By most psychiatrists I believe you are, yes. Obviously the term "genius" is an arbitrary point, usually defined at 140. If your friend took one of those online IQ tests, then you can tell him he is full of it.
That's like saying I can be a black belt by reading a book. Wrong, I need to go demonstrate my abilities to an expert who is capable of making that judgement.
I have taken an IQ test and for the sheer reason of privacy will not share my results but, for one thing your friend is wrong in boasting because, even though he may have a high IQ this does not make him intelligent rather he has the ability to store more in his mind and reason more. Though IQ stands for intelligence quotient which essentially means that your friend has a raw intelligence higher than that of their peers but they are not more intelligent unless they truly are learned to their potential.
My IQ (Mensa - Catell) is 147 but I do not consider myself a genius. Mind you that's not because I'm being modest. It's because I don't think the concept of genius has any validity. Having said that if it did have validity it would have to be at the higher end of the various scales proposed, surely, so the 170 on the Wechsler scale would be a reasonable benchmark, but ...... As a psychologist I think that since we know that IQ is normally distributed we know that high intelligence is a bit more of what others have less of - it's not a different phenomenon, not something qualitatively different. We also know that IQ can be improved, or reduced (!), and as such again this questions the whole concept of genius since an ordinary person today could theoretically become a genius tomorrow. If someone is considered a genius does it mean that they are very clever? Probably. But does it mean that they are so clever they are fundamentally different, a genius? It must be no because intelligence is normally distributed and peoples' IQ's vary across time rather than being permanent and immovable. Mind you, I didn't predicate my argument with a definition of genius. I see how most people view the concept of genius as in a different domain entirely, rather than the reality as I see it that they have just developed a bit further than most others along a similar pathway. The central essence of my point is that many have a fantasy that others have achieved an unachievably high plane, which absolves them of responsibilty for trying! One last point - boasting does not make someone more or less intelligent. It probably means they have low self-esteem. Jumping on the "oh, he boasts so he's therefore not very intelligent" bandwagon is not a good, or logical, idea in my view, and certainly not a sign of intelligence either! People say all kinds of things for all kinds of reasons - without looking at their motivation for saying them carefully it is simply impossible to ascertain their meaning, even if you are a genius!!
Yes, very distasteful. I took one time, but haven't done so again in years, I was 116, and that was when I had a hangover, lol. Actually, a genius is smart enough to know that boasting is considered to be rude and showy. I have seen it many times, especially on Jeopardy.
I was tested by a Doctor recently and found my IQ is somewhere around 170, though I only consider myself of average intelligence. I would not trust and online source though, as many of them tend to be a hoax. If you really want to figure out your IQ you have to go see a Psychiatrist or someone who would be able to properly administer you a test.
Actually you would be considered a genius if you had an IQ of 170 in a 15 points standard deviation test like Wechsler. I know it because I almost did it. My IQ is 167 Wechsler, 171 Staford-Binet. If you are a genius probably you will have a slightly strange behavior like having an extreme concentration (looks like a laser) and an uncontrollable desire to become perfect. Also little things will make you fascinated (I do not know why, looks stupid sometimes). Actually I can't claim it for sure as a general rule because it's what happens with me and I never met someone with such a high IQ. 170 at Wechsler means a rarity of 1:722,337.
Was it on www.free-iqtest.net ? If so, then it probably is not correct. I took an IQ test on that website and it said that my IQ is 147. At first I was thrilled, for I am only 13, and to have an IQ that high at 13 is remarkable. I did not fully trust it though, as it was on the Internet, so I did some research. It seems that quite a substantial sum of people have gone to that very same website and have gotten the result of 147, too. I, too, agree that his boastfulness shows a substantial lack of tact. He might possibly be gifted in certain areas, but he is obviously a bit socially inept.
I have read from many trusted forums that 145+ is Genius 132-144 is Gifted.When I took and IQ test at a hospital I was 157, I was ecstatic, having such a high IQ is astounding, especially since I am only 13.Some kids are known to have such a high IQ but it does not necessarily mean that they are Geniuses.
