How To Score Higher on IQ Tests, Volume 1

The answer is relatively simple, but it has some limits

I’ve taken many, many IQ tests in my life. I was identified as “gifted” early on, and in my day (Gen X) if you were identified as gifted, they tested the crap out of you.

I score “very high” to “obscenely high” on IQ tests, and I’ve come to the conclusion that you can study for them.

In fact, I’ve proven this with a few friends and coworkers.

The biggest challenge people have with IQ tests is that they haven’t been exposed to similar problems before. Maybe that’s because they don’t come up in the real world. See, I have a realistic view of how valuable my IQ is…or is not.

Take the above picture, repeated here to keep pagination simple. The biggest challenge people have is understanding of how someone would construct such a question.

First off, there are obviously some hidden operations here. I’ll give you the answer:

• Take the first number (1) and multiply by the second (4) which equals (4) again. Now, add the first number to it (1) and you get (5), which is the answer.
• Do that to the second line. First number (2) times second number (5) equals (10). Now, add the first number to it, (12) and voila!
• Do it yourself to the third.

Simple, once someone tells you the answer. However, if you’ve never seen this kind of question before, you would have little idea…