Who has the higher IQ--average doctor or minimum mensa member?

Question

I read something which I would like a second opinion.

Mensa accepts top 98th% or higher.

Average (not median) but mean doctor is only 95th%

This means that only about 1/3 of doctors could get into mensa???

I thought doctors would be at least smarter than mensa members, on average?

Just want to know if it sounds about right.

Minimum mensa IQ -- 133

average doctor IQ -- 125

I guess presented this way it sounds more believable.

The average also includes all those doctors with 180 IQ, but the minimum mensa only includes the "borderline accepted guys in mensa".

I only have a 110 IQ, so I'm not some elitest trying to make you guys feel bad.

Answer 1

This makes sense. Physicians don't exactly need to be terrifically smart - the commitment to study (including all those years of study before and during medical school), to the profession itself (with its high demands on ethics and usually with the requirement for huge sacrifices) as well as sheer talent in the field (which is not entirely related to the general intelligence factor, g, that IQ tests try to measure) distinguish physicians from simply high-IQ people.

Just to back up my 'argument', if you can call it that - the most elite university in Japan, the University of Tokyo, has a median student IQ of just 124. The Japanese population has a mean IQ of 105 or so. Using some statistical manipulation I found out that the median student in Tokyo U is but only in the top 10 percent or so of the Japanese population - yet by what the Japanese call the 'hensachi', or standard score on their university entrance exam Tokyo U students score in the top 3% of the nation. Hence it doesn't take a huge IQ to get to places - other factors, including most notably hard work, count as much, or even more.

If you have an IQ score of 110, you can graduate college with little problems - statistically speaking. And if you can graduate college you'll be better off than 60% or more of the population. You'll have a comfortable life - if you work enough to make your IQ help you.

By the way, I'm a Mensa member. I joined at age 6, and since I'm now 18 I've been in Mensa two-thirds of my life. And I swear, the smartest guy I've ever met at a Mensa function so far is a banker. Maybe the physicians are just too busy to show up? ^ ^

Answer 2

I wouldn't get too worked up over either statistic.  Also, you don't have enough information to gauge the overlap of doctors who also meet the mensa requirement.