Intelligence Testing and CareersIntelligence Testing is supposed to assess whether you are gifted, average, mentally impaired, or somewhere between these. IQ tests have created controversy, about what constitutes intelligence. There are varied intelligences within each individual. For example, one may excel with his vocabulary and be a world renowned public speaker, or a mechanically inclined genius who creates his own inventions in his garage. But, how does a single IQ test put it all together to represent the sum of ones total mental ability? Of course, any one standardized IQ test or any other will come up short. Early IQ tests supported the notion that criminals, certain races, and those in the so called lower class, had lower IQ’s. Later, this cultural and class bias was challenged, often. In truth, there are so many types of differing intelligences that one test alone cannot capture them all. For example, there is emotional intelligence, and tests to measure it. There are still doubts about how objective IQ tests actually are. * Exactly what is mental ability, and how can it be measured accurately? Much can be said about what our deepest passions and emotional energy can do to motivate us to work hard, helping us to ultimately reach our goals and highest aspirations, despite what an IQ number suggests about our mental capabilities. IQ is a number, representing ones intelligence. But, how do we prove it to be fair, and accurate? Aptitude tests are similar to IQ tests, and sometimes preferred, because they test only certain aspects of ones abilities and personality. Intelligence testing scores are used to predict capacity for educational achievement; so is the SAT test. What key factors influence IQ?• Do genes influence IQ?• Does culture or class influence IQ? • Is it ones environment which exerts the most influence upon ones potential IQ? • How about Nutrition and IQ? • How about a happy family life? • Does IQ depend upon the size of ones brain? • Does a higher IQ favor men or women? It was previously believed men did better at math. Now, this is not necessarily true. But, was it ever true? By whose standard was this proven? It has been said men have a better spatial ability; for example, the hand eye coordination required in driving race cars, or playing video games. But, women have entered almost every arena just as successfully as men have. So, who is qualified to judge who is better at what or superior than someone else? And, the best question of all may be, why should we judge anyone’s ability at all? There is a purpose. There exist certain standardized tests, which include intelligence testing, because there apparently is a need for measuring ones mental abilities and other aptitudes, objectively and accurately. When it comes to employment, the employer who uses his own aptitude test for hiring, needs those to fill the open position; who have the right aptitudes, skill sets, and working personalities. Top of page
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