madbodger: I passed my IQ test!

Spam (

madbodger) wrote,
@ 2008-02-11 19:21:00

Current location:	Herndon
Current mood:	snarky
Entry tags:	iq, scams

I passed my IQ test!
Yeah, I know, IQ tests aren't generally regarded as pass/fail. I found one on a website that looked fun, and ran through it. Pretty standard stuff, lots of math, spatial reasoning, sequences, and the dreaded analogies†. No big deal, and I'm good at finding "bypasses".

But then it insisted I join one of those scams where you have to participate in a (frequently unstated or misrepresented) number of "offers" in order to win a "free" laptop, iPod, or (in this case) the score.

I closed the browser window.

I've seen a variety of come-ons to those kinds of things, but this was a new one to me. I suspect it nabs a lot of people, because once they've invested time in taking the test (looks like the generic emode one, BTW), they want some return, and their curiosity is piqued. However, while curiosity is a powerful motivator for me, it was easily balanced by my enormous inherent skepticism (online IQ tests are no bastions of reliability), the fact that I already have a good idea of my IQ, I don't have any particular need to have my intelligence externally validated*, and I have a fairly low opinion of IQ scores as a metric of useful intelligence, anyway.

† These and the "which one is not like the others" questions can be an exercise in mind-reading for creative types.
* My ego is self-supporting.

(Post a new comment)

	redaxe 2008-02-12 12:34 am UTC (link)
	I don't have any particular need to have my intelligence externally validated* Note to self: no flying buttresses for madbodger's ego or intelligence in the World Redesign. Otherwise, check and agreed. (Reply to this)

	bikergeek 2008-02-12 12:35 am UTC (link)
	My ego is suing me for non-support. :-/ (Reply to this)

	dr_tectonic 2008-02-12 12:44 am UTC (link)
	"Which one doesn't belong" questions drive me crazy. "It depends on what features you consider important -- I can construct a rule for any subset you like." (Reply to this)(Thread)

madbodger
2008-02-12 12:56 am UTC (link)

Exactly my problem. Consider this example:

iota
minute
modicum
macroscopic

My take on it was the first three are nouns ("minute" could go either way, an additional possibility as odd man out), so the desired answer was "macroscopic", which is an adjective. The writeup where I found this pointed out that "iota" was the only one that didn't begin with M (I admit I didn't notice that one) and gave "macroscopic" as the answer, because it didn't mean "small". I had considered that possibility, but in my mind "modicum" doesn't really mean particularly small. *sigh*

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dr_tectonic 2008-02-12 01:14 am UTC (link)
	Yes. Exactly. Why should "similar meaning, different parts of speech" trump "same starting letter"? Or "at least three syllables / only one pronunciation", for that matter? (Reply to this)(Parent)

	idragosani 2008-02-12 12:47 am UTC (link)
	I never cared for these kinds of "if you don't think the way we want you to think you are stupid" tests... and especially the ones that are elaborate forms of spam. (Reply to this)

	supremeherptile 2008-02-12 01:15 am UTC (link)
	Cantilevered ego! (Reply to this)

	perspicuity 2008-02-12 01:32 am UTC (link)
	i imagine there's a challenge in writing tests like that that don't rely on subtle and often times arbitrary rules of the spoken/written main language. numbers are friend. words bad. # (Reply to this)(Thread)

madbodger
2008-02-12 04:08 pm UTC (link)

Even number sequence questions can be exercises in mindreading. Usually a sequence of 3 to 5 numbers is given, and a choice of the next one. I can form a justification (and an equation) for any next number in a sequence, so it again reduces to figuring out which answer the question writer had in mind.

The pure math ones (Jane goes 20mph for 10 minutes...) type ones are no prob, of course.

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	Skepticism is my religion skipernicus 2008-02-12 02:31 pm UTC (link)
	One thing I have always admired about you is that you have a big ego, but unlike many big egos, it isn't brittle. (Reply to this)

	kdsorceress 2008-02-12 03:52 pm UTC (link)
	* My ego is self-supporting. That's because you're totally awesome, Spam! ~Sor (Reply to this)

	temima 2008-02-14 11:23 pm UTC (link)
	My ego is self-supporting. I aspire to that. Not too big, just sturdy. (Reply to this)

Mini Sitemap:

Username:		Create an Account Forgot your login? Login w/ OpenID
Password:
	Remember Me
	English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…