where would one take a reliable I.Q. test online for free?

[random]

This has been bothering me for quite somtime I suffered brain damage as a result of blunt force trauma. I have an old school doctor who say's don't worry about it it's permanent etc. But still it bothers me significantly. Mostly memory is impaired, for awhile I woke up everyday not remembering the last, that part has corrected itself. I would just like to know where I stand now compared to the average. An unusual part of the MRI showed that I have an abnormally large (insert medical term here) "bridge" that connects the 2 halves of the brain. So maybe that'll help me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[jackson33]

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=Online+IQ+Test&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=Online+IQ+Test&gs_rfai=&fp=ad526d12389e3c08

 

The above the first page of a google search, with several free to choose from. Often I find many folks are more concerned with "Personal Aptitude Testing" (what you might be best at) and the link below...

 

 

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=online+aptitude+testing&aq=2sx&aqi=g-s1g-sx9&aql=&oq=Online+Apptitude+Test&gs_rfai=&fp=ad526d12389e3c08

[Sisyphus]

I'm pretty certain no online IQ test is going to be reliable. Real IQ tests are in highly controlled settings and include observation by a trained psychologist. I recently took one as a favor, as my friend is a psychology PhD student and needed a subject. It took a couple hours, and apparently longer to grade, with consultation from her advisor.

[Mr Skeptic]

Any online IQ test is going to at best be an extremely rough estimate, and at worst they are trying to make money off of you usually by offering a more detailed explanation of what a genius you are. It is my understanding that it is impossible to offer a real IQ test online, since the setting is unknown and no one can observe you.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I'm pretty certain no online IQ test is going to be reliable. Real IQ tests are in highly controlled settings and include observation by a trained psychologist. I recently took one as a favor, as my friend is a psychology PhD student and needed a subject. It took a couple hours, and apparently longer to grade, with consultation from her advisor.

Have you ever taken an online test? If so, how did it compare to the "real" test?

[timo]

If I interpret "old school doctor" in the way that you are still in school, then the next tests you write should give you a rather good impression where you stand. It also measures more important skills (how well you do at school tests vs. how well you do at IQ tests), offers you a non-anonymous reference group, and allows comparison to your level before your injury.

[random]

No "old school doctor" was meant to imply he will not waste time on somthing he can't treat. It's irreperable and therefore irrelevant. Where as my personal opinion is that it is very distressing to not actually know the extent of the damage in a cognitive sense. There's patches of dead tissue that have noticably impaired my memory and some skills I wish to know how much has it "dumbed me down" I was a no effort straight A student at one time.........where am I at now? I could do complex math in my head now I require pen and paper, Dit it actually affect my I.Q. or just my ability to retain information?

[Sisyphus]

Have you ever taken an online test? If so, how did it compare to the "real" test?

 

Yes, afterwards I tried an online test for comparison. The online IQ test was similar to some of the sections of the WAIS, but obviously not in a controlled setting, and much less comprehensive. Which of course makes sense, since several parts could only be scored by a human. Things like explaining metaphors, etc. The test included interaction with the tester that had no equivalent online. There were also parts that were entirely spoken, while the online test was nothing but written - and mostly multiple choice!

 

The "real" test has decades of research about it, and the score, besides the single IQ number, was a whole series of spreadsheets that gave a detailed picture in many different dimensions - two tests resulting in the same IQ could definitely look very different. The online test, as far as I can tell, was just based entirely on simple percentile score on that particular test, of unknown sample size and composition (people who chose to take that test?), on tasks with no apparent justification. And that's assuming they didn't just inflate the score for no legitimate reason.

 

I'm undecided on exactly how much credence to give the "real" test, but I would definitely give it far more than the online version I tried.

[jackson33]

No "old school doctor" was meant to imply he will not waste time on something he can't treat. It's irreparable and therefore irrelevant. Where as my personal opinion is that it is very distressing to not actually know the extent of the damage in a cognitive sense. There's patches of dead tissue that have noticeably impaired my memory and some skills I wish to know how much has it "dumbed me down" I was a no effort straight A student at one time.........where am I at now? I could do complex math in my head now I require pen and paper, Dit it actually affect my I.Q. or just my ability to retain information? [/Quote]

 

 

random; I answered your base question offered in the thread title, while noting your unsaid questions. Not being anything close to a Medical or Neurological Specialist, "blunt forced trauma" can bring on multitudes of problems, many simply psychological.

 

What I would suggest, since your here on this forum; Is a PM to "DrmDoc" or if you wish additional input (other members) posting a thread (question) in "Anatomy, Physiology and Neuroscience", where he will surely see and comment on.

 

 

http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/19-anatomy-physiology-and-neuroscience/

 

http://www.scienceforums.net/user/31525-drmdoc/

 

In getting these links, I've noticed "DrmDoc" is off to a bad start here (common here, IMO), but can assure you, where he does post, this is not the case. Two factors need to be brought out to qualify any response (probably more), your age and the cause for the original trauma, while in the military, a younger person (15-20) or an older person (over 60) for instance can be very important. The general area, thought to have been damaged from the MRI would also be important, as I understand the frontal lobe is most involved in short term memory and what your indicating is a problem (working math problems out in your head, in the past tense).

 

My guess, again certainly unqualified, would be if you know your IQ was 105 to 115, before an incident, your probably going to still be in that area today. Retaining information, or the perception your not retaining can be, to put it bluntly IMO, an allusion. However there are test available for this to compare with averages, but probably not on line. Any medical person, familiar with dementia could advise you on where to get tested and I'll assume your Doctor, felt this was not necessary...

[PhDwannabe]

Random, from such a distance, your situation is impossible to make anything but the most general comments on. Your physician may be correct that the damage is permanent, but a psychologist may be able to:

1) evaluate you and locate specific kinds of cognitive deficits

2) advise you on interventions or workarounds for those specific deficits.

 

In other words, questions like:

 

Dit it actually affect my I.Q. or just my ability to retain information?

are very answerable. We understand a reasonable amount about the constellation of cognitive abilities and how to address issues with them specifically. Often, there are things you can do about a problem, even if an insult to the brain tissue is permanent.

 

I wrote a very large post about IQ testing in a past thread here and explained furthermore in the same thread why you won't find anything useful online. Don't waste your time on online tests; they will tell you nothing which is clinically relevant. Depending on your insurance, a referral from your physician may or may not help in getting coverage for testing services from a psychologist. If not, you can expect to be looking at a couple of hundred bucks. From the few things you've noted about your situation, though, testing seems to me to be more than warranted. We're not just talking about any old clinical psychologist, here. While many clinical psychologists offer testing services which can be useful to a number of populations, you'll likely want a neuropsychologist, who has even more extensive training relevant to the source of your difficulties (namely, a physical head injury). Look for a neuropsychologist who does cognitive testing and/or other assessments.

[Johnny78901]

I got 124 points at the free online iq test iquotient.net so the resultis similar to the one I got some time ago when I took part in MENSA test.

 

 

[John Cuthber]

If you contact MENSA they can probably offer as reliable an on-line test as anyone.

But what will it tell you?

Say the answer comes back as 136. What use is that number?

 

If you had measured your IQ before the injury then you might be able to make the inference that you lost x points from your IQ. Again, what are you going to do with that information? I think your doctor has a point.

 

Still, if it makes you feel better, take a bunch of on-line tests and see what the scatter is like. That should give you a reasonable estimate and some idea of how good that estimate actually is.

 

Then all you need to do is work out what an IQ actually means in the real world.