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What is IQ and what are IQ Tests?
The term IQ stands for "Intelligence Quotient". Intelligence or IQ tests are intended to measure aptitude and intellectual capacities and provide and estimate of a child's mental abilities.
Descriptive Classification of IQ's
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IQ
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Description
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% of Population
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130+
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Very Superior
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2.2%
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120-129
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Superior
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6.7%
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110-119
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High Average
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16.1%
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90-109
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Average
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50%
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80-89
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Low Average
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16.1%
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70-79
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Borderline
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6.7%
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Below 70
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Mentally Retarded
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2.2%
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IQ is commonly expressed in terms of percentiles, which refers to the number of other test takers' scores that an individual's score equals or exceeds. For example, if a child answered 25 questions and did better than 50% of the children taking the test, he would score at the 50th percentile.
Area of Focus for Assessment
IQ assessments are done by trained clinical psychologists, the most commonly used tests being the Binet Kamat and the Wechsler's Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). Most IQ tests consist of subtests measuring various qualities, such as factual knowledge, short-term memory, visual-spatial abilities, abstract reasoning etc. They do a good job of predicting academic success, but do not measure qualities such as interpersonal skills, creativity etc.
Wechsler IQ tests include several verbal scales (such as comprehension, similarities, vocabulary etc) and performance scales (such as block design, picture arrangement, picture completion etc), and measure a child's overall vocabulary, general knowledge, verbal reasoning and memory and their construction. The Binet Kamat test on the other hand only measures a child's scholastic ability (verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, abstract/visual reasoning and short-term memory).
Overall, IQ tests can help determine the areas of intelligence in which the child is lacking. They can pinpoint problem areas in the child's learning abilities allowing the specific problems to be worked on and corrected.
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