Poor Iq , but want to do a PHD

rbnphlp

Hi all,

Today I got my mensa test scores back , it was 104 ..Im a 3rd year theoretical physicst in one of the top universities in the US , with a first in my first year and 2nd year . I was planning to do a PHD later , but this test has dented my hopes ..I am quite good at maths , maybe the in top 10 in my class ..However it looks like I dont have any natural intelligence , just intelligence from learning books ..Im thinking of quiting and maybe be an accountant or something.

Rant over

DaveC426913

Pah. IQ tests tell nothing. They certainly don't tell how good a physicist you'll be.

lisab

An IQ test measures how well you take an IQ test.

Stay on the path you're on, don't concern yourself with such things as Mensa or IQ tests (they're silly IMO). Just keep your eye on the prize, you'll do fine.

Hobin

I don't get it.

You made it through the first two years and you even are in the top 10 of your class, but you're thinking of quitting because of an IQ test? I think you need to do a reality check.

Angry Citizen

Assuming this is representative of how you normally write, then I'm assuming English is a foreign language to you. IQ tests are a function of your command over the language of the test, which is (AFAIK) always English, not anything to do with your actual intelligence.

Hobin

Wait, what? We non-English people have IQ tests too, you know! (And I'm quite sure in my country Mensa uses a Dutch test.)

SophusLies

Wrong, wrong, wrong. They make the IQ test in other languages. I remember there were some chinese students during my undergrad taking chinese versions.

Ken Lim

There is no such thing as an accurate measure of natural intelligence dude. Your IQ scores can increase if you did practice IQ tests before doing the real thing. IQ also increases with formal education, allowing higher levels of abstract thought perhaps.

cdotter

This is what they call a "troll thread."

DaveC426913

Why?

eri

I'm doubting this as well. Theoretical physics is not a major in the US, and the US does not use terminology like 'with a first in my first year'. That's not something that US schools award.

cdotter

Why would anyone smart enough to study theoretical physics at one of the top universities in the US care about something as stupid and pointless like the membership test results of chronic mental masturbation support group?

Evo

Because as has been pointed out, the OP is not what he claims.

rbnphlp

For those who , think Im not real ..take a look at the threads I created for the last two years . I doubt a troll would take that much effort to do that ..I might be lying about my location (beacause I didnt want people to recognise me) .But as I said Im a theoretical physicist studying in one of the top universities in the world , who is good at maths ..
Believe it or not..

Hobin

As a matter of fact, I did look at your threads and noticed that some of them were about theoretical physics, so your explanation makes sense. In any case, if you're a troll, you're not a very good one, as I haven't seen a flame yet. At worst, you've wasted about 5 minutes of my time. Regardless, I think you're putting too much stock in IQ, and doing a PhD with an average is obviously possible - especially for someone who's in the top 10 of his/her class.

Kevin_Axion

Choose a number from 1 to 10.

Dirac_Man

This is precisely why I have always emphatically refused to take IQ tests. From my perspective, there are only two possible outcomes:

1.) The result is lower than what I expect. This alters the way I view myself, and approach problems, even if only in a subconscious way. It could also have a real, measurable impact on my performance due to a preexisting expectation psychologically that I should do poorly.

2.) The result is higher than I expect. This can only generate unwarranted overconfidence in myself, based solely on the results of a test that may or may not "measure" anything at all.

Neither of these outcomes is positive. Thus, why should I bother even wasting my time to take the test? I once read that Andy Warhol, the noted artist, had an IQ of something like 70. He was admittedly off-the-wall, but I think he had an undeniable influence on the course of art in the 20th century. To offer perhaps a more pithy example to a physics-minded person, I think Feynman once took an IQ test and got something like a 110. Not horrible, but certainly not something that would seem to indicate one of the greatest geniuses in the history of human science.