u/Icy-Kaleidoscope6911

Been taking random online IQ tests and getting wildly different scores depending on the site, so I'm trying to figure out what actually counts as a legit test versus just a quiz that spits out a number to make you feel good.

Is a psychologist-administered test the only one that actually means anything, or can certain online tests be legit too? If online ones can count, what should I be looking for, timed vs untimed, full composite breakdown, sample size behind it, that kind of thing?

Would appreciate hearing from people who've actually taken both a formal test and one of the online ones, how different were your scores and did one feel more accurate than the other?

Been wondering about this since I keep hearing mixed things, some people say IQ is basically fixed for life, others say it shifts a lot depending on your age. From what I found, your raw cognitive abilities do change over time, stuff like processing speed and fluid reasoning tend to peak in your 20s and slowly decline later, while crystallized intelligence (vocab, accumulated knowledge) actually tends to hold steady or even improve into your 50s-60s. But since IQ scores are normed against your own age group, your actual "IQ number" usually stays pretty stable relative to peers, even as the underlying abilities shift.

So genuinely curious, has anyone here actually retaken a test years apart and noticed their score change, or does it usually stay close to the same?

Keep seeing "Mensa" brought up in these threads and realized I don't actually know much about it beyond "smart people club," so I did a bit of digging. Turns out it's basically the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. The only requirement to join is scoring in the top 2% on an approved IQ test.

What surprised me is that it's not really about academics or achievement, it's literally just the score that gets you in. Once you're in, it's more of a social thing, local meetups, puzzle events, special interest groups, that kind of stuff. Anyone here actually a member?