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 seek 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 IQ?
IQ stands for “intelligence quotient”. It is a standard score that indicates an individual's cognitive ability compared to the entire population. IQ scores are calculated, in fact, from IQ tests.
IQ tests have evolved since the term was first coined in the early 1900s and continue to change now.
They are designed to evaluate different skills such as learning and retention of information, abstract reasoning and visual-spatial processing.
While there are many “IQ tests” available for free online, the most reliable results come from official ones that take more than 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 a certain time or can they improve over the years? Their conclusion: IQ scores may increase but only slightly with age, and IQ stabilizes in adulthood.
Doctor Ian Silver, an intelligence and behavioral science expert at the University of Cincinnati, says that “most hands-on modalities, such as smartphone apps or online courses, will not increase IQ scores or overall intelligence.”
Partially disagrees Dr. Hynek Cigler, a psychology expert at Masaryk University: “Of course, 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 “certain 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 simple."
Is 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 from the University of Rotterdam. “Although it is possible to 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, an expert in education and intelligence from Cornell University, “these tests do not measure our abilities 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 short, 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.
