IQ tests like you find online or for MENSA, really are fairly inaccurate. They generally serve to test one's ability to perceive patterns or simply see how well you take that kind of test.
That said, there are "IQ" tests that are functional and very useful assessment tools. These incluse the WAIS, WISC, KAIT, WJ-III, etc. When used appropriately but trained individuals, they are highly selective for specific strengths and weaknesses and very useful in the diagnosis of learning disabilities. If you really want to know what your "IQ" is, the going rate is around $800 and it will take four plus hours for the short test. You then have to wait almost a month as your tests are scored and evaluated, at which time you generally get a 20-page report covering each score and what they each mean individually and in conjunction with the other scores.
I must admit that my opinion comes from the perspective of someone who has recently gone through such testing and been diagnosed with a relative learning disability, which disability prompted me to purchase the PhotoReading program. Learning disabilities like mine can generally be overlooked. Indeed, I didn't even consider it until hitting the rigors of medical school and getting the crap beat out of me, while all through undergrad I maintained at least B's will little effort (which is probably why I only got B's). The jury is still out on whether or not PR can improve my IQ scores, but I am prone to believe that it has improved my overall understanding of the material I have studied since trying the program. As one trained in cognitive psychology, that could easily be a matter of my wanting it to be so, without any real evidence of it being so, but, hey, if a placebo works on my condition, any doctor would tell you to give the placebo. Doctors do that all the time....
I forgot to add that even though I have a learning deficit, my scores are high enough to qualify me for "genius" status. Now, my family and friends would just call me a know-it-all and likely dismiss the high scores as being a matter of good guessing. Nevertheless, there are as many non-geniuses in my med school class as there are geniuses, and many of them do better than I, because they have learned how to study and apply what they have learned. Despite what their "scores" might say about their IQ's, I would tend to say that they are the true geniuses to be able to do great things with only mediocre intellect. And that is something PRing can help to cultivate.
Bill
[This message has been edited by vilik (edited July 25, 2002).]
