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The ‘High Road’:

Over the past several years my interest in intelligence and 'mental' skills has grown. A number of topics interest me: Memory Techniques, IQ testing, Imagestreaming, Thinkfast, Mind-Mapping, Artificial Intelligence, Problem Solving Strategies and generally how these things can contribute to legitimately making me and my family better people.
Of particular note, I have been attempting to map my progress in my endeavors by using several of the High Ceiling Test. My strategy is pretty simple: I've downloaded and in some cases printed out several (10 or so) of the available test. Since most have no restrictions other than not asking someone else for help, I solve as many of the problems as I can until I get to a real stumper, I work on it for a while then go on to another test till I get to a stumper there, so on; usually during and for long periods of time in between I imagestream about how to solve the questions. Pretty simple and makes for an interesting hobby.
I have been doing this off and on for about a year or so. I worked on several problems over the past several years but not as intently as I have been working as of late.
My theory is pretty simple. These test provide a graduated scale that you can compare your functioning to. This gives you an overall sense of where you are in relation to a standardized population but more importantly, when you return to a test and you are able to solve the problem or even to gain some insight into the problem, you see real progress.
Ideally if I could break down the majority of the 60-70 High Ceiling Test (HCT) (average of about 40 items each) to get 2400-2800 questions, ordered from the statistically easiest to the most difficult, it would provide a very measured 'ladder' that would allow you to gradually deepen your level of thinking skills.
This is what I'm interested in at this point, a deepening of my cognitive dimension more so than 'speed'. Though I still want to develop cognitive speed by using Thinkfast and more so, timed based memorization techniques.

My quest for mental improvement has occurred over a very long period of time and my objective stats bear some description.
In elementary school, SRA test were administered every year. Every other year an additional test that was basically an intelligence test was also administered I think the section was called the EAS??? It yielded a percentile score. About 10 years ago I went to my elementary school and retrieved my records, which listed my test score as 97%ile.
In 1986-87 I took a battery of aptitude test as directed by a vocational program. I scored at the 95th Percentile on the Standford Binet and approximately the same on the Henmon Nelson test. I scored in the 90th percentile on a Wechsler exam. I retook a similar exam several years later, but I do not think it was the exact same test.
Upon entering military service I took the ASVAB and got a score of 74%ile on the AFQT portion with a 114 GT score.
While serving in the military I took both the SAT and the MAT. On the SAT I scored a 1200 (pre-re-centering) and a raw score of 66 on the MAT. Mensa requires a 1250 on the SAT and a 66 on the MAT to join. The SAT was a bit shy but the MAT was enough to qualify. The cut off for mensa is the 98th percentile. There is some controversy about SAT scores in terms of general population percentile but it is safe to say the 1200 was not very far off probably in the 95-97%ile range.
I was interested in Mensa but still thought I was borderline candidate. I took both the CTMM and the Cattell batteries. I scored very low on the Cattell due to the rigid time constraints of the test but did very well on the CTMM. I scored at the 99.7%ile on the CTMM and 90th Percentile on the Cattell.
I have recently taken the MAT again (12 plus years between the testing) and received a raw score of 74. This is an 8 point increase but I am not sure what the percentile score for the general population exactly would be. The Kevin Langdon’s site listing the accepted scores by various societies shows a large discrepancy in the percentile correlation for MAT scores, ranging from 85 to 94 raw score corresponding to the 99.9%ile level. A 74 Raw score looks to be at the 99th percentile based on its level of acceptability to Intertel.
While in college I worked at a psychiatric hospital and asked on of the psychologist there to give me a 'real' iq test. She administered the WAIS, I know several Wechsler test, and I am not sure which one of the adult test it was. I scored a 155+ or 99.9 percentile on the Full Scale.
From taking the high-end test, my modal score has been in the neighborhood of 150 or so.
Averaging for all of the scores puts me at about the 99.5th percentile maybe a bit higher. This is a very rigorous examination of my mental processes, certainly not some one night dabbling with some unreliable online test, that I have had results ranging from 120’s up to 170’s.
Based on my personal experience in the military, particularly in competitive military schools, in college and generally in my work environment, I'd say that that is about right. I would say in general I'm about as smart or smarter than every 200 or so people I've met. A good way that I visually think of it is a company+ sized element of troops, such as in basic training. I picture two of them side by side and calling out the three smartest people in the unit...generally I'd be one of them.
However, this may sound self aggrandizing but it's not I'm just giving you an accurate picture of who I am, where I come from but more importantly is where I want to be...
When I take the very high end test and I get 'stumped', I know that it is because I'm just not smart enough to get the question. It's not because of cheesy time limits or bad thinking under pressure. I'm just not smart enough to answer the next harder question. I also realize as I take this test, what faculties I'm using to solve all of these problems. And as I get to harder and harder questions over several test I know what the limit of that faculty is. The analogy I think of is one in which a lizard that has cleverly camouflaged against a background but by moving all around the creature you begin to see it's shape and form.
This is what the high-end test seem to have done for me. I can really 'see' my 'g'. Not only when taking the test but in everyday activities from working on locks to how I apply my self in social interactions.
I would like to continue to develop myself further. Statistically speaking I'd like to see myself grow into a 99.9 or so in the next ten years. Perhaps even a 99.99 by the time I'm done over my lifetime.
I've read in several places about 'regression towards the mean' of childhood scores. This may only apply to Ratio IQ scores and not the SRA percentile type score (whatever that difference may be) but if the 'regression' manifest in childhood scores in general then 97% SRA should have come down rather than gone up. So from start to finish I believe that whatever I've been doing has been having a positive effect.
Some may think that it's a silly notion but I think that improving oneself is about the best thing you can do for yourself and family. Basing the progress of this improvement on standardized clinical instruments like IQ test or less clinical but no less standardized like (No offense to Kevin) IEQ test.
That said, I would like to start a thread or email correspondence with people who would like to pursue a similar path. We can compare results and techniques and see how far we can get.
If you are interested please let me know.
drinkblot@yahoo.com
Btw I'm not into any kind of supernatural/religious stuff like distant viewing, scientology etc... I'm open-minded but not gullible. So please don’t write to me about anything like that. Hypnosis…maybe but no astral projectionist please.
Rob

The following is a list of High IQ test that are accepted for membership in the Sigma Society. Sigma has the distinction of having various levels in the society depending on how high one scores, thus allowing for cross-talk but also allowing for identification of like minds within a strata. I like this idea and think it is going to pay off in membership as they grow.

There are many more test available on the net and I intend to incorporate as many as necessary into my ‘High Road’ to progress. The link at the bottom of the page is from one of the many wonderful sites on the internet that have links to both test and High IQ interest items. Some of the test charge a fee for scoring some as low as $5.00 and some as high as $45. Of note the Sigma Test has a fairly high scoring fee but once you begin taking the test you will understand as some of the questions result in fairly long detailed answers that must take a good bit of time to score.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the developers of these test. The depth, sophistication and RAW “G” power that this reflects, is very humbling. Additionally, if there are any ‘old’ test that answers have already been released this would be of help to anyone on the ‘High Road’ to get started on.

Many of the test are already in order of difficulty to begin with so ordering them is not a very high priority. Generally, you know when you are stuck and when the next question is way more difficult. By doing numerous test simultaneously you will over time know when it’s ‘time to move on’ and when it’s time to come back to another test.

Perhaps in the near future, anyone on the ‘High Road’ that is interested can take part in a more formal experimental study of the effects that our actions have had. It would be advisable for someone really interested to construct a test history similar to what I’ve done as a base. If you haven’t taken a psychologist proctored exam it would be worth spending a few hundred dollars to get a good baseline. You never know, it would be pretty neat to walk back in the same office with an additional 50 IQ points in your back pocket and a new depth of mind to back it up.

1- Sigma Test, Sigma Associations Test e Sigma Analogy Test: 132 (balanced score 38)
-These both look like very sound test. The sigma test is math based but doesn’t seem completely dependent on knowledge of higher math, though it seems like it would be helpful. I went to many websites and relearned a lot of math that I’d forgotten to help solve many of the items. The associations test seems very devious. The author, Petri Widsten is a bona fide super-genius that I’d love to have coffee with one day, or better yet to imagestream with for a few hours. I believe the associations test is a good candidate for Imagestreaming progression.
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2 - Mental Performance Test (Carlos Simões): 132
-This is a long test compared to many others, nearly sixty items, a short form is also published with only the first 40 questions. It has a variety of problems and starts with a fairly low level of difficulty, with eight correct answers placing at the 84 percentile (Sigma 1!).

3 - Eureka Test, G-Test (Nikos Lygeros): 132
The Eureka seems like a very complicated test, many people would not be able to solve any of the 10 problems on the test. The G-test is a bit more conventional and has analogies, associations and number series. Items get extremely difficult beyond the first few items.

4 - Encephalist-R, MAAN or TLAP (Xavier Jouve): 132
Dr. Jouve, has created some very challenging test. His NVCPER is the only one that I’m more familiar with. It is a purely numeric sequence test. The encephalist test is not available online at this time.

5 - Test for Exceptional Intelligence (International High IQ Society): 132
This is a very math heavy and logic crunching test. Of the top ten high scores one of them is a 15/25. This is another that may be difficult for most to even solve one problem on.

6 - Mega Test (taken before April 24, 1999), Power Test, Titan Test (taken before April 24, 1999), Ultra Test (Ronald Hoeflin): 132
Dr. Hoeflin’s test were my first encounter with UHCT (Ultra High Ceiling Test), I thought I was pretty bright until I stalled out less than half-way through the test. However, these are good test for ‘building’ purposes because they have a lower ‘basement’ than many of the test. A number of the answers to the Mega test were printed on the internet, I was somewhat disappointed when I read some of them, as they seemed more like rare words than complex solutions. My very bright friend Andrew, commented that these seem more like ‘lifestyle’ test rather than intelligence measures. I guess not all of us have been living the ‘Cerebral’ lifestyle. No offense to Mr. Hoeflin, these were some phenomenal works.

7 - Logima Strictica 36 (Robert Lato): 132
-This seems like a very creative test. I enjoy test that have more of an ‘Aha’ effect when you grasp the solution rather than test that require a lot of sound calculation.

8 - Analogies #1, Cooijmans Intelligence Test, Daedalus Test, Final Test, Isis Test, Nemesis Test, Space, Time & Hyperspace, Test for Genius (long form), Test to End All Tests (Paul Cooijmans): 132

I’ve heard a few negative things said about the Cooijmans test, from a psychometric stand-point but I’m enjoying it more than other test I’ve encountered. The Cooijmans, has over sixty items and seems conducive to ‘development’. The test for genius is still scored but isn’t acceptable for admission to societies any longer. It has a low enough basement to work within for growth. However, most of Mr. Cooijmans other test are so difficult that there basement scores are in the range of 120-140 or so. Of particular not the ISIS test was designed with this in mind. “This is to identify the most intelligent individual ever in the universe. Expressed on a scale normed on the universe population of an estimated 10^22 to 10^24 individuals, Isis level is around IQ 250 (SD=16), with a rareness of about 1 in 10^22 to 1 in 10^24. So don’t be disheartened at the thought of not being able to touch this stratospheric monster.

9 – Power Scale:9I6,Hyper,Concep-T (Laurent Dubois): 132
-Many questions on these test you can at least identify what type of answer they are looking for, on the power scale there are some questions that are difficult to understand let alone answer. However, I do think the basement of these test and the sheer number of questions provides a more than adequate ‘Jungle Gym of the mind’.

10 - W-87 (Christopher Harding): 132
-I don’t have any experience with this test.

11 - Hepta Test (Alexandre Maluf): 132
-This is a test probably in Spanish, possibly in Portuguese. Maybe this will give me an excuse to learn Spanish?

12 - The Sequences Cave (Nuno Freitas): 132
-31 sets up numerical sequences, I’m sure one could spend the rest of their lives working on this one and never get to the end. Though numerical sequences seem sort of…boring, I think that evaluating all of the possibilities that they can represent to be very stimulating and really demands a lot of the tester.

There is an entire community surrounding High Ceiling IQ type test. I’ve had the pleasure of talking with a few of the ‘celebrities’ and have found them to be very sociable and easy to approach people.

These are just a few of the test that are available online.

I got this list from: http://www.sigmasociety.org/
This link is one of the most comprehensive sites on the internet for test links: http://www.chez.com/remuemeninges/916link.htm

Disclaimer: I am not a psychologist or a doctor of any kind. I don’t endorse any of these test as legitimate IQ test suitable for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. The information is for entertainment purposes only and should not be construed otherwise.

drinkblot@yahoo.com

That is very, very impressive, drinkblot.

It's good to see that you are not just using benchmarks from one test to create evidence of your progress, but are using a variety of resources.

Which techniques do you find work for you? Which don't? Do you find certain techniques help in some areas but not others?

What you've done is fascinating to me. It appears systemic and thorough.

Amiko,

I'm glad you responded to my post, sometimes it seems that most people like to write short 'testimonials' but aren't interested in really investigating how effective these techniques work.

People have asked me "What works?", I don't mind telling you that I think Mega-Memory, Imagestreaming and more Recently Super-Memo are the 'make your self smarter things' that have made a tangible difference to me.

I cannot say what will or will not work for any individual. It is especially difficult to say something "won't" work. But these are the things that have worked for me and I would say that they would likely 'work' for anyone.

I would also say that I think that this order is the best way to progress.

1. Mega-Memory
2. Imagestreaming
3. Super-Memo

A quick note about mind mapping. I learned mind mapping in two different places. One was from a book "Quantum Learning" and the other was at the Infantry Officer Basic course. I believe mind mapping is very good for 'brainstorming' and generating a good picture of what you are wanting to think about. However, because it represents in a 'non-linear' fashion, it can be difficult to 'sequentially memorize' the information using 'linking' memory techniques.

I am not taking anything away from Mr. Buzan or MindMapping, for it's purpose (generating ideas and developing 'thought systems') it is amazing. I'm especially impressed with many of the electronic version that allow linking of files, documents, websites, images, video and sound. I am still exploring the nearly unlimited potential of this technique. Well done Mr. Buzan.

When I say Mega-Memory, I'm not talking very generically about all the 'memory sites and books', if you get the mega memory system, sit down at the table and dedicate the 14 or so hours to listening and doing the exercises as the tapes guide you along, you will have it down.

I say the MM has priority for a very particular reason. MM is useful immediately after using the MM class you will have a 100% positive response. You will do better in school, work or in any memory intensive task. If you really apply yourself and use the techniques all the time you will get very fast and very fluid with them.

You will still forget stuff all the time (see supermemo archive on why forgetting is important), but if you really want to retain something you have to tools neccessary to keep the information. What you get into here is "What is really important to keep?". You can't keep everything so you just have to accept the fact that forgetting is a natural part of life and you need to structure what information you want to keep.

Here is my testimonial on MM, I got the MM program around 1992-93. I had some serious doubt about the effectivness of the program because it made some very outrageous claims. However, the majority of the claims made by the program are true. Kevin Trudea makes some statements about this being a program to develop 'photographic memory' that you can turn on and off, but this is a bit misleading. The program doesn't result in Eidict Memory, but it does result in a better memory using 'mental photographs'. So the statement is true to an extent.

MM works on you slowly over years. I've used the program so much that it is 'almost' an unconcious process for me now. I've had times that it was an unconcious process. Some one throws a number or some list of things to do at me when I'm not prepared and bam there I go making images and linking.

Here is a big catch, Mega Memory is the best training for Imagestreaming I can think of. At one point in the program you learn how to memorize cards. I cannot stress the importance of this exercise enough. In fact this is really the 'final exam' of the course. In fact I even made a magic trick around the process.

Each card number is represented by a unique image. By chaining the pictures of the cards together you can know which cards have been turned over and list which cards have not or a number of other interesting things.

However, there are many things about the cards you cannot say, at least not say quickly like "how many tens do they have left?". This would be very time consuming to figure out, you could but not enough to help you in a game of black jack. I think Black Jack systems work in a different way, perhaps using imaging but not the exact mega memory method.

As you memorize a deck of cards you keep flipping the cards attempting to predict the next card. Once you can flip all the cards and name each of them you have effectivly learned the order of the cards in the deck.

This DOES NOT happen effortlessly. You have to put a great deal of time, effort and mental energy into this exercise. I believe it is this 'mentally tortuous' task that cements the contents of the entire program and begins to develop the 'very strong' mental 'eye'.

I have been reading stuff about visualization since I was in junior high, you will never use this more or develop it stronger than right after you finish the MM course and you are memorizing the cards.

When I discovered ISing, I realized that the 'Mental Methods' involved in the process was very close, if not exactly the same, as Mega Memory.

You make a mental image, you focus on one area of the mental image in order for it to suggest something of the next image and move on to that image.

In MM you have to convert information into the symbolic visual form, link it to another piece of visual information. When you want to recall the information you need only remember on element in this chain to recall the facts. Then you reinterpret the symbols back to the information that you need.

In IS ing I think you exercise a similar mental process, at least in terms of the images themselves. ISing does exercise a slightly different (possibly profoundly different) angle of the mind. More of a 'drawing forth' from the subconsious meaning but using a similar 'conscious' process.

Rather than asking your mind to conjour up an image for some information that you are trying to commit to memory. You ask your mind to generate an image that will relate to some problem or question that you have formed. Once the image appears you really do two things, 1. You ask What about this image is relative to my problem. 2. You examine the image in your mind for some detail or 'hook' that will lead you to the next image.

At the end of the process you go back and re-examine the imagestream and try to make further interpretations.

So it's easy to see, in your minds eye more so, than in trying to describe this process to someone who is not familiar with either process.

The two techniques should be used together and are the two most important 'in mind' techniques that I have ever found.

Lastly, a more 'procedural' tool. Supermemo is a 'flash card' style software that is used to remember facts. I think this points to a common problem in 'get smart' programs and techniques. Many techniques are geared around problem solving rather than actually 'learning'.

The creator of Supermemo has some very good points on his website regarding why actually puting 'information' in our heads is important.

I have been using the system for two main purposes; to speed the learning of esperanto (particularly vocabulary) and learning of a massive GRE word list.

I have always wanted to learn a foreign language but haven't had the time or the resources to dedicate to it. I have been making very good progress on the esperanto. Especially, learning the vocabulary by using super-memo.

Why esperanto? It's easy and it makes sense. The internet could prove to be the medium that greatly expands the speaker base of esperanto.

So in summary,

1. Mega-Memory: Use both tape/cd sets listen and do the whole thing, practice with the cards ALOT!

2. Imagestreaming: Do the formal technique of streaming to a wife/husband or friend but also do it informally while showering, going to sleep or wherever it is safe to do it. Many of the techniques seem to be clever variations of the main technique (borrowed genius, over the wall etc) These other techniques, if nothing else, can provide you with variations of the exercise to prevent getting 'burnt out'.

3. Supermemo: They have freeware versions but you should just buy the top of the line one ($36) and download the 'knowlege bases' that you are interested in. I think the GRE word base makes the most sense as a first addition. There is sufficient evidence that language is one of the building blocks of thought and that expanding language i.e. expanding vocabulary is one of the most effective ways to do this. Many IQ test are very dependent of this 'learned' information. I believe it would be easily demonstatable that by memorizing the GRE word list your measured IQ would increase on most 'classical' test. Using other vocabulary techniques can be helpful, such as learning the latin roots. They have a latin word list available as well.

Lastly, their is a Supermemo knowledge pack available for the MegaMemory system! Image stream while you are using the Supermemo set of Mega Memory list and you will see for yourself how these systems have great synergy!

Rob Reynolds

Do not hesitate to contact me and share insight, opinion or just to converse.

drinkblot@yahoo.com

I used SuperMemo when it was a DOS only program. It has certainly gotten better over the years. I like that it now runs on Linux. I looked into a lot of other similar type software and even tried the BrainX Digital Learning System.

In addition to the ThinkFast software, there is BrainBuilder from http://www.advancedbrain.com/ which takes a slightly different approach.

I looked into a lot of mind mapping software and haven't found one that I really like.

What I'd really like to see is a really strong Go program.

[This message has been edited by shr33m (edited July 05, 2003).]

I will do some searching but what is a 'Go' program?

I played with thinkfast for a while but would really like to see some scientfic or nearly scientific study on it's effects on other activities or test performance even.

There are so many programs and methodologies out there. It would be very expensive to determine for ones self what works and what doesn't.

The fact that Win has most of his techniques posted on the web and is not trying to turn a dime has always given me a sense of 'legitimacy'. Additionally, after having met when several years ago, I can say that he doesn't have an ounce of 'con-man' about him. A 1st class individual.

The issue I keep coming back to is "How can all this stuff be used to really help me?" Should I go back to school, should I concentrate on my lockwork? Sometimes having a lot of tools doesn't make a job easier and at times can make it more time consuming...many mechanics out there will know what I mean.

Can we start a 'think-tank' that is paid to solve problems? I remember seeing a show on a company called 'America First' or something to that effect that was just basically an outfit that 'experts' called when they needed an outside opinion or solution.

These forums have drawn us together, the internet is a great medium both for conferring with each other as well as a means of advertising and recieving business.

What is really left is the details of an agreement on how to distribute and revenue. My first thought is to pay everyone something. If we get paid a 100 dollars to solve some design problem, there will probably be a few key people who were most intimately involved but may not have gotten a chance to do the work except that they were part of our 'Think-Tank' whereas someone may have signed up but not participated in anything since they joined. It's hard even in principal to pay them.

Lets put this idea to the test, how can we organize this to fairly compensate participants in the spirit of 'enlightened self interest' and 'meritocracy'. How can we promote this service and bring more people into to make it more powerful?

Rob Reynolds

Drinkblot@yahoo.com

By Go program I am assuming that he means a computer version of the Asian game Go that has a decent AI.

As far as I know, it is very difficult to create a good Go AI because after the AI moves the player could make such a multitude of possible moves that it is nearly impossible to compute a good move in response without taking all the time left in the universe.

[This message has been edited by babayada (edited July 05, 2003).]