What Are Two Disadvantages to IQ Testing?

For some, a person's cognitive abilities are completely judged on the basis of an IQ test. From colleges that interview prospective candidates for scholarships to multinational organizations that subject their future employees to rigorous interviews, the IQ test is used as a final barometer of someone's general knowledge and intelligence. The downside is that it is nearly impossible to achieve a complete profile of the different aspects of a person's intelligence based on the results of any test.

Perpetuating Stereotypes

• The emphasis placed on the results of an IQ test makes it difficult for those who do not perform as well as they would have liked to. Students from a poorer background with less access to resources and study material generally score poorly when contrasted with those who are "well-to-do" with access to more resources. IQ test scores have the potential to change depending upon the amount of education or study a person has and therefore do not serve as a reliable tool for genetic intelligence.

Limited Subjects

• Intelligence is a concept that has been vaguely defined and cannot be pigeonholed into a certain classification. IQ tests measure candidates in areas like reading comprehension, mathematics, limits and series; however, a number of other aspects like social skills, emotional intelligence and creativity have been ignored. Maturity and social affability play key roles in a person's career successes; therefore, the IQ test results are not an accurate indicator of someone's potential. People's IQ score can also vary depending upon external factors including their state of mind on the day of the test as well as sickness.

IQ Test Positives

• Although there are some stark negatives, IQ tests continue to be utilized because they offer a beneficial evaluation of many strong points versus weak points in basic skills like mathematics, cognitive abilities and reasoning. This can give people--- especially younger people --- a direction to pursue that coincides with their strengths.