In a nutshell, your IQ is a measure of your performance on a series of “intelligence” tests relative to other people your age. (For a deeper history of the evolution of IQ tests, visit: https://www.intelligence-and-iq.com/how-did-iq-measurements-evolve-over-time/, or for a brief outline of the most popular IQ tests, visit: What are the best tests for measuring your IQ? – Intelligence and IQ.
Your IQ score can be expressed as a percentile, that gives the percentage of people whose IQ is as low or lower than yours. For example, someone with an IQ of 100 has achieved a score that is as high or higher than half the population that took that test. A person with an IQ of 115 has achieved a score that is as high or higher than about 84% of the population.
An IQ of 85 might be considered low, because only 16% of the population has a lower IQ than 85. While an IQ test is useful as a first approximation of an individual’s intelligence, it does not measure inventiveness, creativity, or deep problem-solving ability, Consequently, your IQ score should be interpreted as a measure of only one component of your intelligence. For example, some mathematicians are brilliant at long-term problem solving but are merely superior at timed tests–similar to the difference between speed chess and chess. The highest levels of intelligence and creativity that we often refer to as “genius” are not measurable except through achievement. Borrowing from a comment of Justice Potter Stewart of the US Supreme Court, “Intelligence is like porn, difficult to define, but you know it when you see it.”
