IQ or Top grades?

Which is the better predictor of success and or intelligence?

Also is there a correlation between top grades, in particular, A*'s and IQ?

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Reply 1

slg60

IQ is definitely a better prediction of intelligence, by a a long shot. It may not be entirely accurate depiction of intelligence, but GCSEs and A-Levels are terrible indicators. To get straight A*s all you need is 3 months and a text book in the subject.

Reply 2

BBeyond

IQ for sure, all grades prove is your ability to memorise things.

Reply 3

slg60

Success? Probably grades because it shows that they are willing to put a lot of effort into a project.

Reply 4

Arieisit

Original post by slg60

I agree with the part in bold but like some people can't seem to get this.

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Reply 5

Arieisit

Original post by BBeyond

IQ for sure, all grades prove is your ability to memorise things.

What about subjects that require application of knowledge like maths or physics?

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Reply 6

Sanctimonious

None. You needn't any to be a success.

Evidence

Joey Essex
Peter Andre
Paris Hilton
Kim Kardashian

Its more about who you know and how far you're willing to go.

Reply 7

BBeyond

Original post by Arieisit

What about subjects that require application of knowledge like maths or physics?

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To an extent, as long as you can memorise the methods from past papers, you don't need a high IQ. I know lots of people who aren't the brightest, yet still manage to do well in subjects such as maths as they spend a lot of time revising, going over past papers etc.

Reply 8

TurboCretin

Hard work is a surer path to success than high intelligence. I'm going to go with grades.

Reply 9

tengentoppa

Grades are a better indicator of success. You can put straight A*s and a First on your CV, you don't put your IQ.

Reply 10

Mike_123

Why are people saying IQ to become successful? Top grades will make you successful, because it brings you world-class university education. There is a definite correlation between IQ, grades, and success, so the question is kinda a case of correlation/causation.

Reply 11

Arieisit

Original post by Sanctimonious

None. You needn't any to be a success.

Evidence

Joey Essex
Peter Andre
Paris Hilton
Kim Kardashian

Its more about who you know and how far you're willing to go.

I don't know any excpet the last two.

Kim's a business woman now. She's elevated herself past the sextape.

Paris Hilton is not successful. She fed off of daddy's money and a failed reality show. She was the most famous for being famous.

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Reply 12

Arieisit

Original post by Mike_123

I did ask that question.

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Reply 13

RayApparently

Grades. Good grades lead to better future prospects. IQ doesn't. Heck IQ is a horribly pseudo-scientific measure of intelligence which is why it isn't valued by society (outside of Mensa). Someone's IQ is just a fun piece of trivia about them :smile:

It doesn't mean anything unless you've got some tangible achievements to back it up (good grades for example).

However, let's pretend for a moment that IQ means something:

The one with a high IQ was presumably born with quicker/sharper/better cognitive abilities.
The one with good grades worked hard at his exams. Some people above have put down exam results but good grades not only show intelligence they also show dedication, resilience and focus - all key traits necessary to become successful. And yes, some exams are just memory tests - however I'd like to point out that memory is a (small) part of intelligence.

Reply 14

Arieisit

Original post by tengentoppa

Grades are a better indicator of success. You can put straight A*s and a First on your CV, you don't put your IQ.

But it can be argued that having a high IQ got you those grades in the first place. People with high IQ's generally have good memories. Therefore if exams are memory tests then people with higher IQ's will be more successful.

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Reply 15

RayApparently

Original post by BBeyond

On the other hand I know people who could get better grades if they just applied themselves.

Reply 16

Sanctimonious

Original post by Mike_123

Yet the Forbes rich list is full of drop outs. Neither IQ or top grades alone will make you successful. Various factors come into play. Even luck plays its part. Of course the higher the IQ and better the grades the better position you put yourself in but there are worthless without the drive to succeed.

Reply 17

piguy

Predictor of Success - Obviously grades... where's the bit to put in your IQ score when applying for a job or for university?

Predictor of Intelligence - Again grades - that's the point of taking exams, to show you're competent and intelligent in a particular subject, if IQ was more important at demonstrating you are clever at a subject, then there would be no need to take any additional exams. IQ tests can be rather inaccurate (one can train for them and get significantly better, scores can change wildly), Richard Feynman famously only scored 125 for his IQ (though he always did extremely well in maths & physics exams)

Reply 18

piguy

Original post by Sanctimonious

Yet the Forbes rich list is full of drop outs...

You'll find a lot of drop-outs got extremely high grades - they usually drop out of very academic places (like Harvard, Stanford etc. not exactly London Met.), so it's safe to say they would have had very good grades - e.g. Zuckerberg, Bill Gates (who famously enrolled at Math 55, supposedly the hardest undergraduate maths course in the world)