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LordZappo
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Hjort, how does an IQ of 125 correlate to a GMAT score? 14 May 2006, 12:25
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Hello Hjort, you guessed right! I have an IQ of 125, as measured by a professional psychologist, not an online test. This translates to roughly top 97% on the IQ distribution.

Quite pitiful, I am sure, compared to the IQ of most of the people on this forum who are going to elite schools, but I guess I can find solace in knowing that I am not dumb.

That being said, what score range am I most likely to score on in the GMAT?
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Hjort
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Hjort, how does an IQ of 125 correlate to a GMAT score? 14 May 2006, 14:18
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What a fascinating question!

There is no direct concordance that I am aware of for IQ to GMAT scores. While it is highly methodologically unsound, an easy (and facile) estimate could be obtained by comparing z-scores: a 125 is roughly +1.6 or +1.7 (depending on the IQ scale used)
A similar z-score on the GMAT's canonical scale would be in the mid-600s.
Since the IQ scale and the GMAT scale have very different reference groups (the entire population vs. a group of college graduates or at least students with several years of higher education) , one should probably shift the estimated GMAT to the left. Since at this point we are basically throwing darts at the wall, a score in the low 600s sounds plausible.
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Canis lupus
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Hjort, how does an IQ of 125 correlate to a GMAT score? 14 May 2006, 19:39
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How the hell is an IQ score of 125 pitiful and i still dont agree that the GMAT is a standardized exam so no approximate relation can be derived imo
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Hjort, how does an IQ of 125 correlate to a GMAT score? 15 May 2006, 18:18
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There is no correlation of IQ score to GMAT. GMAT is not an IQ test! To score high on a GMAT, one needs only practice!
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LordZappo
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Hjort, how does an IQ of 125 correlate to a GMAT score? Updated on: 15 May 2006, 18:51
Originally posted by LordZappo on 15 May 2006, 18:49.
Last edited by LordZappo on 15 May 2006, 18:51, edited 1 time in total.
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see below:
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LordZappo
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Hjort, how does an IQ of 125 correlate to a GMAT score? 15 May 2006, 18:50
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Hjort
What a fascinating question!

There is no direct concordance that I am aware of for IQ to GMAT scores. While it is highly methodologically unsound, an easy (and facile) estimate could be obtained by comparing z-scores: a 125 is roughly +1.6 or +1.7 (depending on the IQ scale used)
A similar z-score on the GMAT's canonical scale would be in the mid-600s.
Since the IQ scale and the GMAT scale have very different reference groups (the entire population vs. a group of college graduates or at least students with several years of higher education) , one should probably shift the estimated GMAT to the left. Since at this point we are basically throwing darts at the wall, a score in the low 600s sounds plausible.
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Hello Hjort. That was a very thoughtful answer, thanks.

What am I supposed to make of that score of 600 I was born with? Is that what I am most likely to get if I took the GMAT cold, or if I worked my butt off for 9 months in preparation for the exam?


Spiderman, if the GMAT is beatable (as in: any person who is not brain dead could beat it), then how come the test is "standardized"? If it was beatable, everyone willing to study hard for the exam, like pretty much everyone who is serious about business school to even bother taking the GMAT, would study and beat it and it wouldn't mean a thing.
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Hjort, how does an IQ of 125 correlate to a GMAT score? 15 May 2006, 19:06
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LordZappo,

That is the very reason, I personally am not a fan of standardized tests. Let alone that the MBA admission committee(s) value this test so much. I believe that standardized tests are not a true measure of an individual's capabilities - I am a living example of this claim. Rather, I always argue, that the standardized tests ONLY measure stamina and ability to handle pressure.

Congratulations on your IQ of 125.
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Hjort, how does an IQ of 125 correlate to a GMAT score? 15 May 2006, 21:00
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There were so many caveats in my answer supra that it should be clear that I am NOT saying that IQ scores and GMAT scores are causally related in a meaningful way (after all, I called my own answer facile). However, it is likely that the scores are correlated.

I am strongly opposed to the idea that one's score on the GMAT is fixed. I have seen students experience very large increases in their scores on the GMAT and many similar tests.

People often forget that standardized tests can be of any format as long as that format is administered consistently across all subjects. A standardized test can consist of essays, multiple choice, or short answer formats among others. The fact that the time and format are enforced across students is hardly unique to standardized tests.

Regarding whether the GMAT is beatable- the GMAT, like virtually every classroom exam, is "beatable" in the sense that students can study hard and answer more of the questions correctly. However, as we observe with classroom exams, many students fail to put in the effort to receive a higher score and others simply do not understand the material.