IQ tests are widely used by educational institutions (since Canteen) and by companies to evaluate candidates. They are also at the center of psychological studies that try to identify the factors that influence the "average level" of intelligence.
Like all tests, it is reasonable to assume that you can also improve your IQ score by taking the test many times. But it's true? Is it possible to improve the IQ score with practice as well? And what would this mean for the IQ test?
What is the IQ?
IQ stands for "IQ". It is a standard score that indicates the cognitive ability of an individual with respect to the entire population. IQ scores are calculated, juxtaposed, by IQ tests.
IQ tests have evolved since the term was first coined in the early 1900s and continue to change now.
They are structured to evaluate different skills such as learning and information retention, abstract reasoning and visual-spatial processing.
Although there are many "IQ tests" available for free online, the most reliable results come from the official ones which take over an hour and are professionally supervised.
Are people able to improve their IQ score with practice?
The question, as mentioned, is precise. The answers of the experts, on the other hand, are mixed.
Finnish researchers (Vartiainen, Pulkkinen & Ruohotie, 2002) wanted to know when iQ scores stabilize. Are iQ test scores stable after some time or can they improve over the years? Their conclusion: IQ scores can increase but only slightly with age, and IQ stabilizes in adulthood.
Doctor Ian Silver, an expert in intelligence and behavioral science at the University of Cincinnati, says that "most practical modalities, such as smartphone apps or online courses, will not increase IQ scores or intelligence in general."
Partially disagrees Dr. Hynek Cigler, a psychology expert from Masaryk University: "Sure, practicing IQ tests will improve your scores, but the impact on actual intelligence will be negligible."
And now, a confidence: IQ e intelligence they are different things.
Interestingly, Dr. Cigler points out that "some types of intelligence are linked to learning and practice. Training such skills could lead to better development, especially at a young age. In any case, this relationship is not straightforward." .
Is the IQ a good measure of intelligence?
Experts essentially agree that IQ scores can potentially be improved with practice. This implies that IQ tests are useless. Quite right?
No. At least according to the professor Dimitri Van der Linden of the University of Rotterdam. "While you can improve your score with practice, or even cheat, overall the IQ test is still a good predictor."
And other factors such as academic success and income remain good predictors as well.
However. However.
Despite this general support for IQ tests, many experts have highlighted caveats. An important consideration is that IQ tests do not evaluate all types of intelligence. For example, they don't consider that creative, emotional or social.
To be precise and put it with the professor Robert sternberg, Cornell University expert in education and intelligence, "these tests do not measure our ability to solve important life problems."
You said nothing. So, in the end, what's the conclusion?
The conclusion is:
Can you improve your IQ score with practice? In a nutshell, yes. However, the increase is very small and it is important to note that IQ test scores stabilize in adulthood.
Yes, it is possible to improve your IQ test score with practice. Despite this, the IQ test remains a good predictor of some types of intelligence such as memory and reasoning.
