IQ Test Quiz - Improving Your IQ

Intelligence tests have been used since 1903, when the famous French psychologist Alfred Binet devised a questionnaire that could measure the intelligence of school children. This test has been revised through the years to stay current and to factor in how environment, genetics and background can all influence a test result. Controversial and ground breaking the IQ test has been the measuring stick for nearly a century and while the test itself can be debated there is no doubt that human intelligence can be improved upon and developed.

While online IQ tests are known to be flawed (Albert Einstein was not considered "intelligent" by any measurable standard while he attended school) it does get the ball rolling on a person's basic understanding and can be used to help identify areas in which a person can improve their intelligence.

The same way someone can score high on the verbal portion of the SAT but not fair so well on the math part this doesn't mean the person is dumb or not intelligent. One of the benefits to taking a pre-SAT test is to see where you need to focus more to get a higher score. IQ tests have also suffered from people placing too much emphasis on the scoring (anything above 130 is a genius and anything below 70 is an idiot) and has called into question the way the test is structured and applied.

Still, with Binet's revolutionary thinking and testing methods a new dawn rose on human intelligence and with it the opportunity to improve our IQ through mental exercises and brain training. Some researchers believe IQ is nothing more than an individual's ability to process information. Many factors can hinder or enhance a person's processing ability but studies show that when training the brain with simple brain games such as puzzles, math problems and riddles they can increase their IQ score by up to 8%.

Brain games and brain training keep the mind alert and acute and also stretch the mind's thinking ability to allow for new information to be received and applied to problem solving techniques. The better we get at processing information the better we become at finding solutions to problems.

This doesn't happen overnight and contrary to what some people believe this is not something you are born with either. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule and some children may show an incredibly high aptitude for spatial intelligence or strategy thinking but on average any person is capable of improving their IQ to some degree.

Whether you believe in IQ tests or not is not important, that people know they can improve their intelligence is. We all have the capacity to better our minds, improve how we process information and train out thought patterns to be more clear and concise. Training your brain with brain games and mental exercises can improve the overall fitness of your brain and consequently your intelligence.