Title: Beyond the Number: What IQ Often Misses

[GHA]

In my earlier post, I raised the question of whether IQ tests truly capture neurodivergent intelligence, or whether they mostly measure the ability to “think like an NT” for the length of the exam.

I want to follow up with another angle:

What happens when someone’s deepest strengths lie outside the test’s structure altogether?

From what I’ve seen, the abilities that often distinguish neurodivergent minds — hyper focus, long-form analysis, pattern-spotting, building mental models, or holding complex systems in view — are usually slow burn skills. They unfold over hours, days, or longer, not in a two-minute puzzle with a stopwatch running.

That means the real value of a neurodivergent person’s mind may never show up in a timed test score. Instead, it shows up in how they approach reality: building a framework no one else thought of, holding a problem in their head until it yields, or connecting fragments others would never imagine belonged together.

This is why I see IQ as only one narrow measure of potential — a snapshot inside a framework designed for the “middle of the bell curve.” It may tell you something, but it does not tell you everything. The real question, in my view, is not what number did you get? but what ideas, solutions, or insights do you bring into the world over time?

So I’ll ask again, but more broadly:

When you think about your own intelligence, where do you feel it shows up most strongly — in the test room, or in the way you navigate the real world?

 

[Tired]

For me IQ tests are just mathematics and pattern recognition, and my autistic boyfriend, who got super high IQ in those tests, agrees with me. And because I am not good with patterns, repetitive things and math, I fail those tests horribly. Where I don't fail is with emotional intelligence and intuitive thinking, where he fails miserably.
I don't need math in real world and I am constantly stressed when there is a timer, so yes, I navigate real world better than the test room.

 

[GHA]

For me IQ tests are just mathematics and pattern recognition, and my autistic boyfriend, who got super high IQ in those tests, agrees with me. And because I am not good with patterns, repetitive things and math, I fail those tests horribly. Where I don't fail is with emotional intelligence and intuitive thinking, where he fails miserably.
I don't need math in real world and I am constantly stressed when there is a timer, so yes, I navigate real world better than the test room.

Thank you for sharing this — it’s such a clear example of why a single number can’t capture the whole mind.

You’ve highlighted something very important: IQ tests tend to reward speed with patterns and math, but the real world is not a timed exam. Stress, timers, and artificial problem sets can suppress the very abilities that make someone thrive outside that room.

And your contrast between your strengths and your boyfriend’s strengths is powerful. It shows that intelligence isn’t one ladder with higher and lower rungs — it’s more like different branches of a tree. Some grow in patterns and numbers, some in intuition and emotional insight. Both matter.

What you’ve said also connects to another thought: the strengths that don’t “score” well in IQ tests — like empathy, emotional intelligence, or intuitive judgment — often play a bigger role in navigating relationships, careers, and daily life. In many ways, those are the abilities that carry weight where it truly matters.

 

[Judge]

This is why I see IQ as only one narrow measure of potential — a snapshot inside a framework designed for the “middle of the bell curve.”

I think that puts it rather well.

Other than a medical doctor inquiring, I've had only a single job interview where a prospective employer commented on my IQ, apart from uniquely having everything imaginable on paper about me available to them long ago. But the nature of the entire process was equally unique as well.

I was never sure how much they weighted my IQ if at all, compared to perhaps my college transcript. Though I have always maintained a similar opinion about it as you have posted above. Being able to rationalize that it's not an effective metric to truly assess one's ability in the real world.

Reminding me as well of my brother and nephew who have even higher IQ scores than myself, yet their accomplishments in life have not been what I'd consider particularly noteworthy either. Both my brother and I did have a "workaholic" father who likely had a high IQ as well. Though my brother also took to heart not wanting to become the same kind of person like his father, who died at the age of 56. Which likely played a part in his intent to hold jobs that required very little intellect in comparison of both our father and myself.

My mother OTOH was quite modest about her high school education having never taken an IQ test. Though in growing up I thought she had an amazing degree of common sense that I tried my best to learn and emulate.

 

[vergil96]

Not the answer you're looking for, but I don't see a discrepancy between my IQ score and life or learning skills - both good.

I really like my IQ and speed in pattern recognition and mathematical skills. I think it very directly makes life more interesting, because I have the capability to be creative as an engineer and in other areas, it's also an endless source of joy for me to discover other cultures due to being able to learn languages easily. The IQ also adds a lot of coping skills and the ability to be very skilled and bring a lot of value. Be it technology like me or being a very good car mechanic like someone else I know who has a very high IQ. It gives the ability to overcome a lot of rough problems in life. High IQ means you can learn quickly almost anything, you're not limited to one talent. You're truly free and an adapter.

However, it is worth noting that high IQs often belong to aspies, who lack in interpersonal skills, which might hold them back. It's not the case for me, my skills are more balanced, no discrepancy here either.

 

[GHA]

I think that puts it rather well.

Other than a medical doctor inquiring, I've had only a single job interview where a prospective employer commented on my IQ, apart from uniquely having everything imaginable on paper about me available to them long ago. But the nature of the entire process was equally unique as well.

I was never sure how much they weighted my IQ if at all, compared to perhaps my college transcript. Though I have always maintained a similar opinion about it as you have posted above. Being able to rationalize that it's not an effective metric to truly assess one's ability in the real world.

Reminding me as well of my brother and nephew who have even higher IQ scores than myself, yet their accomplishments in life have not been what I'd consider particularly noteworthy either. Both my brother and I did have a "workaholic" father who likely had a high IQ as well. Though my brother also took to heart not wanting to become the same kind of person like his father, who died at the age of 56. Which likely played a part in his intent to hold jobs that required very little intellect in comparison of both our father and myself.

My mother OTOH was quite modest about her high school education having never taken an IQ test. Though in growing up I thought she had an amazing degree of common sense that I tried my best to learn and emulate.

Thank you for sharing this — it really adds weight to the discussion.

What stood out to me is the contrast you described between IQ scores and the real-life outcomes in your family. That resonates with what I’ve observed too: having a high score on paper doesn’t automatically translate into achievement, fulfillment, or even resilience. The drivers in those areas often come from traits that IQ tests never touch — things like persistence, adaptability, common sense, or the ability to build relationships.

I also found it meaningful how you mentioned your mother’s influence. It highlights something I keep returning to: wisdom and capability don’t always announce themselves through formal credentials or numbers. Sometimes they’re embodied in the steady common sense of someone who has never taken a test at all — and that can shape us more profoundly than any score.

Your perspective reinforces why I see IQ as only one very narrow measure. It can capture a sliver of potential, but it doesn’t predict the quality of a life lived, nor the values and choices that ultimately define it.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

In my earlier post, I raised the question of whether IQ tests truly capture neurodivergent intelligence, or whether they mostly measure the ability to “think like an NT” for the length of the exam.

I want to follow up with another angle:

What happens when someone’s deepest strengths lie outside the test’s structure altogether?

Empathic, emotional, and creative intelligence, for example.

From what I’ve seen, the abilities that often distinguish neurodivergent minds — hyper focus, long-form analysis, pattern-spotting, building mental models, or holding complex systems in view — are usually slow burn skills. They unfold over hours, days, or longer, not in a two-minute puzzle with a stopwatch running.

There are intelligences based upon your brain functioning (anatomy, micro-anatomy, conductivity, connectivity)...the type of intelligences that you are born with...your natural abilities and aptitudes. Then there are intelligences based upon your life experiences (environment, areas of study, practiced skills, learned knowledge). Some people do well on tests because they have studied well, retained information, and know how to take a test...and that takes some intelligence to do that. As opposed to someone who walks into the test cold, completely unprepared for the test material and can understand and infer enough from the questions to answer the test questions correctly...a different type of intelligence. Some people can pick up a musical instrument, and seemingly with little practice, just understand it and can play very well, are called prodigies and geniuses...yet others can play that musical instrument for years but only reach a certain level of expertise and that's it. Many can learn skills over time, but the genius can just play. You see small children, from time to time do this...making practiced adults with decades of experience look like fools.

That means the real value of a neurodivergent person’s mind may never show up in a timed test score. Instead, it shows up in how they approach reality: building a framework no one else thought of, holding a problem in their head until it yields, or connecting fragments others would never imagine belonged together.

Agree. This phenomenon has been tested and is repeatable. Usually that roughly 2% of answers that are completely out-of-the-box...correct in their own way but not representing the 98% of the norm...are coming from neurodivergent minds. I am quite self-aware of the fact that my mind does not approach problems and opportunities in the same manner as others...I deal with it every day, especially at work. I am not a fan of meetings, nor I am not a fan of discussing things with physicians (unavoidable occupational hazards) for simple reason that it really puts a spotlight on the differences between how I end up with a conclusion and how they end up with a conclusion. Mac OS vs Microsoft.

This is why I see IQ as only one narrow measure of potential — a snapshot inside a framework designed for the “middle of the bell curve.” It may tell you something, but it does not tell you everything. The real question, in my view, is not what number did you get? but what ideas, solutions, or insights do you bring into the world over time?

I tend to see IQ as a broader measure of potential in terms of general day-to-day functioning in this world. An IQ of 70 (mental retardation), 100 (human population normal), 130 (high functioning), and 160+(genius)...30 points is quite significant in terms of outcomes in the real world. If you are high functioning, you really notice the difference between others with who are of normal intelligence...they appear to you as functioning idiots. If you are a genius dealing with someone who is high functioning...they will appear to you as functioning idiots. Quite literally, as soon as you walk up to someone and they start interacting with you...you know within seconds their intelligence level...and you have to quickly adjust to their level.

There are those of us that do not do well with boredom, are almost distressed by "not knowing", and have the intellectual curiosity and drive to ask question after question after question like an insatiable hunger. Part of that is intelligence and part of that is personality trait, but none-the-less the more I know, the more and more questions I have, and it's never satisfied.

I do see where you are going with these statements, and I do agree with it to a certain extent. IQ tests are not as comprehensive as they may appear to be, but do test general aptitudes, knowledge, and problem-solving skills...and compare them to others who have taken the test. Yes, timing matters, as it assesses processing speed...everyone wants a fast processor in their computer...it matters. You know how you compare and in which areas. They are not good for assessing emotional and empathic intelligences, nor creative intelligences.

In my life I have met many people who, by all accounts, are geniuses in their own way. I tend to be attracted to that type of person. Some are quite narrow in their genius, others are broader across several metrics, and others have that "out-of-the-box" neurodivergent, creative sort of intelligence that one might see in an artist, musician, but also theoretical physics, mathematics, design, etc...the ability to imagine and create things that do not exist yet in the real world.

So I’ll ask again, but more broadly:

When you think about your own intelligence, where do you feel it shows up most strongly — in the test room, or in the way you navigate the real world?

Both. It's not one nor the other, but the combination of born-with aptitudes, learned skills, and knowledge.

 

[Judge]

High IQ means you can learn quickly almost anything, you're not limited to one talent.

I guess that depends on how "high" you're talking about. I have a disturbing ability to quickly learn some things, while others are like hidden as if behind a brick wall for me to scale.

The one aspect that keeps me wondering if I have comorbid undiagnosed Adult Attention Deficit. That perhaps I may have the potential to learn something, depending on how much I focus in doing so. That not being able to always remain focused might explain the disparity of my IQ versus an inability or difficulty to learn certain things.

Always reminding me for some reason of how I struggled to properly understand how Macromedia Flash worked. When my employer approached me and asked me to use it. Though it all became clear to me after a single conversation with a particular programmer. Him using just the right words made all the difference in the world. Explaining that I was looking at it with a linear timeline when it's not linear at all.

I just never thought of getting any kind of "free pass" with my IQ score. Never.

 

[GHA]

Empathic, emotional, and creative intelligence, for example.

There are intelligences based upon your brain functioning (anatomy, micro-anatomy, conductivity, connectivity)...the type of intelligences that you are born with...your natural abilities and aptitudes. Then there are intelligences based upon your life experiences (environment, areas of study, practiced skills, learned knowledge). Some people do well on tests because they have studied well, retained information, and know how to take a test...and that takes some intelligence to do that. As opposed to someone who walks into the test cold, completely unprepared for the test material and can understand and infer enough from the questions to answer the test questions correctly...a different type of intelligence. Some people can pick up a musical instrument, and seemingly with little practice, just understand it and can play very well, are called prodigies and geniuses...yet others can play that musical instrument for years but only reach a certain level of expertise and that's it. Many can learn skills over time, but the genius can just play. You see small children, from time to time do this...making practiced adults with decades of experience look like fools.

Agree. This phenomenon has been tested and is repeatable. Usually that roughly 2% of answers that are completely out-of-the-box...correct in their own way but not representing the 98% of the norm...are coming from neurodivergent minds. I am quite self-aware of the fact that my mind does not approach problems and opportunities in the same manner as others...I deal with it every day, especially at work. I am not a fan of meetings, nor I am not a fan of discussing things with physicians (unavoidable occupational hazards) for simple reason that it really puts a spotlight on the differences between how I end up with a conclusion and how they end up with a conclusion. Mac OS vs Microsoft.

I tend to see IQ as a broader measure of potential in terms of general day-to-day functioning in this world. An IQ of 70 (mental retardation), 100 (human population normal), 130 (high functioning), and 160+(genius)...30 points is quite significant in terms of outcomes in the real world. If you are high functioning, you really notice the difference between others with who are of normal intelligence...they appear to you as functioning idiots. If you are a genius dealing with someone who is high functioning...they will appear to you as functioning idiots. Quite literally, as soon as you walk up to someone and they start interacting with you...you know within seconds their intelligence level...and you have to quickly adjust to their level.

There are those of us that do not do well with boredom, are almost distressed by "not knowing", and have the intellectual curiosity and drive to ask question after question after question like an insatiable hunger. Part of that is intelligence and part of that is personality trait, but none-the-less the more I know, the more and more questions I have, and it's never satisfied.

I do see where you are going with these statements, and I do agree with it to a certain extent. IQ tests are not as comprehensive as they may appear to be, but do test general aptitudes, knowledge, and problem-solving skills...and compare them to others who have taken the test. Yes, timing matters, as it assesses processing speed...everyone wants a fast processor in their computer...it matters. You know how you compare and in which areas. They are not good for assessing emotional and empathic intelligences, nor creative intelligences.

In my life I have met many people who, by all accounts, are geniuses in their own way. I tend to be attracted to that type of person. Some are quite narrow in their genius, others are broader across several metrics, and others have that "out-of-the-box" neurodivergent, creative sort of intelligence that one might see in an artist, musician, but also theoretical physics, mathematics, design, etc...the ability to imagine and create things that do not exist yet in the real world.


Both. It's not one nor the other, but the combination of born-with aptitudes, learned skills, and knowledge.

You’ve articulated the spectrum of intelligences with great clarity — from what we are born with (hardwired aptitude, neurological connectivity) to what life teaches us (skills, knowledge, practiced competence). I especially value your point about the “genius who just plays” compared to the lifelong learner who never reaches that same effortless level. That captures the difference between raw architecture of the mind and the scaffolding we build around it through effort.

Your Mac vs. Microsoft analogy also resonated. Neurodivergent minds often operate in a parallel OS — the conclusion may be valid, sometimes even ahead of its time, but the pathway is so different that it jars the conventions of group process. That’s where your point about meetings and physician discussions is so sharp: divergence is not just about results, but about the journey of thought.

On IQ, I think you framed the paradox well. At one end, it is a useful shorthand — a 30-point gap can change the very texture of daily interaction. At the other, it cannot touch the realms of emotional resonance, creative imagination, or empathic capacity. To me, the true test of intelligence is not in what one scores, but in what one sustains: the ability to hold questions that won’t go away, to live with curiosity that is never satisfied, and to bring into the world frameworks that outlast a test room.

Where you and I converge, I think, is on this: intelligence is not a single line on a chart but a map of many terrains — some genetic, some experiential, some shaped by hunger that never dies down. And the rarest brilliance may not show up in a number at all, but in the quiet persistence of creating what never existed before.

 

[vergil96]

The one aspect that keeps me wondering if I have comorbid undiagnosed Adult Attention Deficit.

It would be interesting to get proper testing. I was diagnosed with ADHD at some point. I could fill in the screening sheet again if that matters, I hit many points there. I didn't get an exact IQ score either, just above range and the range ended on 130. I'm not interested to get an exact score, to be honest, but it would be fun. Certainly an IQ score isn't something I would chase after when I can do better things in that time, if you get what I mean. And I'm not bored, I'm quite busy. I'm content knowing it's "high", but I don't believe that an IQ test is going to tell anything meaningful above a certain number. Anything worth knowing. For diagnostic purposes, I would be interested to know, for example, what the reason behind my dyspraxia is and how to cope with it. It's a ghost problem, it's there, but doesn't show up in any measurable way that would allow solving it. It could be meaningful to get to know different components of my thought process and see what the bottleneck is. (I think I have found it, but it took way longer than I wish it did...)

And I didn't ever have a problem learning anything. I pick up skills quickly. I almost never had to learn mathetmatics and more mathematics-heavy sciences. I'm quite natural at arts and sports too. Compared to that having to study humanities or languages is worse. But it's not a problem area for me. Turned out that with a bit of effort and interest I outran everyone at foreign languages too and know a few.

 

[Mary Terry]

I don't understand why some people are so hung up about their IQ score. Is IQ the only thing they think they can be proud of? Is it a way to act superior to others? The obsession with one's or one's families' IQ reminds me of the old saying about putting lipstick on a pig.

There. I said it. I'm sure there are a few here who will be offended. Ah well....

 

[Tired]

I don't understand why some people are so hung up about their IQ score. Is IQ the only thing they think they can be proud of? Is it a way to act superior to others? The obsession with one's or one's families' IQ reminds me of the old saying about putting lipstick on a pig.

There. I said it. I'm sure there are a few here who will be offended. Ah well....

I once had a talk like that with a high IQ dude. He made a joke that if i so dislike IQ tests it means I scored very low. I did, I guess it makes me a lower being in his eyes
Even found a similar picture.

 

[vergil96]

I once had a talk like that with a high IQ dude. He made a joke that if i so dislike IQ tests it means I scored very low. I did, I guess it makes me a lower being in his eyes
Even found a similar picture.

View attachment 144871

Well, there is some truth to the joke... If you pull people by the tongue.

Also as for this thread, I don't understand the need to forcefull call oneself "intelligent" through bending the meaning of the word "intelligent". Plenty of positive traits have been named in this thread. They're positive and valuable, but they're not intelligence. Why get fixated on intelligence and try to change the meanibg of the word? It is what it is. Intelligent doesn't equal 1 to 1 to valuable, good or inherently more worthy. I don't see the point of threads like that other than the author feeling universally unworthy as a human, because of a low test score. Come on. It measures something, a thing, but there are plenty of other things.

Sorry, I had to be blunt already. I'm annoyed at this point, I tried to present an alternative perspective first. Let people be happy with a fun test that reflects something they like about themselves if they scored well and leave them alone. I come to this site and plenty of topics like this one trying to devalue something related to "intelligence" in order to feel better. Yeah, I get that, everyone hates nerd, even here.

 

[Tired]

Well, there is some truth to the joke... If you pull people by the tongue.

Also as for this thread, I don't understand the need to forcefull call oneself "intelligent" through bending the meaning of the word "intelligent". Plenty of positive traits have been named in this thread. They're positive and valuable, but they're not intelligence. Why get fixated on intelligence and try to change the meanibg of the word? It is what it is. Intelligent doesn't equal 1 to 1 to valuable, good or inherently more worthy. I don't see the point of threads like that other than the author feeling universally unworthy as a human, because of a low test score. Come on. It measures something, a thing, but there are plenty of other things.

Sorry, I had to be blunt already. I'm annoyed at this point, I tried to present an alternative perspective first. Let people be happy with a fun test that reflects something they like about themselves if they scored well and leave them alone. I come to this site and plenty of topics like this one trying to devalue something related to "intelligence" in order to feel better. Yeah, I get that, everyone hates nerd, even here.

But that's exactly the thing - Intelligence is the capacity to learn, understand, reason, and solve problems. I have a very good capacity of all that, and I don't have high IQ. Of course if it's solving mathematical problems, then I fail, but that isn't what intelligence is all about.

 

[Judge]

I once had a talk like that with a high IQ dude. He made a joke that if i so dislike IQ tests it means I scored very low. I did, I guess it makes me a lower being in his eyes

I guess if he knew me I'd break his heart- and his joke.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I don't understand why some people are so hung up about their IQ score. Is IQ the only thing they think they can be proud of? Is it a way to act superior to others? The obsession with one's or one's families' IQ reminds me of the old saying about putting lipstick on a pig.

There. I said it. I'm sure there are a few here who will be offended. Ah well....

Agree. For the insecure blowhards that number might mean something for bragging rights...puts people off. Personally, it's nothing more than an interesting reference point for online discussions, but in real life I don't ever recall a discussion around it.

Sure, I intuitively recognize folks who are more and less intelligent than I am...I work with the public, after all. Simply an observational mental note when dealing with people...not judgmental nor weaponized.

 

[Tired]

Simply an observational mental note when dealing with people...not judgmental nor weaponized.

You do not change in any way the way you communicate/behave with more or less intelligent people?

 

[Vesta]

I took online IQ tests without any time limits. The results I got without a time constraint turned out to be similar to the results from timed tests. It might be due to my lack of concentration

 

[Shamar]

In my earlier post, I raised the question of whether IQ tests truly capture neurodivergent intelligence, or whether they mostly measure the ability to “think like an NT” for the length of the exam.

I want to follow up with another angle:

What happens when someone’s deepest strengths lie outside the test’s structure altogether?

From what I’ve seen, the abilities that often distinguish neurodivergent minds — hyper focus, long-form analysis, pattern-spotting, building mental models, or holding complex systems in view — are usually slow burn skills. They unfold over hours, days, or longer, not in a two-minute puzzle with a stopwatch running.

That means the real value of a neurodivergent person’s mind may never show up in a timed test score. Instead, it shows up in how they approach reality: building a framework no one else thought of, holding a problem in their head until it yields, or connecting fragments others would never imagine belonged together.

This is why I see IQ as only one narrow measure of potential — a snapshot inside a framework designed for the “middle of the bell curve.” It may tell you something, but it does not tell you everything. The real question, in my view, is not what number did you get? but what ideas, solutions, or insights do you bring into the world over time?

So I’ll ask again, but more broadly:

When you think about your own intelligence, where do you feel it shows up most strongly — in the test room, or in the way you navigate the real world?

I once took an IQ test that was essentially pattern recognition. I failed. The answers I came up with absolutely fit the pattern, but were not the "correct" patterns. This test was obviously geared to test neurotypical intelligence. Just for the record, I took a Wechsler Adult Standard Composite test and came up with a cognitive score in the 99.9-99.95 percentile. I contend the official answers given on that test I failed were wrong.