IQ tests

I am wondering what the point with IQ tests is. No, I did not just filled in one, and frustrated by the results decided to write a furious post on my blog about how egregiously diminishing and inaccurate they actually are since they may not have recognise my great genius. I have actually never made one. Well, not one that was a serious one. I just filled in some internet questionnaires with multiple choice answers one day I had 15-30 minutes spare time (i.e. when I had an important paper to hand in for the next day).

But I really wonder about them. Ok, I know intelligence is not singular but plural (thanks Derrida). So in any case the tests cannot test all forms of intelligences. But I am wondering how it can even claim to be testing intelligence in the first place, and with what accuracy. Actually, one does not need any test to see if someone is dumb or not dumb, a five minutes conversation will do. So why make a test for that? Furthermore, how can one pretend to measure intelligence? By definition intelligence, from latin inter legere, is about connecting dots. And high intelligence is about connecting dots in a completely new manner. So it is all about creativity. So how does one measure creativity, I wonder? All the tests are usually problems with multiple choice answers where the author knows the answer. So like any test one had in school, it is only measuring up to the level of the author of the test. I have never seen a test actually giving a problem the author would not know the answer, and with a completely free choice of answers. A completely new answer would give a good idea of how smart the guinea pig really is. But how would it be possible to measure then? The answer would be to have the smartest guy on earth make all the tests. But then how do you know he’s the smartest guy on earth since you have no way to measure it objectively?

This is why I rely entirely on my five minutes conversation method, which helps me classify people into dumb/not dumb. I usually only connect with the not dumb category, but I guess I will always be in someone’s dumb category.