As someone who was forced to take an IQ test by the government, I feel like the average person doesn't realize what someone's IQ actually means.
Because people act like an IQ test is a test of intelligence, and it's really, really not.
Some examples of things IQ tests have you do:
- Repeat strings of numbers verbally after hearing them verbally. There's subcategories of this where they will say numbers ranging from five to ten digits long. They may also ask you to recite them backwards.
- Perform a series of tasks given via written instructions
- Perform a series of tasks given via verbal instruction
- Use color-patterned blocks to recreate a colored shape pattern that is supplied in picture form
- Use color-patterned blocks to recreate a colored shape pattern that is supplied from another set of the same blocks
- Read outloud while being timed
- Doing a math equation sheet while being timed
A lot of these things have Nothing to do with intelligence. It has to do with traits and symptoms of conditions.
Object permanence, memory, vision, ability to perform under pressure, vocal cues, communication skills, ability to follow orders, etc. This test is more targeted to diagnose and assess people with cognitive disorders or developmental disabilities.
When someone tries to use someone's IQ to say that they are smart/lack thereof, it is ableist and also makes them seem uneducated. IQ is, in a way, like the BMI of behavioral health. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.