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Nornagest comments on [Open Thread] Stupid Questions (2014-02-17) - Less Wrong
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Should I take a proper IQ test?
In the past I've only ever taken those questionable online IQ tests, and managed to get something like 133 from them, but they're obviously not the most reliable source.
The only other really IQ-like test I've ever taken was the Otis-Lennon test in grade 4, which I only got 114 on. But I also remember misunderstanding the instructions and thinking I wasn't allowed to skip questions, so I only actually answered 50 of the 75 questions on the test (I got stuck on question 50 for a long time).
I also more recently managed exactly 160 (80th percentile) on the LSAT on my first and only attempt.
And, most recently I took a Differential Aptitude Test that looked like:
As you can see, it's kinda all over the place.
I am kind of curious about how I'd do with a proper IQ test, but I'm also a bit worried that I might be disappointed by the results. My own personal estimate is that I'm probably around 120 or so, since that puts me above average, but doesn't put me in genius or Mensa territory. And yes, I'm admitting that my own self-evaluation is that I probably have a lower IQ than the average Less Wrong survey answerer's 138. You people are scary intelligent. :P
And I wonder whether or not a higher than expected IQ result will make me overly arrogant, or a relatively low IQ result will hurt my confidence in the future.
So what do you think? Is knowing your IQ generally a good thing? Or are there good reasons for ignorance being bliss?
I wouldn't bother. If you're old enough to be taking the LSAT, a high IQ score won't be opening any worthwhile doors for you; at a younger age you might have been able to leverage it into admission to some useful programs, but now it's only good for bragging rights. And it's not something that it's socially acceptable to brag about in most contexts. (I don't remember ever mentioning mine past high school, except on the mostly-anonymous LW surveys.)