore, there are 4 images, making it possible for the first 2 cubes to be the same. So, we assume they are the same. A shitty drawing, but considering the way the other top-sided dots are drawn in the other images, a test-taker can still discern the image.

I concede that the letter Z "may" have been a badly drawn ÷. Regardless, that mistake is on the author, not the test taker. What is your explanation for the inaccuracies in SA40? You conveniently forgot to address that. Which two cubes are the same as any of the others?

For #6, the problem explicitly concerns reflection, which becomes even clearer given that the description of the problem involves transparent objects that can be flipped.

The objects in question aren't mirrors, they're described as transparent glass. My argument still stands. If you turn it upside down, as opposed to "flipping" it upside down, the answers they give are incorrect. It's a poor choice of words that doesn't adequately describe the process you need to arrive at the answers they've provided.

A lot of documentation exists that questions the veracity of IQ tests; this one, for example, heavily relies on the test-taker's verbal IQ because the problems involve written rules in English. This reduces the number of people who can be more accurately tested with this book. More issues exist with general IQ measurement processes.

However, it seems that you made a few mistakes in your answers and decided to blame the test maker for them.

Your conclusions are invalid and the errors remain with the author of the test.
 

miss fortune

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I've never particularly trusted them because they only measure specific types of intelligence, but not overall intelligence... I mean, there's more to intelligent than what they test for

also, there are people like me who associate standardized types of tests with food and do very well on them for that reason... I'm not even sure how I should feel about that, but it almost feels like cheating to have that sort of motivation going on! :doh:
 

Fluffywolf

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I've never particularly trusted them because they only measure specific types of intelligence, but not overall intelligence... I mean, there's more to intelligent than what they test for

also, there are people like me who associate standardized types of tests with food and do very well on them for that reason... I'm not even sure how I should feel about that, but it almost feels like cheating to have that sort of motivation going on! :doh:

One of the biggest obstacles people with high IQ's (Who also take their IQ's very seriously) run into is tunnelvision. Irony. :D

Also, tricks like associating tests with food is just a mental tool you have personally developped, and therefor is a valid part of your intelligence.
 

BlueScreen

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Got to laugh when the Honorary International President of a society that is all about IQ tests struggles to make an IQ test.

Though I suppose the society is for people who answer the test questions well, not necessarily those who are good at making tests.
 

BlueScreen

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I've never particularly trusted them because they only measure specific types of intelligence, but not overall intelligence... I mean, there's more to intelligent than what they test for also, there are people like me who associate standardized types of tests with food and do very well on them for that reason... I'm not even sure how I should feel about that, but it almost feels like cheating to have that sort of motivation going on! :doh:
I quite enjoy tests too. I think I was one of the few who really enjoyed and smiled in our university exams. I wasn't always that well prepared, but sometimes that was part of the fun.

They had an IQ test at my school but I took a sick day because I was against the school potentially judging people's capabilities based on the results. I would rather just test for the fun of it.
 

Snow as White

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Maybe none was worthy to question the correctness of the Honorary International President of Mensa.

What a silly concept.

Spelling and grammar aren’t rocket sciences.
 

Mal12345

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I had a brief Facebook discussion about IQ. My interlocutor was responding to my statement that people with high IQs can be physicists but those with low IQs can't be physicists. He told me not to put down people with low IQs because he knows this autistic guy who is great at building houses. I told him that I wasn't putting down anybody. But the distinction between his autistic friend with a low IQ and the physicist with the high IQ is that the physicist can also build houses, while his autistic friend is limited to building houses and can never be a physicist.
 

Mal12345

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IQ tests have revealed an interesting distinction between men and women taking the tests. Women's scores will distribute around 100, while men's scores will distribute more widely, either higher or lower than 100. So there are more oddball males than there are oddball females.

Sex differences in intelligence - Wikipedia

"Differences have been reported, however, in specific areas such as mathematics and verbal measures. Also, the variability of male scores is greater than that of females, resulting in more males than females in the top and bottom of the IQ distribution."
 
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