Alright. I wasn't sure where to put this, but I'm wondering what is everybodies theory on IQ tests. I think its just another way to catogrize(sp?) people and put number on them.

I was just discussing this topic in my math class yesterday. The teacher told us of a like 4 or 5 year old student he had who had to take an IQ test. Since he was so young it was basically like picture-word association and things like that. The kid had some problem with his legs where he couldn't walk, much less run or anything of the sort. One of the pictures they showed him was of a kid holding scissors and running, the word he was supposed to associate with that was "hurt, dangerous" and things of the sort. Obviously the kid did not associate it with that. How this determines someone's inteligence I don't exactly get? The test(for what my teacher told me) doesn't take into consideration any possible variables(like all tests anyway). I don't know. Just thought this was interesting.

So I got a question, how exactly does it work? Does it go by ages or how does it work(I've never taken one so I have no idea). They ask you like common sense type questions or what?

IQ tests assume that high intelligence is always related to problem solving and logic. The problems they put on are often pretty tough, even for people who would otherwise be considered rather smart.

I've taken a number of different tests (no official ones, though) and gotten a number of different scores. I once got as high as 165 and as low as 70. I have a hard time trusting that.

I think IQ tests provide a base line number for how easily a person will have with learning and obtaining knowledge.

They are not necessarily their number though. People with a lower IQ may end up more intelligent than someone with a higher number, they just will need to work harder to achieve it.

They only have the importance your willing to give them.
I don't value intelligence on a numerical scale.

Well, at the risk of stating the obvious, IQ tests tend to be very encouraging to those who score high and very discouraging to those who don't. I certainly don't think scoring high enough on an IQ test should be a prerequisite for anything in society, and yeah, it's very likely people would be better off just not taking them. But to those who score well, it can be just the movitation they need to be more ambitious and successful in live. Or to be more of an egotistical prick. It really depends on the person.

As for their accuracy or whether a different sort of test would be better...meh. Based on the very limited number of friends of family members who've shared their IQs with me, it does seem about right. But of course, human intelligence and creativity and fields of specialty and all that good stuff are far too broad to be narrowed down to any one test, no matter how well designed it is.