Frequently Asked Questions [Nicologic]

• What does IQ mean ?

The term IQ stands for "Intelligence Quotient" which corresponds initially to the ratio : "Mental Age" divided by "Age" times 100.
If a young boy of 10 years has an intellectual level equal to that of 12 years old, his IQ is 120 (12/10*100).
A young girl of 8 years with the same intellectual level as the young boy has an IQ of 150 (12/8*100).
The normal IQ is obviously 100. This method of calculus (ratio) is unacceptable with adults.
For them, IQ is not a ratio but a number indicating the way they distinguish themselves from the mean of the population.
For example, an engineer with an IQ of 130 is ranked #2 of a population of 100 (he reaches the top 2%).
The IQ obtained by a person at two different time periods (child then adult) remains almost the same even if the way of calculating differs.

• What does intelligence mean ?

Basically the ability to solve new problems.
It includes abstract thinking, analogical thinking, logic, rigor, analytic sense, short-term memory, observation, spatial skills, computation skills, creativity, insight, perseverance, speed of thinking, ...

• What are aptitudes (verbal aptitude or numerical aptitude or visual aptitude or ...) ?

We call intelligence the fluid intelligence which does not require any prior knowledge or training.
An aptitude can be improved by specific learning.
Moreover, an aptitude level in a field may not reflect the general intelligence measured by IQ tests.

• What is the bell curve ?

The repartition of IQ scores corresponds to a bell curve with the majority of the scores around 100 and a minority far from 100 (<70 or >130). See the figure 1 :

By definition, the average score is 100.
There are 68% of the population with an IQ between 85 and 115.
Persons with an IQ between 115 and 130 have a superior intelligence.
People with IQ above 130 have a very superior intelligence.
Statisticians quantify the scores with a number called "Standard Deviation" (SD).
In usual IQ tests, SD is 15 points, it means that a person with an IQ of 145 is located 3 SD far away from the mean.
Cattell tests use an SD of 24, hence IQ of 148 (+ 2 SD) in Cattell tests correspond to an IQ of 130 in Wechsler tests.
Standard deviation help label correctly the different ranges of scores.

• What is the standard deviation used in your tests ?

My SD is 15 as in Wechsler scale.

• How should we interpret the IQ scores ?

IQ scores indicates how intelligent you are, i.e. in which range of the population you are located. The categories are written below.

• What are the most famous professional IQ tests ?

For children, the WISC (Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children) is used everywhere in the USA and in Europe.
For adults there are the WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) and the Stanford-Binet.
All these tests include many different tasks as Vocabulary, General knowledge, Memory, Arithmetic, Puzzles, Picture completion, ...

Short form and well-known IQ tests are these from Raven (Advanced Progressive Matrice), from Cattell (Culture-Fair and Culture free), and from Anstay (D48, D70, D2000).
All these tests are very acultural and measure g factor.

Remark : my intelligence tests are inspired by g factor tests.

• IQ tests on this site are designed for whom ?

For young adults without any problems with computers and colors :-)

• What is the incidence of the age on the IQ scores ?

Experiments tend to show a maximum level at about 16-22 years of age.
My tests are empirically standardized on adult population.

• What are the limits of the IQ tests on this site ?

Measuring precisely the extreme level of intelligence is impossible...
My tests let you to localize your IQ in a range of 110-170+.
If you scored out of this range, your score is not reliable.

• Can I use a calculator or any help during the tests ?

No calculator nor help ! Only your mind.

• How much does my IQ change in my life ?

Plus or minus ten points (except if health problems, of course).

• Can I improve intentionnaly my IQ ?

Yes. By repetitive training and with great motivation you can improve your IQ score by a maximum of 15%.

• Where are the solutions to your items ?

If you absolutely want to see the right answers, hack the javascript/php files :-)

Seriously, I think you had better to think and re-think the problems over !

• Are your items whithout ambiguities ?

Yes, I believe so.
But if you see a bad item with at least two good solutions, write me your observations in the address indicated on the main page.

• What are the greatest scores obtained on your IQ tests ?

If you score better, write me an e-mail and I will control your score.

• Can I put a link to your site on my web page ?

Yes if your web page does not contain any insanity :-)