Do you know the IQs of Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein and Terence Tao?

Terrence Tao 1975 –

The concept of IQ emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, but formal IQ tests such as WAIS (the Weschler test) did not emerge until the 1950’s. (Visit this site for a brief history of their development: Why were IQ tests developed originally?) Consequently, Einstein’s IQ was never measured. However, based on his achievements a variety of IQs have been assigned to him. The number 160 is usually attached to his estimated IQ.

Although Stephen Hawking publicly disdained IQ as a measure of intelligence, some people who knew him reported that he took IQ tests frequently after his diagnosis of ALS to monitor whether the disease was eroding his intelligence. However, he never made his IQ public, so we don’t have a measure of his IQ, except by estimate.

Apparently Terence Tao a Professor of Mathematics at UCLA, has a reputed IQ of 230. Born in Australia in 1975, Tao was a child prodigy mastering arithmetic at age 2 and entering high school at the age of 7, where he studied calculus. He earned his bachelor’s degree at 16, his Ph.D. at 21 and was award a Fields Medal at age 31.

Since IQ tests are measures of intelligence relative to the rest of the population, interpretation of IQs at the upper end of the IQ scale are tenuous. Visit this link for upper limits to IQ: https://www.intelligence-and-iq.com/what-is-the-highest-possible-iq-for-a-human/

As explained in the link above, IQs above 200 don’t have much meaning. However, a very high IQ combined with grit, passion, and some luck is an unbeatable combination of traits for “game-changing” achievement.

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