Modern IQ ranges for various occupations

This graph was adapted from Figure 12 of Hauser, Robert M. 2002. "Meritocracy, cognitive ability, and the sources of occupational success." CDE Working Paper 98-07 (rev). Center for Demography and Ecology, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin. The figure is labelled "Wisconsin Men's Henmon-Nelson IQ Distributions for 1992-94 Occupation Groups with 30 Cases or More" and is found at http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/cdewp/98-07.pdf. Used with permission.

Please send comments by e-mail to the author, Rodrigo de la Jara at . This website Copyright Rodrigo de la Jara. If you want to publish or otherwise disseminate anything from my site that I own the rights to, just e-mail me first, telling me where you will use it. In almost all cases, I'll give permission if I am given credit and a link to my site is given. You do not need permission to simply link to my site. What is the Average I.Q. of each profession?

Approximate Percentiles and Intelligence Quotients (Terman) of Job Applicants Percentil e IQ range ran ge
77 - 98 112 - 132

Profession

Professor, Chief Executive Officer Doctor, Writer, Computer Specialist, Graduate Engineer Administrator, Engineer, Personnel Specialist, Medical Secretary Department Head, General Manager, Insurance Sales Representative, Programmer, Underwriter

69 - 96

108 - 129

62 - 94

105 - 126

57 - 93

103 - 124

Claims Adjuster, Inspector, Laboratory Technician, Management Trainee, Purchasing Agent, Supervisor Accounting Clerk, Computer Operator, Sales Representative Bookkeeper, Cashier, Data Processing Clerk, Draughtsman, News Writer, Stenographer, Traffic Clerk Circulation Manager, Customer Service Representative, Electrician, Foreman, General Office Lineman, Office Machine Operator, Receptionist, Technician, Teller Apprentice, Shop Clerk, Clerk Typist, Reservations Agent, Typist Keypunch Operator, Messenger, Meter Reader, Police Patrolman, Skilled Trades, Train Crew Personnel Bus/Truck Driver, Machine Operator, Mail Clerk, Maintenance Worker, Printing Pressman, Utility Man, Traffic Supervisor Food Service Worker Helper, General Mechanic's Helper, Shipping Clerk File Clerk, Material Handler, Telephone Operator Assembler, Factory Worker, General Labourer, Skilled

53 - 91

101 - 122

48 - 88

99 - 119

43 - 83

97 - 116

34 - 79

93 - 113

26 - 75

88 - 111

26 - 71

88 - 110

22 - 67

86 - 107

16 - 67

83 - 107

16 - 62 12 - 57

83 - 105 81 - 103

Labour, Unskilled Labour Custodian, Nurse's Aide, Packer, Warehouseman Casual Worker Institutional 10 - 55 5 - 43 0.1 - 4 79 - 102 74 - 97 49 - 72

Median earned income in 1992 for...

Very Bright (125+) $36,00 0 $27,00 0 $20,00 0 $12,40 0 $5,000

Bright (110-124)

Normal (90-109)

Dull (75-89) Very Dull (less than 75)

What relationship exists between IQ and heredity? Many different types of experiments have been made showing that the heritage is of great importance. Actually, it is possible to make a numerical estimate of the distribution between heritage and environment (for the current Western world): 80% of the factors influencing intelligence are hereditary. 20% of the factors influencing intelligence are environmental. That is, the heritage is four times as important as the environment.

What famous people living today have the IQ levels between 140 to 200? The following are scores according to the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale for Adults (Within 1st parenthesis; score if not on a 10 points level): IQ 140

Madonna (Singer) Jean M. Auel (Author) Geena Davis (Actress) IQ 150 Sharon Stone (154) (Actress) Carol Vorderman (154; Cattell?) (TV presenter) Sir Clive Sinclair (159) (Inventor) IQ 160 Bill Gates (CEO, Microsoft) Jill St. John (Actress) Paul Allen (160+, Microsoft cofounder) Stephen W. Hawking (160+) (Physicist) IQ 170 Andrew J. Wiles (Mathematician; solved Fermat's Last Theorem) Judith Polgar (Formula based; Female World Champion in Chess) IQ 180 James Woods (Actor) John H. Sununu (Chief of Staff for President Bush) Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister) Marilyn Vos Savant (186) (Author) Bobby Fischer (187) (Former World Champion in Chess) IQ 190 Philip Emeagwali (Extrapolated; Nigerian Mathematician) IQ 200 Kim Ung-Yong (S. Korea; Showed similar child capabilities as J.S. Mill)

What exactly is a bell curve (definition please) and what does it measure? Like many other human qualities, intelligence is 'normally' distributed. I.e. if we put people into 'intelligence' classes according to how bright they are, there will be a large number near the average. These will tail off in the typical Gaussian or Bell curve (called so, because of its curved flaring shape), as people do for height or weight or any other human quality.

The Bell curve was derived from the theory of errors. It is the kind of curve produced by examining the variations of measurements of entities affected by a large number of random variables. The curve is in many cases an assumption; that we will assume a normal distribution (Bell curve) until evidence to the contrary is found. With any complicated entity like a human being there are more things that can render it imperfect than there are things that can improve it. The Normal Distribution Function below, gives the tail area within the interval [0,z], which can be expressed as a percentile (part of the area to the right of the center of the Bell curve). Erf is often called the Error Function.

What month have the most geniuses been born? According to a recent investigation the most geniuses have been born in Mars and April. So it seems best to be born in the springtime. (The same investigation states that the fewest geniuses are born in August and September)

Is it possible to give one a IQ score, based on his handwriting? It is hard to believe that someone can estimate IQs only after judging the person's hand-writing. Nevertheless, one can find it probable that it is possible to say if he/she is extraordinary intelligent or not. It is interesting to compare the signatures (see below) between a great genius such as G.W. von Leibniz and a typical average person such as a certain Tom Smith. Where Leibniz's signature shows a proof of elegance, and efficient and fast pen wielding, so is Smith's merely awkward and unrhythmic. Striking is also the harmony in Leibniz's signature, even from a geometrical point of view (On both sides of a thought horizontal center line in the middle of the signature, you can create two symmetrical asymptotic curves!).

Is it possible to measure beauty as it is with intelligence? Everyone knows that the ideal of beauty has changed throughout history. But a group of psychologists has tried to take the measurements on the most perfect face. They showed thousands of photos before different persons and ended up in a female and male ideal face with the most perfect proportions and qualities. Only one female face and one male face seemed to satisfy all the requirements. So, these two persons below should be the most beautiful female and male today as science see it!

Catherine Deneuve

Leonardo DiCaprio

Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, It is safe to say that one's looks have no effect on their mental abilities.

Which breeds of dog and cat are the most intelligent? Often mentioned as the most clever dog is the sheep dog, and among the cats, the Siamese cat. It should not be applicable with the human-related IQ values for animals, nevertheless it has been estimated by some researchers that the most intelligent dogs score close to 40, and the most intelligent cats around 20.

Who have been the criminals or villains of history with the highest IQ's? It is rumoured that the mafia leader Al Capone had an IQ of 200. An example of a criminal with a verified exceptional intelligence (IQ 170, at age 10) is the Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski. He was a successful researcher in mathematics before he turned against the society. Other famous high IQ scorers among the criminals are Richard Loeb (child iq 160) and Nathan Leopold (child iq 210) at the beginning of the 20th century.