• Question: What would you say is your IQ?

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    Asked by anon-292392 on 19 Apr 2021.
    • Photo: Rosie Goodburn

      Rosie Goodburn answered on 19 Apr 2021:

      I have no idea what my IQ is and I’m going to tell you now that IQ is actually not as important as you might think.
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      It is not useful at all to be clever if you never work hard – in fact, hard work, getting on well with people, and not giving up are probably far more important! If you love science and find it interesting, you do not need a super high IQ to do a PhD or to be a great researcher.
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      Remember:
      IQ + work ethic + working well with others + a good moral compass = success
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      And that’s my honest opinion!

    • Photo: Rebecca Reed

      Rebecca Reed answered on 19 Apr 2021:

      I agree with Rosie, I don’t know any scientists who actually know what their IQ is, and it’s not really a good measure to begin with. Intelligence doesn’t mean much without the work ethic to back it up, and you can be the cleverest person in the world but if you don’t have key skills like teamwork or communication skills then it won’t take you far on its own.

      For me, I was pretty much a straight-A student up until A Levels, then I started to find things tougher. I didn’t get any As at A Level but I’m still doing a PhD, so grades are in no way a barrier to a career in science and research. What I usually find is that those who do the best are those who put in the most effort, not those to whom the work comes most naturally.

    • Photo: Steve Briddon

      Steve Briddon answered on 19 Apr 2021:

      Like Rosie and Rebecca, I’ve no idea what my IQ is! I’ve never tested it (although I love puzzles!).

      I also completely agree that there is so much more to being a good scientist than just “being clever”. Wanting to learn, curiosity, perseverance, thinking creatively, communication skills and (probably most of all) being able to work in a team are all equally important in science today. Of course, understanding the subject matters, but hard work counts for a lot too!

      As an aside, there is also good evidence that IQ isn’t a very good measure of how clever you are. It tends to test very specific types of intelligence. There are some good articles out there on this.

    • Photo: Abdullah Iqbal

      Abdullah Iqbal answered on 20 Apr 2021:

      Never tested my IQ. As the rest have said IQ isn’t very good measure of intelligence as intellgence is such a complex thing. You can be good with numbers but constructing well written sentences can be struggle or understanding electricity ( which was the case for me).
      Also does it matter as you can be intelligent but not passionate then what is the point?
      In my opinion, have the passion for a subject and you’ll do well in learning it and enjoying it.

    • Photo: Angela Mwape

      Angela Mwape answered on 20 Apr 2021:

      I hardly read into IQ scores and I have never taken one either. I appreciate some people may heavily rely on them but I have always believed that I can do and understand anything I put my mind to so my IQ level does not determine my abilities. I got to this realisation when I saw my friends get realy good grades and I began to observe what they did differently, I realised I was just as capable if I put in more effort ( spending more time reading and asking when I did not understand a concept until it made sense)

    • Photo: Ed Peake

      Ed Peake answered on 20 Apr 2021:

      I answered 5-questions from: https://www.123test.com/iq-test/. Gave me an IQ in the range 124-136. Its not a fair comparison over the population as I spend loads of time solving difficult puzzles at work!

    • Photo: Kip Heath

      Kip Heath answered on 20 Apr 2021:

      Last time I did it (MANY years ago) it was 140. But it doesn’t mean much because you can learn to ace IQ tests in the same way you can with anything else. When I was 10 I had to sit an exam to determine which secondary school I went to. I did IQ test type questions every weekend for many months so my result is skewed.

      And that shows you that it’s not helpful to show intelligence.

    • Photo: Lucile Crete

      Lucile Crete answered on 20 Apr 2021:

      I have never measured my IQ, and like others have said before I don’t believe it is necessarily a good way to measure your potential and abilities to become a scientist. Working in scientific research requires mostly passion and hard work, and I truly believe that no matter what your IQ is or what your grades at school were, you can succeed in science by being dedicated and enjoy what you do.

      For example I really struggled at school in most science subjects (algebra, chemistry, physics) and yet, I now work on projects that require knowledge in these fields. I simply took time at University to study these subjects again with a clearer mindset, which was easier and much more interesting for me once I understood what this knowledge could be useful for in my future career.

    • Photo: Laurence Tan

      Laurence Tan answered on 20 Apr 2021:

      As many of the other scientists have said here, IQ isn’t necessarily as important as you might think. Having a genuine curiosity about any aspect of science and a good work ethic is what I think is the two most important aspects!

      And to answer the question I have absolutely no idea what my IQ is, I have never done one of the tests!

    • Photo: Ross Low

      Ross Low answered on 27 Apr 2021:

      I agree with most of the other guys on here. Intelligence is not as important as working hard and enjoying what you do. If I had to guess I’d say it was about average. slap bang in the middle.

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