Average Oxbridge iq

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as a current student at oxford, i just wanna throw in some things that people have mentioned in this thread which are simply incorrect.
one is that social status plays a role in admissions. i've talked to my tutors; they care about whether you're able to pick up new information in your subject and whether you love it and have a high aptitude for it. so yes, you do need a "high" IQ, but if you're very skilled in your subject and less in others (ie IQ of 120), then you can still get in. i doubt anyone here has an IQ lower than 120; in oxford you can't make up "lower" intelligence by working harder; the courses are too rigorous for that.
also, i've previously posted very detailed notes about how admissions work; you can find it in the "are my grades good enough for oxford" thread.
basically, i would give you this advice. if you consider applying, then do, because then there's a possibility you would be suitable for studying here. tutors have spent their life sorting out who will succeed in their course and who won't; this is why we have interviews and why tutors meet every candidate individually. this is also why questions are designed so that you cannot prepare for them. basically, your tutors will be testing your "subject-specific IQ". they'll throw something at you and see what you can do with it- contrary to widespread rumours, they don't care about where you come from or how you speak/present yourself at the interview. they don't care about how many orphans you've saved or what extracurricular things you've done - all they want is someone who is very gifted in their area and capable of normal social interaction. i wasn't asked any personal questions at my interview - so they had no idea which school i came from, as i didn't put it in my personal statement or in my transcript.
so in the end, apply and let the tutors decide whether you're intelligent and have enough aptitude for studying here - they know what they're doing!
good luck!! :smile:

Exactly. You do need perhaps to be in the top 10% in terms of IQ. However, the natural aptitude you have for your subject is the most important factor when you get in. I know several people with IQs above 140, but none of them have a philosophical mind and for some reason their mind will just reject anything philosophical. An average person wouldn't get it, but the latter wouldn't get in, either.

Having said that, if you do have the natural aptitude, I think a higher IQ is very important in determining how well you'll do in the tripos.

About 170

Original post by CMRO

as a current student at oxford, i just wanna throw in some things that people have mentioned in this thread which are simply incorrect.
one is that social status plays a role in admissions.

Yes, because Oxford is an entirely egalitarian institution which isn't in some way or another, directly or indirectly biased towards students of a higher social class in terms of who it admits.

It's entirely by chance that over 40% of Oxford students who entered in 2009/10 were from private schools, when around 11% of A-Level candidates that year were from private schools.

Even if the admissions folks don't directly discriminate against those from a lower social class, they'll more than likely admit the cultured, confident, middle-class students who've been prepared for such interviews over the equally intelligent, equally hard-working working-class student who hasn't had the interview prep and who hasn't had the same upbringing as the interviewer.

Reply 123

CMRO

Original post by ilickbatteries

the point of the interviews is to eradicate, as far as possible, and preparation that students might have had. that is why we're given questions that we can't prepare for. so that being prepared has no effect.
of course the statistics are like that; because sadly, many schools in lower-income areas don't encourage students to apply. because sadly, some students from families that may not have had lots of educational background may not find academics as interesting. or because they falsely believe (because of people like you, who are not at Oxford, but still spread rumours as if they knew what they were talking about) that they would not fit into the "oxford population". sure, we've got stuck up people in red trousers. but so does every place. just like we've got those who study day and night, as well as those who party every night. everyone you had in your class in school is here, just with a specific talent in a subject. but sadly people believe that they wouldn't fit into oxford cause they're not "high-class". as if the tutors give a ----. it's not the tutor's fault, or oxford's fault, that fewer students from more disadvantaged areas apply.
----if you look at who applies vs who gets in, there is no consistency with arguing that more students from the private school sector get in ----
also, tutors want the BEST students. and again, unfortunately higher-income neighbourhoods and private schools simply produce more students with higher marks; they are more prepared.
if you're an employer, you're gonna take the candidate who you think will come furthest in idk 5 years. if you've got two people with equal abilities intellectually, but one is far less prepared than the other and has significant lacks in knowledge, well who would you take?
i cannot emphasise just how NOT TRUE it is. i know my tutors, i see them several times a week. they happily take the most awkward socially awkward students, the ugliest students, the smelly ones, and the ones who look like hippies with tattoos and piercings. IF they give most promise to succeed.
i really hope ANYONE thinking of applying to oxford really reads this and takes it to heart. i thought i would be surrounded by stuck up rich kids; guess what i'm not. oxford is literally like any other place; it's just that there's so many rumours about how it is, which are spread, may i just say again by people who have NEVER been here, that discourage people from applying.
THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT HOW WELL YOU WILL DO IN YOUR EXAMS. THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE PAID FOR. they don't care whether you buy tesco's everyday value or go out to dinner every night, as long as you do your work.

oh and just as an aside, oxford has extensive reach-out programs where students can visit and "shadow" an oxford student for a day, in an attempt to get rid of all these rumours. many people here nearly didn't apply because they were afraid of how snobby it was gonna be; now we're all glad we did because we're all normal people. but think of how many could have experienced great education and didn't because they didn't even give the tutors a chance to assess their academic potential, because they just wouldn't apply. so please think about how what you say could discourage students with high potential from applying. it's not oxford's fault that there's more "private school" students here; the fault lies within idk the education system and society's perception of oxford, spread by people who haven't been here. just think about it.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 124

BJack

Original post by ilickbatteries

YIt's entirely by chance that over 40% of Oxford students who entered in 2009/10 were from private schools, when around 11% of A-Level candidates that year were from private schools.

Where does the 11% figure come from. This article says that 18% of those in post-16 schooling attend private schools, and you can be sure that among those (a) applying to university and (b) achieving AAA or better at A level, the proportion at private schools will be even higher.

Reply 125

Mworswick

Stupid question! I am very intelligent (not bragging, I am) but I am awful at IQ tests. They are based on mathematics and logic, whereas I am good at English-based arts subjects. I am quite good at Maths, but I can't do the logic puzzles that form the basis of most IQ tests I've seen

Reply 126

CMRO

Original post by Mworswick

don't worry if you want to apply to oxbridge - they'll see you're good at your interviews. you're right, IQ tests can only reflect intelligence to a certain degree; namely, that they can only measure 'measurable' intelligence. as we all know, creativity and linking concepts is not really measurable. good luck if you're applying :smile:

Reply 127

Mworswick

Original post by CMRO

Thanks. It's a year before I'll be applying but I'm considering it

Reply 128

NotMyStyle994

I don't necessarily agree with that. I'm 16 and have an IQ of 143 and I know a girl (18) who was rejected by Oxford - and she has does better than I do, academically, so I'm going to assume she has a higher IQ than I do.

IQ is a measure of how quickly and efficiently your brain can process, solve and evaluate a range of puzzles in many academical areas, and although it does come down to the student's passion and dedication for their chosen subject, I feel like the average IQ for Oxbridge students would definitely be higher than 120 - I'd say about 135-145, maybe. I'm aware that I've put out a very high and narrow range, but this is just my opinion.
I understand what you're saying about Oxbridge students not being superhuman, but Oxbridge only takes students that are exceptionally talented in their fields, and have lots of potential.

Reply 129

dreamlover

Original post by lukas1051

Your friend is right. If you have an IQ of 250, but display no passion for your subject, no university will let you in, let alone Oxbridge. Obviously the values will be higher than the national average, but IQ doesn't really mean anything.

No, actually the friend is wrong. Firstly, IQ is intimately linked with academic record, so it's an odd thing for the friend to say getting in is contingent upon academic record over IQ. Secondly, the emphasis on 'passion for the subject' is a myth. They will obviously assume you are into the subject to have applied in the first place. As someone who has been to two sets of Oxford interviews, both arts and sciences (comprising of four interviews in total), the emphasis in these interviews was 99% on my critical thinking ability/ analysis, which is actually quite closely related to IQ, and had nothing to do with past subject matter or my passion for the subject.

As for the original question: Considering my own IQ and where I stood compared to fellow students, I'd guess the average was around the 125/130 mark.

(edited 8 years ago)

sdds

Original post by molthemoo

Hey guys

I was just wondering if anyone had any idea what the average IQ for Oxbridge students is. I know IQ tests as measures of the much debated concept of intelligence are subject to flaw and scrutiny, however I'm curious and I've also been having this discussion with a friend, who seems to think getting into Oxbridge is more about subject love and academic record then it is about IQ.

Cheers :smile:

Somebody who I know very well just had his interview at Cambridge 2 weeks ago and I know that he scored in the low 90s on a standarised test. People underestimate how far A-levels are based purely on repitition. This person managed to get straight As in his AS levels despite the below average IQ and may even end up getting an offer from Cambridge.

Reply 132

alow

My IQ is 247.4 (to 1 decimal place) and I feel very much below average among Cantabrigians.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 133

Luke Hayward

I was at Oxford in the 1980's and the general view was that the average IQ of students was about the Mensa borderline. A few of my friends tried the Mensa exam and generally got at least 10 points above the borderline. Typically, Oxford students seem to have IQs in the 130s to 140s.