Has anyone here had their home schooled childrens IQ's tested? How much faith do you place in it?

Question

MY home schooled 15 year old son took an adult IQ test and scored 125 I am curious if this is accurate and if this would be a decent score? The test was intended for 17 and older but he said the childrens version was too easy. Do any educators have any comments or suggestions?

Peace Be With You,

Debra

Answer 1

We put very little emphasis on standardized tests, including IQ tests.  The results can vary due to many factors, including things as simple as how much rest the student got the night before, how much motivation they have to do their best, whether they have a headache that day, etc. There is cultural bias in such tests.

I've known a number of people who've tested at the sub-100 level who turned out to be geniuses, and people who tested ot at genius level who did nothing spectacular with their lives.

In the end, it's not the number.  It's what you do with that grey matter in your head that counts

Answer 2

You need the test to be calibrated for the child's age or the result won't be 'right' in so far as IQ tests are all that meaningful anyway. 100 is meant to be average so 125 is high, but he really should take the test for his age, even if it does seem 'too easy'. If you're very bright I guess it should seem easy, but it's meant to be a test not a fun challenge :-)

Answer 3

My son was tested for IQ & Academic ability at age 7 by a school district psychologist.  I put a LOT of faith into it b/c I could see what I knew about my son translated on to paper.

Where & how did your son take an IQ test?  Online?  Paper?  With a psychologist?  If it's any but by a psych, then I would not put *any* stock into it.

The ITBS standardized test ("Iowa") has an additional componet for IQ (a "quick & dirty" version) called the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities).  My son did that with his ITBS one year and while it was *similar* to his psych testing, he hit the test ceiling, so that was a bit inaccurate.

You could use the score as a general idea that he is above average.  I wouldn't use it for much more than that.  If you update the Q with additional details, I'd know more.

EDITED TO ADD:

If you know what test your son took, then have a look at these links.  They'll tell you where he falls as far as "the norm" or "the curve".  He's either "gifted" or "above average" depending on the test.  If it wasn't correlated to his actual age, it's not going to be accurate.  Did they use 15 y.o. norms on the test he took?  Or did they start at 15 and go up?  These are very relavent questions about the test and how his score was achieved.

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_prof...

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/tests_tell_...

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/tests.htm

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/identificat...

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/testing.htm

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/proficiency...

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gifted_101....

Answer 4

If I recall correctly, even the best IQ test can be off in either direction by about 15 points. I don't put much stock in them. After all, I bet you already knew your boy was smarter than the average bear.

Answer 5

wow. your son is SMART! :) 125 is really good, 150 is EXCELLENT :) and he's only 15, that's impressive. :)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

Answer 6

Who did the test? What kind of prep work did he do?

I don't trust the online tests at all, first of all, if he's recently seen the children's test and taken it, it will affect the score he got on the adult. Repetition gives an artificial score. Secondly, the online tests are simplistic versions of the test a real psychologist would apply, without the depth of problem solving that would be available.

IQ's are an artificial means of judging intelligence, and even now are passing out of favor. professionals have used them to pigeon-hole children into preconceived placements, without taking into account differential development.

I say this as a mom who's children have scored very high on tests, my son achieved 160 on his nonverbal portion at the age of ten. It still doesn't change who they are and how I feel about them. They're kids.

Answer 7

I have taken IQ tests through a state progeam that is 100 % trustworthy! It was for adults and I scored slightly above average.

Hope this helpds!