Customer Reviews

Test Your IQ

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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.

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.

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...

There are many IQ test books out there, but it is the IQ test books of Hans Eysenck (there are others, but this is the only one that is still in print) that the Mensa website recommends for those wishing to practice for their entrance test. I have yet to sit the Mensa exam, so cannot confirm that the questions in this book are similar to those on the exam (although, they are of the style of questions I have seen in other IQ tests), but it appears that if you are hoping to join Mensa then this is the book you should buy.

Given Mensa's recommendation, I was somewhat disappointed when my copy of "Test Your IQ" finally arrived. This book contains eight standardized IQ tests, (which means that you can calculate your IQ after completing the tests, unlike some other books which just tell you whether you are average, very good, etc based on an otherwise meaningless score), and these tests cover all of the standard areas of intelligence testing: verbal aptitude, numerical aptitude and visual/spatial aptitude. However, a number of the questions are culturally biased. For example, one question involves anagrams of types of cheeses, some of which I had never heard of. I don't think my intelligence level should be assessed based on my knowledge of dairy products.

This is one of the better IQ test books available, but it is still not perfect. As with any other IQ test book, this can give you an idea of your level of intelligence, but don't base any major decisions on it.

Be sure to brush up on your old dead movie stars and antique cars. How could such an old test be valid for anyone (except maybe your grandparents)?

I used this book when I was a teenager to measure my IQ. I scored 128. I was tested by a psychologist in a hospital and was on the border between superior and very superior intelligence with no number given. I took the two Mensa tests. I scored 117 on the culture fair exam. Then I scored 151 on Cattell B which apparently rates as 134 on the Stanford-Binet scale. That was enough to get me into Mensa. I have recently taken the Graduate Record Exam ( GRE ) and scored 580 verbal and 740 quantitative which translates as an IQ of 139 on the Stanford-Binet scale. I have a physics degree and achieved 2:1 honours but I was told I was borderline 1st class honours which according to the Eysenck book requires an IQ of 140. I can only surmise that these tests are testing different things and that intelligence can be defined in many different ways.

I took all 8 of the tests and averaged the scores. They correspond to my GRE and SAT scores that I converted into IQ scores. Some of the printing on the Visual Puzzles was not clear and I could not distinguish between answer choices. Nice book, overall, though.

I bought this book and started taking tests only to find multiple mistakes. The editing is apparently nonexistent. Don't waste your bucks.

I thought this book was reader-friendly. It included some nice IQ tests, although you need to be at least eighteen to take them.

I found the purpose, factors, and theory of intelligence testing to be interesting.

However, I found the scope of the tests to be limited. For example, word knowledge is of far greater importance than word use (i.e reading and writing), and arithmetic skills are emphasized over problem solving skills (this especially annoying, as I am from a generation that has relied on calculators during schooling). Another problem is that the tests in the book are so similar, that by the end anyone can be a "genius." The tests did not probe much creative thinking either.