Test Your I.Q.

by Alfred W. Munzert

Book Overview

Since 1980, readers by the thousands have been taking this unique self-scoring test to find out how smart they really are. Challenging, entertaining, and based on genuine scientific principles, this... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517182874
• ISBN13: 9780517182871
• Release Date: December 1996
• Publisher: Gramercy Books
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Interesting book (3.75 stars really)

After reading the 6th edition, I happened to see the 3rd edition in the local library. The IQ test is identical-it looks like the only difference is that some passages of the essay section were either deleted or slightly altered. Overall, this is a short and informative book. It's not for MENSA-types, looking for challenging IQ-like questions...but it will provide some insight into your thinking patterns (left vs. right-brain). As one previous reviewer noted, I think some of the questions are not culture-fair so don't take your score too seriously if it's low... Also, I'm not sure the book clarifies enough what IQ is and isn't: to the general public, IQ is synonymous with "how smart you are"- this book dispells that notion but not as clearly as possible. The key idea behind IQ is that g(eneral intelligence) exists, i.e., people who are good at one thing tend to be good at other things. Certainly, there's some truth to this, but taken to the extreme it implies that IQ tests consisting of only certain questions (like all verbal or all spatial tests) would be sufficient to measure g. Personally, I suspect that intellect consists of many diverse mental functions with varying degrees of cross-correlation. (This would also explain why "idiot" savants can be way below average in most mental respects and yet extraordinarily good at certain things.) Also, IQ tests are all about discerning patterns- they don't test for the ability to create new patterns... Think of IQ like a baseball batting average, which is a great way of ranking hitters. Certainly, it's not the whole story since we also care (sometimes more) about the number of home runs, RBIs and slugging average, etc.- not to mention that batting average tells you nothing about a player's defensive skills and is of course, N/A for a pitcher :)

Interesting book (3.75 stars really)

After reading the 6th edition, I happened to see the 3rd edition in the local library. The IQ test is identical-it looks like the only difference is that some passages of the essay section were either deleted or slightly altered. Overall, this is a short and informative book. It's not for MENSA-types, looking for challenging IQ-like questions...but it will provide some insight into your thinking patterns (left vs. right-brain). As one previous reviewer noted, I think some of the questions are not culture-fair so don't take your score too seriously if it's low... Also, I'm not sure the book clarifies enough what IQ is and isn't: to the general public, IQ is synonymous with "how smart you are"- this book dispells that notion but not as clearly as possible. The key idea behind IQ is that g(eneral intelligence) exists, i.e., people who are good at one thing tend to be good at other things. Certainly, there's some truth to this, but taken to the extreme it implies that IQ tests consisting of only certain questions (like all verbal or all spatial tests) would be sufficient to measure g. Personally, I suspect that intellect consists of many diverse mental functions with varying degrees of cross-correlation. (This would also explain why "idiot" savants can be way below average in most mental respects and yet extraordinarily good at certain things.) Also, IQ tests are all about discerning patterns- they don't test for the ability to create new patterns... Think of IQ like a baseball batting average, which is a great way of ranking hitters. Certainly, it's not the whole story since we also care (sometimes more) about home runs, RBIs and slugging average. Also a batting average tells you nothing about a player's defensive skills and is, of course, N/A for a pitcher :)

This little blue book is a gem!

If you're looking for a book containing a standardized test in the hope of accurately measuring your IQ, this is definitely the book you're looking for.The book launches right into the IQ test following a few warm up sample exercises. All 60 multiple choice questions must be answered in 45-minutes for an accurate assessment and the scoring takes guessing into account.Following the test are the answers along with a simple guide for obtaining an IQ reading from your score.The remainder of the book is devoted to evaluating your score along with a brief history of intelligence testing and an analysis of IQ in the context of creativity and other mental traits. The book also dicusses tips on how to maintain mental sharpness and the entire book is easy enough to read within one sitting.My only problem with this book (and it's a minor one) is that there is only one test. Perhaps this is reasonable since the accuracy of later exams can be "contaminated" with the reader's past experience. As for the test itself, my score matched those I received on on-line IQ tests to within a few points, and since the the content of this test was different but involved the same level of difficulty, I would have reason to believe that the score is accurate. I say, "would have reason to believe" because if you have a mathematical background like I do, you may wonder if this didn't provide you an unfair advantage. For example, some logic problems can easily be tackled with a working knowledge of rudimentary set theory and crude Venn diagrams. Even so, I still see no reason not to recommend this book to anyone, hence the 5-star rating.

I.Q., A Parent's Guide

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and taking its included I.Q. test. Not only do I now know what my I.Q. currently is, I also know that one test does not indicate intelligence. Munzert is excellent in explaining what the test attempts to measure and gives insight into the development of one's intelligence starting at birth.Being a father of two young children myself, I found the text very enlightening and look forward to enhancing my children's awareness of their environment as well as working on their standard 'academic studies'.As an educator, I also enjoyed Munzerts assertions about right-brained individuals being 'judged' less intelligent because they do not think in a way that matches the standard educational system (mostly structured, analytical, and serial as opposed to unstructured and creative.)

Good IQ starter

This book is a quick read and gets right down to the test. The surprising part of the book was that it explained how my test results describe how my brain works. Even though I tested high on the IQ test I had problems learning in school. The book helped me to understand why and then helped me to think about new ways of learning based on how my brain works. The book also has a good section on testing methodology so that you can understand how the tests measure intelligence.