Clever Enough Or Not?

I've always been a fan of personality tests.
The Fiancé, on the other hand, thinks it's crap.

But when it comes to IQ tests,
it's a totally different story.

I believe that there are different types of intelligences. And to define a person's smarts based on their IQ scores alone... is unfair. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences articulates 8 different types of intelligences – logical, linguistic, spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist intelligence. Not every one of those components that make up the human intelligence is measurable/quantifiable on paper as many of them require more than MCQs to assess.

But whatever.

Different people, different beliefs.

Whatever the case, my interest in IQ tests grew after an unforgettable series of online IQ tests – timed and untimed – I was forced into taking by The Fiancé, back when we were both in college. I can't remember which tests they were now but... as far as I remember, they were pretty hardcore with hundreds of questions in each test. *headache*

Anyway, the hype died down for me after awhile
and I happily went back to doing my personality tests
without any further thought of IQ tests.

But one day, I read that Mensa International (open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher) has a test office in KL and that anybody could just waltz in and take the test after paying a fee. (Sorry, can't remember where I read that already also.) And I also remember reading that the entry score wasn't as crazy-high as I always thought it would be for a high-IQ society. (Still cannot remember. Haha.) So I started getting itchy.

But, as always... itchy soon succumbed
to procrastination (and kiam siap-ness).

So, I ended up not coughing up the dough
or going for the test anyway. HAHA.

But last night – or was it last, last night? hmmm... – I saw on Wiki that the International High IQ Society (what appears to be the second most famous high-IQ society around) allowed for online IQ test-taking. No need to drive to any office and sit in a hall with any other high-IQ wannabe on any specific date! I could take the IQ test in bed, in my pajamas if I wanted to! How nice!

So I tried logging in today
and was met with this message:

Hmmm... Pay $3.99 USD to do a test just to be told if you're smart or dumb? Need meh? But but but... why waste money just to have someone tell you if you've got brains or not? Anybody with brains would know that that money could be better invested elsewhere, right? (Like on FOOD!!! Mwahaha.) So I decided to take the free "sprint" test instead.

6 minutes for 20 questions.

Doesn't sound that bad, right?

But check out what they
have to say before you begin:

"Our free edition, GIGI Sprint, provides a quick snapshot of your intellectual ability using a six-minute test with questions ranging in difficulty from easy to moderate. GIGI Sprint allows for scores as high as 145, while our professional edition, GIGI Pro Certified, allows for scores as high as 172."

So that means, by default my result will tell me that I'm more bodoh cos I'm taking the free test instead of the paid test. Haha. What a smart way to make high-IQ people want to cough up the $3.99 USD! But I'M NOT FALLING FOR THAT! =p

The International High IQ Society requires a minimum score of 124 in order for you to qualify to be a member. Based on the chart below, that mark sits from High Intelligence onwards.

Well, 6 minutes later, I got this in my email Inbox.

Yay!!! I'd have qualified for membership if I got that score on the paid test! Now I'm beginning to wonder if I should have just coughed up the $3.99 USD. Hahaha. Decisions... Decisions... =p