IQ myths and famous claims, checked
Famous IQ numbers and popular beliefs about intelligence, checked against what is actually documented. Historical figures only. When there is no record, we say so.
Want your own number? The test is 25 visual puzzles, about 12 minutes, no sign-up.
Famous IQ claims
- 01What was Einstein's IQ?No record of a test. The famous number is an estimate.
- 02What was Stephen Hawking's IQ?Unknown, and he said so himself.
- 03What was Isaac Newton's IQ?Never tested. Any number is a retrospective estimate.
- 04What was Leonardo da Vinci's IQ?Four centuries before IQ tests. Any number is a guess.
- 05What was Nikola Tesla's IQ?No test record. The numbers online are guesses.
- 06What was Richard Feynman's IQ?A reported school score of about 125, and what to make of it.
- 07What was Charles Darwin's IQ?Never tested. What a 1926 estimate can and cannot tell you.
- 08What was William James Sidis's IQ?A real prodigy, a legendary number, no test record.
Records and estimates
Try one · Spatial Reasoning
Which option is the same shape, only rotated?
Tap the option you think is right, or show the answer.
Show the answer
Option 4 is the original figure turned a half turn.
How to solve it
- Pick a landmark: the marked cell or the end of the longest arm.
- Turn the figure in your head and watch where that landmark goes, and which side the other cells end up on.
- Turning the figure a half turn gives option 4.
- Each of the other options is a mirror image: flipping it over would match, but no turn does.
That was 1 puzzle. The full test has 25.
Myths about the brain and learning
- 01Do we only use 10% of our brain?No. Imaging shows activity across the whole brain.
- 02Left brain vs right brain: is it real?Hemispheres specialize. People are not one-sided.
- 03Do learning styles exist?Popular, but the matching idea lacks evidence.
- 04Does listening to Mozart make you smarter?A small, short-lived effect, not a rise in IQ.
- 05Do brain training games raise your IQ?Better at the games, little evidence of wider gains.
Myths about IQ
Free tools: IQ percentile calculator · Percentile to IQ converter · IQ score chart
Related
- No. 01Einstein's IQNo record of a test. The famous number is an estimate.
- No. 02Highest IQ ever recordedNo verified record, and why one cannot exist.
- No. 03The 10% brain mythNo. Imaging shows activity across the whole brain.
- No. 04IntelligenceWhat intelligence is, how it is measured and what changes it.
- No. 05QuestionsShort, sourced answers to the most asked IQ questions.
25 puzzles · about 12 min
Find your IQ in 12 minutes.
25 visual puzzles, free to take. Your full result, with your estimated IQ, percentile and five-area breakdown, is $4.95 one time.
Free to take. Full result $4.95, one time. No subscription.