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xMathFanx

Are IQ Tests a Sufficient Method to Evaluate One's Level of Intelligence?

joecavalry

No, IQ tests may not measure all levels of intelligence which may include academic intelligence, common sense, etc.

Grenache

I had a Dean in college whom we used to joke was so brilliant he forgot how to tie his own shoes.  

Being better able to figure something out than the average person is a useful skill, but it does you little good if you lose common sense, practicality, wisdom, etc.

Furthermore, someone's score in any measure of ability really only gives you a general assessment.  At any given time with any particular challenge it's still possible for the person who scored lower on the aptitude test to get a better or quicker answer than the person supposedly smarter.

Judaism

How could anyone know for sure? The theory of multiple intelligences however strikes a chord with me. 

WilliamSchulz

I agree with the above. I like to separate smarts into two categories, intellectual and practical. My grades in school show that I have intellectual smarts, or the ability to retain knowledge, use that knowledge, or to understand new material and apply it. This is probably what the IQ tests for, your ability to recognize patterns and repetitions over the course of the test. However, my second category mentioned is practical smarts, in which people know how to use things from the everyday world well and can easily apply new knowledge to higher knowledge of things in this world. This is something I lack in, but my friend at school Greg succeeds. Greg has come to a point where he can fix broken computers, sound systems, and when we threw a broken clicker system for Scholar's Bowl, he fixed it by taking it apart and fixing the interior. Greg has practical smarts because he can apply knowledge of tools and parts to do things other people couldn't do by just looking at it. Finding a mix between the two is great, because it means that you can learn, retain, and apply knowledge while being able to be smart in real world applications. The IQ test can only test for intellect, I consider the practical smarts just as important.