Watched most of it last night while I was laid up at EoD, didn't take note of the answers though...did it again just now and have an IQ of roughly 133 apparently

Is it me or is the test generally very easy though?

I got 126 i think it was I was amazed! I found the maths really hard though because I'm just not good at it! My dad found the logic really hard because he has none


(Edited by Eve 05/05/2003 22:33)

I got 134 this time

Missed it on TV, and was too thick to video it but got 137 on the web.

Of course, this is all nonsense, even if this were an accurate test it wouldn't mean anything, yadda yadda yadda...

I didn't do it this time.

Did anyone watch the programme, or do they otherwise know how the final calculation is made?

I remember being told that last year the possible results were limited depending on your age?

I got 135 but checked through the answers afterwards and didn't get any wrong so I can't reconcile that with the supposed upper limit of 157.

Any ideas?

The older you are the higher score you can get. I think the highest possible score for someone aged between 20 and 35 is 137, while someone in their 50s or 60s could get nearer 150. I'm not sure why though.

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by DJ Billy
The older you are the higher score you can get. I think the highest possible score for someone aged between 20 and 35 is 137, while someone in their 50s or 60s could get nearer 150. I'm not sure why though.

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It's because they're trying to use a single test to evaluate everyone, rather than the more usual routes of either using different tests for different groups, or using sub-section specific scoring for different groups.

It's generally necessary to distinguish people by age group (IQ tests are usually balanced for people in their 20s and 30s; though little formal knowledge should be needed, a basic standard must be assumed -- so some compensation must be made for those who have not completed their formal education; speed and recall deteriorate as people age, impacting on performance in both memory tests and timed tests -- so compensation must be made for those of an age where this starts to impact) and by social & educational background (those with an extended formal education will generally do better in IQ tests irrespective of the nature or content of the test, due to greater familiarity with testing styles; those from manual or semi-skilled backgrounds score better on spatial awareness and pattern recognition than on reasoning, again compensation must be made for these discontinuities in the evaluation).

Ideally, different tests would be used for different groups, but that wouldn't be any good for a TV format, though they could do it with the web tests.

I got 130.

134, not bad I must say especially considering I missed a few questions because i wasn't able to read them fast enough (and correctly) but what can you expect, dyslexic and not my first language it bound to cause some problems somewhere down the line

i got 126, not baaad i don't suppose!

Ok, I'm really depressed now. I got 99! Below average! I was disapointed with 110 last year! I don't usually do this badly in IQ tests and I'm not really taking the test seriously, but it's still really depressing. I was a smart kid, I must have banged my head a few too many times since then.

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by Yally
Ok, I'm really depressed now. I got 99! Below average! I was disapointed with 110 last year!

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As has been said, TTN is hardly reliable even by the standards of IQ tests -- on better administered tests than this I've varied by over 30 points, so don't regard this as anything other than an interesting diversion; if you're interersted look at some properly run psychometric tests.

The simple fact that your score has changed by 11 points in one year is a good indication of how much faith you should place in the test! Although IQ scores won't be constant, they shouldn't jump by 10% between tests, and over time will generally trend upwards as more tests are taken.

All this without even mentioning the "what's actually being measured" thing!

Since I ratcheted up the postively awe-inspiring total of 84 last time, I decided not to participate on this occasion.

Agnostic insomniac dyslexics both spend all night pondering the existance of Dog, and don't do at all well on IQ tests.

And I think the whole thing is a silly sham: even trained psychologists have trouble interpreting IQ scores, so what's the point in wasting an entire evening on this silly populist nonsense?

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by Byron
what's the point in wasting an entire evening on this silly populist nonsense?

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It only takes 20 minutes or less if you do it online so not really a whole evening now is it Some people just enjoy taking it as it gives you a funny figure (with no real value at all) but still fun Just give it a go maybe you've improved since the last one, but if you don't want to nobody is forcing you

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by Byron
And I think the whole thing is a silly sham: even trained psychologists have trouble interpreting IQ scores, so what's the point in wasting an entire evening on this silly populist nonsense?

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I half agree with you but not entirely... I don't think anyone should take the results too seriously.

However, compared to the brain-rotting excrement that comprises the vast majority of terrestrial programming, anything that gets people thinking and thinking about thinking has to be an improvement.

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by Incandenza
I half agree with you but not entirely... I don't think anyone should take the results too seriously.

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Ah if only.

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However, compared to the brain-rotting excrement that comprises the vast majority of terrestrial programming, anything that gets people thinking and thinking about thinking has to be an improvement.

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It's ironic something supposedly focusing on the interlect could be in itself so braindead. The last Test The Nation I saw had such inspired features as cabbies taking on builders, publicans taking on blondes (OK, give them that one ) and a host of the sort of "celebreties" whose entire careers seem to centre on appearing as "celebreties" in this sort of dross battling it out. Fascinating, Captain. Honestly can't think of a single genuinely useful, thought-provoking and non-gimmicky thing I learned from the entire evening.

The recent BBC1 Leonardo series was a thousand times more effective, subtle and entertaining approach to this than lobbing around a bunch of dubiously obtained raw IQ scores.

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by Chambler
It only takes 20 minutes or less if you do it online so not really a whole evening now is it Some people just enjoy taking it as it gives you a funny figure (with no real value at all) but still fun Just give it a go maybe you've improved since the last one, but if you don't want to nobody is forcing you

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It's all based on a programme that ran on BBC1 from 8 to 11pm (with a half hour break for the news). The beeb can stick up whatever online tests they like, I'd just prefer their television educational budget be spent more productively!

I already know my IQ (as well as anyone can) from when I took a test under the supervision of a clinical psycologist to get and educational statement for dyslexia. Lets just say it came out a little higher than the Beeb's predictions ...

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by Byron
I already know my IQ (as well as anyone can) from when I took a test under the supervision of a clinical psycologist to get and educational statement for dyslexia. Lets just say it came out a little higher than the Beeb's predictions ...

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Same with me, last year TTN gave me 126, this year 135 wheras with the one I did with a clinical psychologist gave me 149. I think I'll stick with the last score

(Edited by Havoc 08/05/2003 09:57)