My performance IQ is 106 how does this rate for a 51 year old man?

Answer 1

IQ scores are designed to be compared between ages, so your IQ aged 5 should theoretically be the same as your IQ aged 51 (give or take variation due to error).

According to the manual for the Weschsler Adult Intelligence Scales (the Gold-Standard of intelligence testing), an IQ of 106 would fall in the "average" range. That assumes, however, that it is a reliable and a correct score. Do you have a Verbal and a Performance IQ Quoted too? If these are rather different to each other, it is statistically un-safe to quote the Full Scale IQ score. Furthermore, some people find it more useful to express IQ Scores in terms of Confidence Intervals, allowing you to be 95% certainty that the 'true' IQ score lies within those 'error' bounds.

IQ scores are designed to be based around the "bell curve" or "normal distribution". The average should always be 100 for any IQ test. The standard deviation should always be 15. That means that an IQ of 100 or below would be expected to be obtained by 50% of the population. An IQ of 115 or below would be expected to be obtained by 84% of the population.

Now, of course, there are many, many other factors to consider. One of the most important is "why have you had an IQ test in the first place". Is there suspected head or brain damage? If so, it may have been the case that before the damage you were functioning in a higher range, and so an IQ of 106, whilst 'average', is actually 'low' for you. It would be handy to have a baseline test before the accident to test for such change! Alternatively, tests such as the WTAR or NART (which rely on basic reading abilities) can provide a reasonable estimate of "pre morbid" IQ.

Also, you must take into account what test has been administered (the WAIS-III is the gold standard), has it been performed correctly, are there large discrepancies between the individual subtests, and have certain subtests been missed out. Lastly, you need to note that the IQ score does not tell you anything about other cognitive functions including your emotional function or your memory.

There are many IQ tests on the internet that claim to give free readings. Don't trust them an inch. IQ testing is a complicated procedure and must always be carried out by a suitably qualified person, who is able to interpret the results for you accurately. If this had happened for you, you probably wouldn't have had to ask the above question. Go back and ask the person who did the IQ test for a full report.

Hope this is helpful. Be careful. And remember: Most people are average.