What Is an Official IQ?

IQ is the score that comes from an IQ or Intelligence Quotient test. This score is typically considered an accurate measure of a person's intelligence. Multiple standardized tests are designed to measure intelligence.

History

• The first intelligence test was the Stanford-Binet, developed by developmental psychologist Alfred Binet in France in the early 1900s. He initially designed the test to detect learning impairments in children; the military later used it to sort recruits.

Features

• An official score for an IQ test constitutes a relative score, calculated in relation to a test taker's peers. The number itself represents a ratio between the test taker's "mental age," or raw IQ score, and her chronological age.

Considerations

• Using IQ scores as a measure of intelligence has come with much controversy. IQ tests have been criticized for showing bias in terms of race, class and ethnicity. In addition, scholars debate what constitutes an accurate measure of intelligence and if qualities such as resourcefulness or creativity--which most standardized IQ tests do not measure--should merit consideration.