Test Your IQ [Mass Market Paperback]

Hans J. Eysenck (Author), Darrin Evans (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hans Eysenck (1916?1997) taught at the University of London and at the universities of Pennsylvania and California. He did extensive research in the field of personality and was the author of numerous articles and books.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140249621
• ISBN-13: 978-0140249620
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #790,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine book, but not for everyone, August 15, 2001

By 

Peter Soucy (Plymouth, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Test Your IQ (Mass Market Paperback)

I would somewhat agree with the reader from Greece that this is not the best IQ book available. There are indeed better books out there.

The tests are rather challenging and do seem to produce a trustworthy score for some people but they seem to reflect the form and content of IQ tests which may have been the norm a generation ago. As a result, some may find the questions culturally biased since there is a bit more emphasis on word problems than today's standardized exams but are still balanced by their share of logic and math exercises.

Each test consists of 40 questions with a time limit of 30 minutes. Scores are equated to IQ ranges of 5 point increments. For example, your score may correspond to 120-125 but not a figure like 122.

Throughout the first 46 pages of the book, the author outlines the developments in cognitive psychology which have transpired over the last 100 years and presents his thesis that intelligence is primarily influenced by genetic factors and that environment plays a very nominal role. That seems to be the general concensus among many researchers and Dr. Eysenck pulls no punches in dispelling any hopes of increasing inetelligence during one's lifetime. Those seeking that kind of encouragement certainly won't find it here.

While I do not dispute Dr. Eysenck's credentials and expertise and believe his thesis to be sound and quite plausible, his conclusions based on his premise are sometimes bizarre, not the least of which is his insistance that programs like Head Start are a waste of time and money. He justifies this conclusion by citing the program's failure to raise IQs among inner city children in the United States but I'm not so sure that was the rationale for the program. It has been successful, however, in identifying children with high scholastic potential.

In sum, the tests are helpful, and the scores I received seem to reflect similar scores I have obtained on other IQ tests. The tests are fun and in my case are fairly accurate but that may not be the case for everyone. I would recommend this book as a supplement to Alfred Munzert's book of the same title.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful book, June 20, 2000

By 

"red456" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Test Your IQ (Mass Market Paperback)

The book contains eight IQ tests. Additionally, the first part of the book discusses the following topics: What is the IQ?, IQ tests, What do IQ tests measure?, Interview or test?, The inheritance of intelligence, The biological basis of IQ, Can we increase IQ?, Different intelligences?, Education and IQ, Intelligence and creativity, The qualities of genius, and IQ and equality.

Dr. Hans Eysenck is an eminent psychologist who is famous for his experimental research on personality. He has experience in creating tests, such as the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI). So you will be getting a pretty trustworthy IQ score (on a 15 Standard Deviation scale, I've deduced). Many similar books only give an 'IQ score' category or description instead of an IQ score number.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time and money., September 6, 2009

By 

Joseph S. O'brian "J. O'Brian 30" (Jackson) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Test Your IQ (Mass Market Paperback)

After doing some researching across various Psychology websites for IQ related information, I stumbled upon one college (Psychology) professor's list of book recommendations. Placed near the top of the list was this book. With much anticipation and eagerness, I ordered this book, "Test Your IQ", written by one of the most quoted and discussed Psychologists of the 20th century, Hans Eysenck. However, after a much awaited period, I was immediately disappointed by both the written content and, more specifically, the tests themselves. Within the first few pages one can immediately see the subjective, non scientific bases to the writing. Eyseneck often addresses many points with nothing other than his personal belief or opinion on the subject at hand. The entirety of the text is not a complete loss though. After wading through trivial information, a few interesting facts are addressed, however, never deeply enough to be properly analyzed or discussed. Nearing the conclusion of the first, written portion of the book, Eyesneck finalizes with the following remark: "The very fact that you bought this book suggests that your IQ is above 100 - few people with low IQs are interested in mental testing or buy books of this kind!" Whether that statement is correct or not, I believe, it is a carelessly written and addressed remark that was merely included in the text to flatter the reader.

The biggest issue with this book is the tests themselves. Most of the questions revolve around the usage of numbers, letters, or words, rejecting any concentration on spatial reasoning or true abstract thinking. Accurate IQ test utilize all aspects of thinking and reasoning, not just portions. Also included throughout each of the eight tests are word anagrams (word scrambles), a question type I have hitherto never seen on an IQ test. What's more, these anagrams are topic specific, applying only one topic per test. (Test 2's anagram questions were on dog breeds, test 3's on tree types, etc.) Which is to say: if one were to be unknowledgeable in one topic and quite knowledgeable in the next test's topic, the results would obviously vary from test to test. As such, to use myself as an example, I scored 113.2 on the first test, 126.6 on the second and a solid 140 on the third (results derived from mathematically relating the conversion table). As one can see, these results are nearly laughable when one considers this is supposed to be derived from tried and true scientific tests. These, however, are simply acute examples of the collective failure of this book. To put it quite simply, I saw a stronger resemblance to a Sunday newspaper's game section, than a legitimate IQ test. Save yourself the time, effort and money. Do not buy this book.

In concluding one last thought however, what does this say about the professor whom I was originally intrigued by? Interesting...