<p>I’m 27 years old and my doctor recently sent me to get tested for adult ADHD. The neuropsychologist who saw me gave me an intelligence test that measures both verbal & non-verbal IQ. My verbal IQ turned out to be average, barely 100+; but my non-verbal IQ turned out to be in the “superior” range, barely 120+.</p>
<p>(The diagnosis was ADHD and a learning disability. Some of the IQ problems I struggled with, by the way, involved reading comprehension problems. For example, the neuropsychologist had me read a few sentences and then answer questions about the information contained in those sentences. I didn’t do well at those, mainly because I couldn’t hold so much information in my head at one time.)</p>
<p>I suppose that the 120 non-verbal IQ might help me if I were to study engineering or a hard science, but then again, if the average IQ in those programs is 130, then I’d be below average as far as intelligence goes. Similarly, if I were to study a subject that requires lots of reading, like a social science, the 100 IQ either wouldn’t be enough or would mean that I have to work a lot harder than everyone else. I also wonder whether my low verbal IQ would cause me problems even in an engineering or science program.</p>
<p>I know that admission to graduate school is not determined on the basis of IQ scores, I understand that the main determinants are GRE scores, GPAs, essays, recommendations and so on, but assuming that I managed to take care of those, are my non-verbal IQ and in particular my low verbal IQ going to present significant problems?</p>
<p>BlueJayBJ, I suppose you are right. But there is so much work that needs to be done each term that I know for a fact that, for example, even if I were to read books all day long I still doubt I would be able to get all the reading done on time. Not to mention that I’d probably have a hard time absorbing and processing the information.</p>
<p>Perhaps I should have asked if it’s possible to survive graduate school given my ADHD and language learning disability?</p>
<p>The answer will depend on how well you compensate for your learning disability. If you can get the college grades to get into graduate school, it means that you are well on your way. </p>
<p>IQ has little relevance in graduate school as long as it’s not low – and then you wouldn’t want to attend graduate school anyway. While brilliant people can do brilliant things, just plain smart people can do some pretty amazing things as well. IQ has no bearing on success – just ask the Unabomber. What WILL matter is how hard you work, how well you understand the difference between undergraduate and graduate educations, whether you are cut out for research (not everyone is.) </p>
<p>The only thing that your IQ results might show is that you might excel in some fields over others. Still, you have to be interested in those fields. Don’t decide a career based on an IQ test.</p>
<p>Ted Kaczynski was pretty successful for nearly 20 years after being a math savant. Jus’ sayin’!</p>
<p>And I agree with mwfn: IQ bears much less relevance than ability to work hard and to stay focused through adversity. You’ll notice that most successful academics are/were hard-workers and may not necessarily be “brilliant”.</p>
<p>In undergrad I had A’s and B’s. My final GPA was 3.6 and the school I went to was considered top 30. I don’t know if that demonstrates any academic ability but all I can say is that I breezed through the classes I liked (math, programming, science) but did not enjoy classes that required reading and writing (literature, history, sociology). Did I struggle in those classes? I’m not sure “struggle” is the right word, but I would have felt more pain studying for sociology 101 than for a senior level physics class. When it came to classes like history, I relied on memorization and I also didn’t do a lot of the required reading. I just took notes in class, read only the textbook and memorized as much possible, and hoped for the best. Then again, my lowest grade in undergrad was B and when I think of my college experience I don’t think of it as an academic struggle.</p>
<p>Graduate school is a different business. Graduate school requires serious work and it’s not like undergrad which is basically high school. (At least that’s the impression I’m under.) All I know is that I’ve interviewed people in graduate school and they talk about the large amount of reading required. For example, if they take 3 classes each semester, every week they have to read like a total of 500 pages and write 3 papers.</p>
<p>Again, given my problem reading (it’s not a joke, I literally have to re-read information 2, 3 or 4 times before it sticks to my brain) I simply do not see myself being able to do the reading. “Working harder” might not cut it because there is only so much time I’d have available to do the reading and write the papers.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if I were to aim for a master’s in something like math or computer science, I might be able to pull it off, since my learning disability does not extend to nonverbal tasks. However, what if I end up getting accepted to one of those programs only to learn that my language learning disability is somehow going to present a problem?</p>
<p>The most brilliant professor I’ve ever had – a Pulitzer winner and seven-time nominee – has dyslexia.</p>
<p>If you are pursuing a discipline that interests you deeply, you’ll be motivated to do the work. You might have to augment the focus of your studies, but that shouldn’t have to mean learning any less. It’s a challenge rather than an insoluble problem.</p>
<p>The greatest danger you face right now is using your diagnosis as an excuse. If you say, “I can’t do that because my verbal IQ isn’t high enough,” then you’ll destine yourself for failure. Even though your learning disability is real, that doesn’t mean that you can’t compensate for it. You might be surprised by how many people in graduate school have had learning issues – auditory processing difficulties, visual or hearing impairment, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.-- and still received their degrees. You have to be determined, and you have to be ready not to use your disability as an excuse. If you don’t think you can do that, or if you think your learning disability is too great to compensate for by putting in longer hours (or whatever), then don’t go to graduate school.</p>
<p>The difference between undergraduate and graduate school is not more reading or tougher courses. It’s greater speciality – that is, a deeper and possibly more abstract understanding of the field – and research.</p>
<p>I have ADHD and a Non Verbal Learning disability plus Dyslexia to boot. Yet even with all that I managed to get into a world class masters program. Using a disability to say you can’t do it is just a excuse because it frees you from feeling responsible if you mess up. Its not my fault, I have xxxxx. If you don’t think your smart enough for grad school just don’t go. Don’t blame the LD.</p>
<p>I haven’t heard any mention of IQ tests (in the way you are using them) in probably a decade. No one takes them that seriously. If you did well in undergrad in your academics, I don’t think it’ll be an insurmountable difference for you in graduate school. </p>
<p>I am in graduate school for Neuroscience now, and the main thing it requires is more dedication. Yes, the standards are higher for classes and you read a lot, but hard work counts for A LOT. If you are still worried, take a graduate class and see how you do.</p>