In the years since, however, the claims of Sidis' IQ score have been heavily disputed. In terms of IQ, the psychologist related that the figure would be between 250 and 300.' Sperling explains that William Sidis' 'score was the very highest that had ever been obtained. In Psychology For The Millions, Abraham Sperling detailshow he had been told by Helena Sidis (William's sister) that 'a few years before his death, her brother Bill took an intelligence test with a psychologist.' He wrote various studies, including creating a constructed language in the Book Of Vendergoord (aged 8) and The Animate And The Inanimate (which covered cosmology and the reversibility of the second law of thermodynamics and predicts the black hole). He was reportedly able to read the newspaper aged just 18 months and entered Harvard University aged 11, graduating at 16. Said to be the smartest person who has ever lived, William James Sidis is the benchmark for child prodigies. William James Sidis American child prodigy and mathematician William James Sidis (1898 - 1944), circa 1915. However, this hasn't stopped some humans from being declared to have the highest IQ ever. The validity of others who are said to have taken an intelligence test is in question, too, as official records are tough to locate. For many great minds, the IQ test simply did not exist during their time on Earth. It's tricky to judge who has had the highest IQ ever. Again, the same caveat applies that IQ scores are to be taken with a grain of salt, especially for those before the IQ test was invented. There have been a few others with scores equal or higher. Marilyn Vos Savant photographed in 1986 © Paul Harris/Getty ImagesĬhristopher Hirata has the second-highest confirmed IQ, with a staggering score of 225. Her recorded IQ in the Guinness World Records was 228, awarded between the 1986-1989 editions until the record was discontinued in 1990, with IQ scores deemed too unreliable to document. If the Chinese-American mathematician scored 230 he is definitely out in front.Įffectively tying for the title, though, is Marilyn Vos Savant. Pictured above, Terence Tao is said to have the highest IQ score in the world currently, with an impressive score of between 225-230. 200 is often seen as the theoretical peak score but some people have shot past that number.

Theoretically, there is no limit to IQ scores. Given the changes to testing across the decades, it is also tricky to compare scores achieved at different times.

For example, someone with an IQ score of 130 is not 30 per cent smarter than someone with an IQ score of 100. As a study in Frontiers In Systems Neuroscience states, “ intelligence test scores are often misunderstood and can be misused.”Īnother factor to consider: an IQ score is not a unit of measurement. It is difficult to accurately judge intelligence and it’s always worth taking IQ scores with a pinch of salt due to cultural differences and other factors. Below 85 is seen as a poor score, 130 and above is smart (in the top 2 per cent of the population). Scores are gathered by participants completing standardised tests that measure abilities in puzzle-solving, memory, and more.īased on a median score of what’s typically around 100, your given IQ score is relative to that of the general intelligence of the population. Intelligence quotient ( IQ) is used to measure a person’s level of intelligence.

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