The other day I sat down to watch The Princess Bride for about the 10,000th time. Man that is a great movie! Anyway, when I was watching the part where Vizzini, the Sicilian, was answering the question as to how smart he is, he said:
“Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? Morons.”
So, I decided to mosey on over to the Interwebs and find a list of people with the highest IQ ever measured, and lo and behold I couldn’t find one! So for the sake of future searchers, I compiled the following information. Enjoy.
Background Info
In order to establish a baseline knowledge, IQ (intelligence quotient) is a score derived from attempting to measure the actual mental horsepower of any given individual. Personally I place little value in IQ tests, but I do acknowledge that they are an indicator of some common potential success factors, so we’ll leave it at that.
The “average” IQ is by definition 100, so if you score below that you are dumber than average, and above it means smarter than average.
Commonly acknowledged IQ Score Ranking System:
I’d like to stop for a second and inject a little philosophy before we go on. I have absolutely no respect whatsoever for intelligence. I only respect people for their actions. So no one should envy or emulate people on the list that follow because some of them are miserable human beings (like this narcissistic guy). Take Bobby Fischer as an example. He’s the biggest A-hole on the list, and I’d like to kick his teeth in for his comments about Jews and America.
The Highest IQs On Record
People Still Alive
- Physicist / Engineer Kim Ung-yong has a verified IQ of 210
- Bouncer Christopher Michael Langan has a verified IQ of 195
- Engineer Philip Emeagwali is alleged to have an IQ of 190
- World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov is alleged to have an IQ of 190
- Author Marilyn Vos Savant has a verified IQ of 186
- Actor James Woods is alleged to have an IQ of 180
- Politician John H. Sununu is alleged to have an IQ of 180
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is alleged to have an IQ of 180
- Mathematician Andrew Wiles is alleged to have an IQ of 170
- World Chess Champion Judith Polgar is alleged to have an IQ of 170
- Chess Grandmaster Robert Byrne is alleged to have an IQ of 170
- World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer is alleged to have an IQ of 167
- Mathematician / Physicist Stephen W. Hawking is alleged to have an IQ of over 160
- Microsoft Founder Paul Allen is alleged to have an IQ of over 160
- Actress Sharon Stone is alleged to have an IQ of 154
From the Past
In 1926, psychologist Dr. Catherine Morris Cox – who had been assisted by Dr. Lewis M. Terman, Dr. Florence L. Goodenaugh, and Dr. Kate Gordon – published a study “of the most eminent men and women” who had lived between 1450 and 1850 to estimate what their IQs might have been. Data from that study as well as other sources around the net were compiled to form the following list. Please drop me a comment if you have additions or corrections (make sure and cite sources).
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Also, see Wikipedia’s list of Universal Genius (Polymaths).
Test YOUR IQ
Now that you’ve read all about these really smart people, surely you want to know how you compare? Well, set aside a full 40 minutes and go through this test to determine where you are on the evolutionary chain.
Select the image below and the clock starts when the test loads, so be prepared in order to get the full 40 minutes. Trust me, you’re gonna need it! Oh, and if you answer “A” on every question, you get a 72! (a=72, b=65, c=65, d=65, e=72, f=72, g= 65, and h=65 – Only The Man would help you cheat on an IQ test!)

EDIT: I received the following e-mail from Mike, a former school psychologist of 30 years, regarding the validity of this IQ Test:
…one of the better and possibly fairly accurate IQ tests (11/8/07) seen on the net. Two caveats:
1. This test evaluates visual spatial reasoning skills, and not verbal which some may say would be a bias toward guys.
2. This test does not assess processing speed and ability to make quick/accurate and perhaps more c creative choices.For different view of intelligence away from IQ try: Theory of Multiple Intelligences
If it turns out you are a Genius, join a club! Here’s how to hook up with your intellectual peers:
- The Genius Society
- Mensa International
- International High IQ Society
- Poetic Genius Society
- The Mega Society
- The Triple Nine Society
By the way, why is it that most of the high IQ society Web sites suck so bad? And if I may inquire additionally, why is it that none of them have sections on their sites where they are actually teaching people by translating highly complex issues into understandable language?
Now, for the rest of us (I score just above a moderately intelligent canine, but just below a porpoise), you can just join the One Man’s Blog Society for the Incredibly Average. Believe me, we have a lot more fun around here.
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I scored 144.
Still reading the article, but wanted to post that the Wiki article for Sharon Stone now points out that she’s been lying about being a member of Mensa. Puts her IQ claims into doubt and makes the world seem a little less bizarre.
I scored 94 can ‘ t spell, there is good in all men.
i scored 118 .
NO WAY! me too!
i scored 122
98, well im impressed myself i scored Average/Normal:D
im not dumb after all..
i scored 196!!! genius!!!!! and im 13!!!!
Ah, it looks like the average IQ of internet users is around 160. Which means that at the very most only one out of every 10,000 people has internet access.
Thumbs Up :) have you seen the sight about photographic memories?? literally everyone claimed they had one, yet coincidentally had forgotten all their basic grammar. i was interested because i had been reading ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ and wanted to see whether a memory like Lisbeth Salander’s was possible. after reading a bit about it, i think not. certainly there are people who have very good memories, however no one is able to memorise an entire book!! of course i have a superior intellect … and a photographic memory .. shutup … …
lol, scored above limits of test, it only calculates to 137, 140, 160 (depending on standard deviation).
I have an IQ of 161, just got the results today, still very pleased :)
I scored 103. But, then again, i randomly picked any answer on the last 6 questions because I just didn’t get it… Kudos to the smart people who understand “The Man’s” way of telling if we’re smart or not!!
wow..atleast i belong to normal…107 and it is harder for me to decode the last part….
I scored a 56. Hah! let’s see you beat that..
i scored x box 360
Got 124
I don’t know what is the full score on test ..
but I feel free to say I am smart ..
I was graduated 2nd on my high school .. attended medical school and still studying ..
Cheers ..
I scored 107..not bad to an engineering student
It seems like i don’t want to believe with this test. Yesterday i took this IQ test and i scored 107… then earlier today i took this IQ test again and i scored 116, i’m serious
133. Was it just me or did anyone get INCREDIBLY bored doing this haha. I have a short attention span…
seems like a sign of adhd
btw, my crush’s name is monica lol
WELL IM 13 AND I SCORED 189
129.. kind of weird since i took some other test earlier and had the exact same result :)
still don’t trust these tests, but they`re good for fun
i’d score 105 i think im in a normal average of intelligence quotient
I’m 13 and i scored 118, 1 off superior intelligence… so close!
Sorry kid, superior intelligence are IQ levels which are 150 in AVERAGE, so try not to show off as your IQ score could change again once you take another different IQ test.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
127. Not happy at all with that. Oh well, I guess I’m not that smart.
I scored 118, alhamdullelah
wow!!!!! i have scored 200.I think I am nearly genius.I am the first honor last year…..I’m so verry happy…… :D
i scored 142! hehehe…….that’s pretty good
I did the test 3 times in diferent days. On my first attempt I scored 124, I rushed through it stressed with the time limit, then realised I had over 20 minutes left when I had finished. So in my second attempt I took more time and scored 127. When i finished I still had around 17 minutes left so I decided to make a third attempt, really taking my time…this time i scored 132 with around 10 minutes left.. I have a feeling that if I try again I will score higher, so in the end, which will be my IQ?
you shoudn’t take an IQ test more than once.
Ok, I tried again and scored 140, and that is the maximum score you can get.
IQ tests. the more i read, the more i laugh
2 1/2 hours for a mensa test? i cant concentrate on something i enjoy for more than 10 minutes. nevermind 2 1/2 hours
Ok, so I am in the low 80 percent bracket, but who would know about a 5th grader being smarter then I am.
Did I really learn that stuff in school? If I did what happen to me remembering the things I have been taught?
Ok, I give up. I can’t remember nothing, but I can learn how to do things. Does this make any sense? Nope cause remembering is learning. I will just sit back enjoy life and smoke my drugs.
Today or was it yesterday! I was so hungry and I smoked my last Joint so now I have to go learn how to work until I get enough money to last another month, damn this sucks.
No wonder the United States is pulling from other heards. Ok well the smart will survive and the dum will, well you know.
Smart is formed in two ways: How you do it, and how you show it.
So I left enough clues on this figure it out.
P.S Do not drive yourself crazy on this one.
I scored 135, I’m 12 :D LOLOL
why is it that so many people on here claim to be 12 or 13. I mean really 135 isn’t that high. I took a test similar to this one in 5th grade for the Gifted and Talented Program and maxed out. this is the same basic thing minus math, and language sections this is, in a sense, easier.
P.S I Scored 140 with the 16 standard deviation. I have taken other IQ Tests that said my IQ was above 150 which leads me to believe that playing video games has rotted my brain…..lol
Where is Steven Hawking? He scorerd a 235 on his IQ test after he fell down some stairs. He wanted to see if he sufferd any brain damage. He is the smartest man on the planet as of right now.
Steven Hawking is on the list and he did NOT score 235.
Mathematician / Physicist Stephen W. Hawking is alleged to have an IQ of over 160
I scored 25. There must be something wrong with the way it calculates :(
idiots!! I scored 200!!!
I have a verified IQ of 170. And I absolutely suck at chess.
186 im not stupid
I wrote Back To The Future when I was seven.
Also wrote the movie The Princess Bride etc…
If you watch the movie Big it has the moment, where I came up with the idea for Transformers.
I wrote a lot of movies/TV/songs/books in the past and now I am retiring.
Inventions include:V-tech/air bags/electric valves, power steering/squirrel suit/pressure exchanger plus many more inventions.
Designed the following: F22 Raptor, Furai, Veyron, Mclaren F1, Mustang, Camaro, GTR, RX7, RX8, RX9, Mazda Sky engines and transmissions, Leaf, Volt, 323GTX, Eclipse GSX, multiple video games and consoles including hardware the list goes on and on.
I don’t need your praise, disbelief, etc…for I have changed the world many times over.
I have the cure for the common cold.
What device converts gravity into electricity? easy
How do you completely rid the world of its fossil fuel dependence? moderate
The other questions are… for now.
i scored 138
Wow, i got 160! AND I KILL PEOPLE!!!!!
kidding, mine is 127.
i wander if they believe in god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they must be ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
time and space doesn’t exist Albert Einstein was because he was a moron.
you call them genius because the way they learn,and think is different.try thinking differently and you’ll be a ‘moron’ or a ‘genius’
yea i scored a 121 on the 24. Yea and your right. people who dare to think outside the norm either became a genius or moron. But let me tell you what most billionaires think about feedback. They don’t care. As in their happiness isn’t dependent on others opinions. Different from wise mentoring.
Read the book
The Richest Man Who Ever Lived -King Solomon’s Secret to Success, Wealth, and Happiness. by Steven K. Scott
im 14 and i scored 192. i wasnt even trying either.
With just randon choices in 30 seconds I scored 78 how can that be?
Scored a 155, whats the lowest score to be a member of mensa?
Scored a 149 =) And I’m only 14~!
I scored 112. I wonder how many people are lying about there scores; seems like there are way to many gifted individuals.
My score was 119, which seems about right for me. I agree though, so many people are lying about their scores, not many people have IQs over 130, but almost everyone here seems to have an IQ of 160 or more… lies, filthy lies i say :/
@Azbbzzz: there is one more thing to the story; those who REALLY have a high IQ usually base that on a REAL iq-test instead of a internet-test… :)
Ha Ha Ha! Really?
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