<p>I just looked at a couple of independent research studies and the SAT predicts IQ with greater effectiveness than when similar IQ tests are compared. The basis of this was known fro quite some time now but one of the most interesting topics is how the SAT correlates to IQ and it is done by a simple equation. I will first explain a few of the understood things about the average IQ in the United States. The average is a 100. When looking to the curve of IQ’s it is one of the most normal (statistically speaking) curves anywhere, displaying the empirical rule very well (68-95-99.7) With a standard deviation of 15 units. This means that 68 percent of all humans have an IQ score that falls between 85-115. The range on the z-score would be from -1 to 1. When looking at the SAT score the average score per section on a national scale is roughly 500. Therefore, the average combined CR and Math score totals to about 1000. Is it not peculiar to anyone that this is in a nearly exact proportion to the distribution of IQ scores? Well they are. I looked up some more figures and the SAT “spread” also follows the empiral rule, meaning that 68 percent of all student’s scores(CR + M) fall between 850-1150. </p>
<p>As you have probably already figured out to calculate your IQ simply take your combined CR and Math scores and divide them by 10. For instance if someone recieved a score of 690 on the CR and 660 on the math their IQ would be about 135. This in terms of a z-score is slighly above a 2 on both the distribution of IQs as well as SAT scores. Consequently, following the empirical rule his percentile for both the SAT and IQ on a national scale will be around the 95th percentile, or in the top 5%. </p>
<p>This is no conincidence, the mathematical facts are nearly indisputable. And for all of those out there who say that there IQ score has an extreme discorrelation with their SAT is is safe to say that your IQ test is bauched, not the SAT. I am only saying this considering the national presence and amount of money that is dumped into the research and development of the SAT in comparison to some “obscure” IQ test you took that probably is skewed in the favor of paying customer all to ready to proclaim that you are “a genius” when in reality you are an idiot for paying more to veil your low self of esteem.</p>
<p>“I just looked at a couple of independent research studies and the SAT predicts IQ with greater effectiveness than when similar IQ tests are compared.”</p>
<p>i highly doubt this…i have freinds that have increased their SAT scores by over 300 points…it had no impact on their intelligence and therefore no impact on their IQ…also, CR is greatly impacted by vocabulary and other factors that would have minimal impact on iq scores</p>
<p>I think the ACT would display higher correlation with IQ than the SAT. The SAT is a test you can study for to score highly on. The ACT is more of a reasoning test; the questions are more straightforward, but I think they do a better job of actually testing your intelligence.</p>
<p>Hmm… I’m 14 and my IQ is 135 right now, but the fact is that English is probably my weakest subject, which would consequently bring down my total SAT score by a substantial margin.</p>
<p>Lol, anyways, I’ll focus on PSATs for now :D</p>
<p>^ ACT is more so a test you can study for and do well on, mostly because the ACT tests more things that you learned in school than the SAT. The SAT is harder to study for. Both are supposed to be ‘reasoning tests’ I think…</p>
<p>I disagree. I believe the ACT tests reasoning, the SAT tests knowledge. For instance, the SAT tests vocabulary and the ACT does not. The ACT science purely tests scientific reasoning skills. You don’t need to know any cold hard facts to ace the science section. You have to be able to read graphs, interpret experimental results, and draw conclusions. Those are abstract skills that are more difficult to learn. That’s why I think the ACT is a better measure of your intelligence, while the SAT is more a measure of how much you’ve studied.</p>
<p>Your IQ is your potential. IQ is best tested when you are young because we all develop to may pretenses and assume to much when taking IQ tests when we are older. Using the SAT as an IQ predictor is NOT accurate because of, as the above poster said, the vocabulary issue, and what you may have or may not have learned in math. An older version of the SAT was an IQ test. I think since the 70’s it has not been formated for this purpose, especially not the new tests.</p>
<p>One thing for the SAT is that if it is a predictor of IQ, the standard deviation would be a little larger, so that 68% of people would score between 800-1200 or something like that.</p>
<p>Measuring one’s IQ is silly. I’m pretty sure guys like Edward Witten, Terence Tao, and Grisha Perelman are infinitely smarter than the high-IQ’ers in the media (Chris Langan, anybody?). And those guys probably never had their IQs tested.</p>
<p>Here’s an interview with a professor who has been studying IQ. In particular, he has looked at how and why IQ scores have risen over the last 20 years while PSAT scores have not. As he explains, they measure different things. Given this, it is unlikely that SAT scores are going to be the strong predictors of IQ that the OP has asserted. </p>