Summary: IQ is a term that is commonly heard of. It is an abbreviation for Intelligence Quotient, a test that is used to measure intelligence. Imagine being put through a host of tests and being awarded a number that stands for your intelligent quotient! What does this number really mean? What is its significance?! IQ tests are used to distinguish people into the normal, gifted or challenged category. Children are tested relative to each other in data interpretation, logical reasoning, vocabulary, quantitative abilities and spatial orientation. The most commonly used test for measuring IQ is the Stanford-Binet intelligence test. A person with an IQ score of 100 is said to be ‘normal’ and those with scores of 130 above are said to be ‘intellectually gifted’. Does this mean that people with a high IQ are extraordinarily successful and those with an average IQ are limited to average success? Certainly not! A television program in Canada recently tracked down several people with high IQ scores. One such person was found working as a motorcycle mechanic, who hangs out in bad company and is a frequent visitor of the jail! Another such person works as a in a bar, earns a pittance and lives in a pitiful garage. Very clearly, a high IQ certainly does not ensure success! So all you ‘normal’ people out there get out of your depression! And the alleged intelligent ones buck up, for you ought to sweat it tout to make it to the top! What IQ tests measure is a certain potential. This potential ought to be nurtured and develop by the person who is blessed with it. However, one may not have an inclination to do so! Example: there might be a person who’s gifted with an extremely melodious voice, but hates music. Or someone who has a perfect physique for a high jumper, but may loathe sports! In these cases, having a high IQ means practically nothing. Standard IQ tests measure only a part of intelligence potential. But that cannot be called ‘intelligence’ from a wholesome perspective. Psychologist Howard Gardner of Harvard University says that there are 7 types of intelligence - verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, social-interpersonal and intra-personal. IQ tests do not accurately measure all of these. There are people who do exceedingly well in school. But they are failures in real life, because they lack the dynamism and smartness to pull them through work. On the other hand, there are people who have failed miserably in school, but have emerged millionaires, thanks to their smartness and practical orientation in life. Was Michelangelo incompetent because he was not a great mathematician? Or was Einstein inept because he was not a great artist? Which one of these two men is more intelligent? How should intelligence actually be defined? The answer is, there really is no definition of intelligence that explains its totality. Hence, a mere IQ number cannot determine a person’s success/failure. Qualities such as determination, willpower and vision play a greater role in a person’s success. There really is no substitute to hard work. Creativity, foresight, optimism, goal-orientation and the drive to succeed are essential qualities of a successful person. There have been great people in the history, who have been nothings in their childhood but have built empires today because of their vision and drive. Hence, an IQ score is just a number. It does not define a person. Successful people develop and exhibit various qualities that are responsible for their success. It cannot be attributed entirely to their IQ. So buck up! And work hard! Dream big and success will be all yours! :)
