IQ Test Woes

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IQ tests don't work for me at all. Within the first couple of questions I always get frustrated at them making no sense and quit. I was always that kid who the teachers told: "I don't get it. You're so smart! How can you be doing so badly in school?"

I'd say don't worry about it. They gave me the IQ test at the same time they gave me the evaluation for aspergers, so I didn't really even know what they were looking for or which tests were which. I came out with superior/above average scores in everything but processing speed, which was super low. It seems the test is designed to pick out processing speed issues among other things.

Good, because I lived my whole life feeling that I was stupid until I realized that one can be intelligent and process things slowly.

Oh, I can remember random, meaningless strings of numbers....but I can't do math in my head at all, especially if you time me.

Well,
You guys were right.

I did GREAT on verbal IQ- didn't get one wrong. Also did really really well on digit span - thank you echolalia.

But on short term memory and processing speed.....well....I basically failed.

It was so difficult. I knew it would be hard but I didn't think it would be THAT hard. On symbol search - I only got a page or so in before time was up. The other memory ones....I did horribly, and I would remember the items hours later. That just shows how slow I think.

So, basically, I have a very, very large gap between my VIQ and everything else.

He also re-assessed me for Asperger's, so now I'm re-confirmed ASD.

I'm glad it all worked out for you. Told you not to worry

Glad to hear it went well for you, Esther.

Aren't Galician and Portuguese the same basic language with only minor differences, but still mutually intelligible overall.

Esther if you don't mind me asking, but how did you go about signing up to take this IQ test?

DVCal,

I am in counseling with a counseling psychologist who specializes in Autism Spectrum Disorders, and he did the testing.

And yes, Galician is very much connected to Portuguese. In fact, all the languages I mentioned in connection to Spanish are romance languages and so are very closely related. I'm a pattern thinker, so I can read those languages because they follow the same root pattern as Spanish.

WOW, what country are you from?

IQ tests ARE a joke. Unless you went high enough up the scale, the 7grades of english and 4 grades of math may not even show. As fro the 5 languages? They MIGHT help a little. Being into physics and astronomy could help.

Don't worry about it. With what you have done, I DOUBT you will test below normal. And if you only test 1-2SD above normal, you can laugh at the fact that it didn't do a good job. They basically test 4 things generally. Language, Math, Logic, and Spatial. And those are the 4 you have worked on.

I should have read ahead.

You said:

Oh, I can remember random, meaningless strings of numbers....but I can't do math in my head at all, especially if you time me.

OK, that is against what I understood when you spoke about doing te math so well. WOW! as bad as I am, in math, I am really starting to realize others were worse.

Steve

Your testing went much the same way as Fior did.

If I remember correctly, his "raw" IQ score came back at 130. Factor in the difficulties he had, (I can't give specifics, I wasn't given them, and Fior didn't ask), it pulled the 130 down to 110.

Fior had a near melt down over that fact.

He can't do things quickly. It is slow, methodical, one thing at a time. Rush Fior, and you have the makings for a melt down. Unfortunately for him, his job changed to a quick pace, multitasking, and with boat loads of social interaction one. The therapist said there probably no accommondations that could be made. Work has no other jobs for Fior (too old, too high a pay scale, and after the last full bore meltdown, they want him no where in the building).

I hope what ever you are studying plays to your strengths.

For 2ukenkerl,

I'm from America.
And no, it didn't show. And the cultural bias on the "information" part of the WAIS is incredibly preposterous. I would have gotten a perfect score if I had remembered the specifics of things that I happen not to study because they aren't in my special interest area...(oops!). I missed 5 total on the information section, but for the rest of the verbal, I didn't miss any.

And as far as foreign language, it hurt me, actually, because when stuck for a word my mind would search my foreign language base....and that doesn't count on tests. My psych joked about putting down "would have done better if different languages were allowed!"

My skill in math is purely visual and systematic. if you give me a diagram of a geometric puzzle I can figure out how the math works, regardless of if I have studied that level of math. It would take time, but I could (and can) do it.
As a young child, you could theoretically say I was 3-4 SD above normal (skipping 3-4 standard grades upon starting grade school.)
But I have virtually no working memory and extremely slow processing. I only got 3 right on the mental math section.
But I can remember plenty of digits in random order....???? Makes no sense.

All in all, I probably scored an average IQ. I know better than to believe that. But it shows my disability, obviously.

To Tawaki:
I'm definitely in my right career field. I'm studying Middle Eastern history and languages. I plan to stay in the academic ivory tower all of my life, being a professor, and doing autism activism and university autism support for students.

Yeah your results are pretty typical for Aspergers: high VIQ and low processing speed and working memory (not the same as memory like most people think of it). However, don't let it bother you. That IQ test seems to be specific for autism diagnosis anyway and really nails you for dyspraxia and performance anxiety (when being watched - not sure if there's a term for this or not). I can't do things with my hands quickly no matter how fast I think, whether it involves blocks or symbol search. If you're like me, you may do significantly better on a different, paper-based IQ test that doesn't involve someone standing over you and having to do things with your hands.

It doesn't bother me, especially as my psychologist understands that I'm intelligent (he said I scored gifted on Verbal and that is the best indicator of giftedness/genius). It's nice when someone doesn't just stupidly look at a number.
At first I was worried it wouldn't catch my processing speed issues.....then I was taking the test and thinking "I'm doing super-well on this part!" and then learning that I wasn't.
I'm thinking that I would do great on Raven's matrices if it was untimed. I messed up on the matrix reasoning big time because I was pressured with time (and having him watch me test, as well as turning the page for me). I learned later that that was an untimed part of the test. Grrr.

Weirdly, my favorite part was the block reasoning - but my score was probably low because it took me FOREVER. I can't see the whole picture....I only see sections, so it took me forever to put the WHOLE thing together...and if the blocks didn't sit straight side by side, I couldn't see what I was doing, so I was constantly straightening them.
When I saw the coding part, I thought it was going to be super-easy....but no - he called time way before I was close to finishing, and I had been so absorbed in it that I lost track of time. I'm too methodical to do well on that I guess, thanks to my slow thinking. I guarantee I got all of those that I finished right, but I was slow.

I will quit rambling in a minute. I LOVE to use my hands. But it slows me down too. Something about touching or writing helps me see and comprehend, but because I have to process more sensory stuff, it slows me down at the same time.

I'm glad I took this test. I understand myself so much better.