- Is foritensum really culture-fair?
-
I have tried to make it as culture fair as possible. No familiarity with
language, mathematics, physics or other learned knowledge is needed. However
I believe that no test can really be 100% culture fair. This test is, like
most other IQ tests, logical and abstract. That kind of mental activity is
probably more familiar to people living in a technology-oriented society which
may give us an advantage.
- Is this a joke? I don't understand what I am supposed to do!
-
No, foritensum is not a joke. It is a very difficult IQ test that requires a
determined logical mind to be solved. Part of the test is to figure out what
to do. To your help there are two examples included in the test. I have asked
a number of highly intelligent people (at least two of which have scored
higher than 170 on other IQ tests) to look at it, and they have been able to
solve some of the test.
- How much time am I supposed to spend?
-
There is no time limit, but if you spend a few hours every week on the test
I would not expect you to find any new solutions after half a year. I may
of course be wrong about that.
- Can I send my answers by email?
-
If you think you can express all necessary aspects of the solution, sure.
However, don't use any proprietary format. I don't use Windows, so don't
send your solution as a Word file or something like that. Any combination
of plain text, gif, jpg, png, pdf and PostScript should be OK. Let me know
if you have any other format in mind.
- What IQ range can be measured with foritensum?
-
I haven't received enough answers to norm the test yet, but after a
quick glance on the test, Robert Lato - author of
Logima Strictica 36 and Logicaus Strictimanus 24 - estimated that an IQ
of 160 (about one out of 10000 people) might suffice to solve 70% of the
test. He also said that he believes that foritensum could show a high
correlation with other IQ tests.
You don't have to be ashamed if you can't solve any part of the test (but you are free to feel ashamed if you give up without giving it a real try).
- Is foritensum accepted for entrance to any high IQ societies?
-
That is up to each society. Foritensum has not been normed and I do
not have any recommendation when it comes to membership in IQ
societies.
- Is foritensum an accurate instrument to measure IQ?
-
I believe that the foritensum score will show a strong correlation with
other IQ tests. There is no way to know for sure until enough answers have
been sent in by people that have taken other tests.
- What is this IQ thing anyway?
-
If you ask me, I would say that a high IQ means that you perform well on IQ
tests. I don't think a high IQ necessarily means that you are wise or
intelligent, nor that a wise or intelligent person necessarily scores well
on IQ tests. However, I believe that IQ is strongly correlated to what
people percieve as intelligence.
To score well on an IQ test you must not only be able to solve the test, but you must also have the motivation to spend enough time on it. I find it unlikely that someone - intelligent or not - who does not find "mental masturbation" fun will score well on many IQ tests.
There are links to much material on the Uncommonly Difficult IQ Tests" page.
- How is the score determined?
-
The raw score is one point for each problem that has been successfully
completed. I plan to experiment with weighted scoring systems of different
kinds, but the raw score will stay the same.
- I solved another problem after I sent in the test...
-
Congratulations! If you haven't received the previous score yet,
send in your new answer sheet and I'll score that instead. However,
I'll normally not score it if too little time has passed since last
scoring (6 months to a year perhaps). Also, if the new result is
not "significantly better" than the previous one the new score sheet
will only say "no or little improvement".
The reason for this is partly a lack of time, and partly beacuase it shouldn't be too easy to send in many tests with minor changes to try to get a good score with trial and error.
- I am certain my score should be higher!
-
Several very intelligent people have helped me by trying to solve the test
and explaining their solutions to me. They have found solutions that differ
from mine only in a few cases. When we discussed that it turned out that
they had overlooked some detail, and afterwards they agreed that the
intended solution was more logically sound. I believe that it will be very
rare that a solution that differs from the intended one will be complete and
without flaws. It is of course possible that it will happen, so don't
hesitate to send an explanation with your solutions. If your explanation
shows that your solution is logically impeccable it will of course be scored
as correct. If you find alternative solutions, please choose one for the
answer sheet and include the others together with explanations on a
separate paper, and include an explanation why you choose the one you did
as the primary solution.
Generally, it is common to believe that your own score should be higher than it is in tests like this. The reason is usually that your solution fails to take into account some detail that has been overlooked.
- Can I distribute copies of foritensum?
-
I (Andreas Gunnarsson) hold the copyright for all parts of the test and the
answers as well as for the composition. You are welcome to link to my web
page, but you must not host a copy of the test on another site without my
permission. You are allowed to make paper copies for personal use (you are
indeed encouraged to print it out when you try to solve it), which includes
giving a copy or two to friends - but in that case please make sure that
whoever receives the test also gets a link to this web page. If you want
to include the test in a publication please contact me, if I allow it I can
provide you with a version of the test with higher quality for printing.
You are not allowed to distribute or give away any solutions or part of the test. I reserve the right to take legal action against any copyright violations.
- I want to try it but I don't have a printer...
-
You really should have a printed copy of foritensum when solving it. If it
is impossible for you to get access to a printer you can send me a
postcard from your home town and ask me to send you a printed copy of the
test. I'll only send you a copy if you send me a postcard, e-mail won't do,
and don't forget to write your address and that you want a printed copy of
foritensum. Then I also expect you to return the answersheet with your
answers when you are done.
- I have another question that isn't listed here
-
Send it to
foritensum@zzlevo.net. It may
take me a couple of days to reply.
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