Bothered by Low IQ

[deandro]

I took an IQ test when I was 13, scoring 108. This bothered and perplexed me ever since. I'm sure I have a learning disability that inhibits my spatial reasoning (e.g., I have trouble reading maps), but my IQ score seems really low since I've always been curious about things, scored the 86th percentile on my ACT, the 97th percentile on the ACT Reading Comprehension section, 99th percentile on English usage and mechanics, the 71st percentile on my Law School Admissions Test, and have usually earned As and Bs since I was 13 including my time at college.

I'm attending law school this August but have nagging doubts about whether I can do it. I read that the average lawyer IQ is 121.

I'm also hoping that the score may have changed since then (I'm 24) or that I can somehow improve my score.

I have Asperger's and likely other learning disabilities. I seem to have difficulty concentrating, spatially reasoning, managing time, and with motor skills and executive functioning.

--I read I can raise my IQ by 7 points. How could I do this?
--What are the chances that my IQ's changed since then?
--If my score is likely as low as first recorded and unlikely to change much, then how can I emotionally cope?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Daniel E.]

I took an IQ test when I was 13, scoring 108.

That doesn't sound low to me at all. More like above average.

Personally, I have had three IQ tests when I was in school, and it always got higher each time, even many years later. So your IQ score may be higher now. It's not static, as you suggest.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

1. Reliability and predictive validity of the IQ score depends on both the specific IQ test used and the expertise/experience of the professional administering the test.
2. The younger you are when you take the test, the more unreliable your IQ score.
3. The average Full Scale IQ score is 100. Two-thirds of all people will fall into the average range.
4. Full Scale IQ score tells only a small part of the story. You should look at both Verbal IQ and Performance IQ since there can be differences between those broad abilities and your score on any given day can be affected by different factors, including anxiety and eye-hand coordination speed.
5. Each of the two main factors is composed of several subscore tests which also need to be evaluated. Even one individual score lower than the rest can lower your Full Scale IQ test and you need to know what that is and why it's lower to correctly interpret the Full Scale IQ score properly. For example, perfectionism or test anxiety can lower individual subtest scores and that may result in a Full Scale IQ score that is lower than it should be for that reason.

 

[deandro]

So, how could I raise my IQ and emotionally cope with any shortcomings?

 

[Daniel E.]

I seem to have difficulty concentrating

I would think that would/could be a bigger factor than general IQ.

---------- Post added at 06:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:45 PM ----------

Also, from what I have read, the problem isn't concentrating per se but concentrating on certain things, e.g. what you are "supposed" to concentrate on. The same is true with my OCD, in which case the solution is largely one of practice (behavior therapy) and hopefully having occupational/scholarly interests that are personally interesting and capture the imagination.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

So, how could I raise my IQ and emotionally cope with any shortcomings?

There's no point in focusing on trying to "raise your IQ" and any claims of methods for doing this are bogus. You'd be better advised to focus on learning not to worry about it and using the abilities and talents you have to their fullest.

 

[Daniel E.]

And according to Wikipedia, the general advantage for higher IQ when it comes to work performance is being able to learn new things more quickly. But the advantage of grad school -- and I assume law school -- is that one begins to master the art of "learning how to learn" (more so than in undergrad).

Also, there's a belief (popularized by Malcolm Gladwell) that it takes 10,000 hours of practice/experience to master something. There is some truth to that though it's not scientific.