Editorial standards

Every number has a source

A page on IQ Octopus may state a number or a research finding only if it comes from a cited source: a peer-reviewed paper, a test publisher's manual, an official organization such as Mensa, or a reference work. We link the source next to the claim and list it at the bottom of the page. We prefer the primary paper over a summary of it.

Percentiles, rarities and score bands follow from the normal curve (mean 100, standard deviation 15). Those are computed in code from the formula, not typed by hand, so the same number appears everywhere it is used.

Numbers about our own test (item counts, timing, scoring, price) come from the code that runs the test. Numbers in our research come from the data file we publish with each study.

What we will not publish

• Counts of test takers, ratings or reviews, testimonials, or any other social proof we cannot show.
• Average IQ by country, profession or sex, and IQ claims about named famous people.
• Claims that our test is officially approved, matches clinical precision, or is equivalent to any clinical test.
• Claims that a score predicts an individual's success, income or future.

How AI is used

We say this plainly: drafts of pages on this site are produced with AI assistance. A draft is not published until every number and research claim in it has been checked against the cited source, and anything that cannot be traced to a source is removed. AI assistance does not change the rule above. If a number is on the page, its source is on the page too.

AI models also appear as the subject of our research. In the AI benchmark, models took the same test people take. That is measurement, and the method and data are published with it.

Independence

IQ Octopus carries no ads, no sponsored content and no paid placements. We are not affiliated with Mensa or with any test publisher, and we do not accept payment to mention or link to anyone. Pages that help you practice for a named aptitude test say so and state that we are not affiliated with that test's owner.

Updates

Each page carries the date it was last changed, and that date feeds our sitemap. We review research pages when a source is revised or a new study replaces it, and we rerun our AI benchmark when new models become available. When a rerun changes the results, the study page says what changed and the earlier figures stay in the data file history.

Corrections

If you find an error, email support@iqoctopus.com with the page and what you think is wrong. We check every report against the source. If we were wrong, we fix the page, update its date and add a line to the public corrections log saying what it said and what it says now. Typo and wording fixes that do not change the meaning are not logged.