Average IQ of a Army squaddie?

Question

Wondering what the average IQ is of a Army squaddie. Some seem intelligent, but many seem down right stupid, even those in technical roles.

What type of people are attracted to the army?

What type of intelligence do enlisted have?

Answer 1

I have a fairly high IQ but was refused entry into the army when I was young due to my attitude.

It is not IQ that attracts people to the army (that would be parking attendants).  I think that a lot of people in the army have had a certain upbringing, or lack of it.  They like things to be black or white (grey areas give them anxiety), their childhoods have often left them with low self-esteem and little direction or positive influence.  The army fills that void, until they come out.

Answer 2

The more militaristic a society  becomes, the higher you're told it is.  

Answer 3

i joined the british army when i was 16 years old, straight out of school, a year before i was still playing with action men, i was very immature.  my pre-military tests showed me so stupid I was only accepted into the paras, light infantry.  a few weeks later i retook the test and was accepted into the artillery, bad move, it was the dullest, unimaginative thing I have ever experienced.  My iq was very low.  But now 20 years later I have a high iq, college, university, starting a business so therefore iq is relative to age I believe.

Some young squaddies are naive and immature, and cannot see the full picture, like myself, others are not so naive.  So your question is pretty open.

Answer 4

In Basic Training at Fort Benning (that means GRUNTS) there were only two people in the platoon (there are 60 in a platoon) that had a GT score lower than 100.  Couple college graduates, myself included (Tufts), mixed in there for good measure.

For the most part the people attracted to the Army and Marine Corp are simply people who want to protect their families, serve the country, or something along those lines.  They come from all walks of life and by and large they achieved some amount of personal and financial success in the civilian world.  It's not like the movies or what the hippies want you to think where everyone is just some dumb yokle.  Alot of Infantry folks owned their own businesses in the civilian world, were policeman, are currently in or have graduated from college.  That's why the military has such a high level of respect right now - decent people in the civilian world sacrificing their careers, time with their families, and in some cases their lives so that Americans can feel a little safer when they go out to work every morning.

Answer 5

I bet I could point out a random person in the street and the average squaddie would be more intelligent.

Many are not good at school work, but more than make up for it with common sense and initiative.

I left school with 7 GCSE grade B to C and am in the infantry.

I would like to see you go into a room of squaddies and tell them that they are down right stupid, you wouldn't last very long!

Answer 6

you'd be surprised about the people that join up, there is JNCO's with masters degree and privates with degrees. Not all have them, and there are a few that are heading for a life of crime before they join up it's a mixed bag.

'What type of intelligence do enlisted have?' not really sure what you mean how clever do they have to be ? depends on the job, there is a min qualification that you need then you do a test if you score high enough and pass the interview you're in. The test score and qualification depend on the job.

How many squaddies have you met?

'Some seem intelligent, but many seem down right stupid, even those in technical roles.'

Answer 7

it is like any thing in life some people are more intelligent than others when you join you take an aptitude test from that they can determine which trades you are most suitable for

Answer 8

10?

Answer 9

Bonehead!  What the h**l does IQ have to do with anything?  As previous answers have eloquently put - you wouldn't be asking a marine/para/infantry grunt (I use the term with the utmost respect!) what their IQ is in a war zone.  Similarly, you wouldn't ask the IQ of an aircraft engineer who had just worked on the plane that you are about to take on holiday.

What matters is that they get the job done.  And to the highest of standards.

The cross section of the forces reflects that of the population.  So you may as well ask the average IQ of a country!

Answer 10

The average IQ rating will be about 100 the same as for the rest of us. there are all sorts of reasons why people join the armed forces. I almost did myself until I realised that with eyesight like mine  and a total mechanical ineptitude all I could hope for was a another clerical job combined with the necessary (and unnecessary) stupidities of military discipline.    

Answer 11

my 2 eldest lads joined the forces an to get into them they had to have the minimum of 5 gcse's or higher, an at a guess you to have asked such a question must be in the lower rank's of IQ ie (moron)

sorry if that offends you but then so does someone questioning the intelligence of the people who serve an protect us without a second thought

Answer 12

Upon volunteering all recruits are subject to an IQ test, from this it is decided what type of trade to offer.  All individuals, who are fit and not obviously insane are taught basic infantry skills.  For many they are taught no more save the opportunity to use specialised weapons.

For others, depending upon intelligence and aptitude they are offered specialist training in the myriad disciplines a self-sufficient army requires.  The most intelligent are considered for intelligence work, true.  The range of intelligence, as measured by IQ, is the same as for the general population, although skewed towards the second quartile.

To answer your question a squaddie, i.e. infanteer, has a IQ somewhat greater than a moron (80) but not much higher than average(100).

Answer 13

average IQ of a army sqaddie is higher than yours

Answer 14

our lads in the RAF, they may appear slovelnly and ill informed, lacksadaisical and downright stupid at times... BUT i could say the same thing about te guy behind the parts counter in any service environment.

intelligent guys become officers, the rest of us are grunts... but oh boy do they learn fast... and how does one gauge their intelligence? i have no idea what you do, but i bet you cant field strip your rifle... and ill bet you couldnt do a fraction of what these guys do... and they may not be the brightest spark in teh box, but they have HONOUR...

they appear slovenly etc becaus ehtyere BORED, they train for WAR... you wont question their IQ when theyre saving you in a warzone.  

Answer 15

Your question is mildly insulting, but I'd say the average IQ would be around 100.  There are many reasons a person would be attracted to the Army: to get money for college, to have pride and serve their country, to learn a specific job that would cost tons of money in the civilian world, retirement benefits, and the list goes on.  What type of intelligence do enlisted have?  What kind of question is that?  There are some brilliant NCO's and then there are some that are idiots.  You can't judge an entire group of people because everybody is different and you know that.

Answer 16

Your question is fairly insulting but it at least deserves an answer.

The average IQ of someone in the military will be roughly the same as someone else in the civilian sector. Many different kinds of people are attracted to the military and there is no reason to think people are unintelligent because they joined.