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You are looking to raise your IQ score range from 100 to 120 or 115 to 140? However, you wonder whether it’s possible and how to do so, don't you? The great news is that there are strategies to help you shine during an IQ test. Explore them in this blog post now!
It’s pretty common to think of IQ as something stable, fixed, or static; however, intelligence is much more fluid than previously believed. According to healthline.com, it may be possible to boost your IQ levels with the right type of intellectual training.
Indeed, while genetics play a significant role in determining intelligence, environmental factors, education, and mental exercises can influence cognitive abilities. A study by Lazar Stankov and Jihyun Lee, titled 'We Can Boost IQ: Revisiting Kvashchev’s Experiment,' suggests that consistently practicing exercises in various areas assessed by IQ tests may potentially enhance your scores.
Some other research also implies that specific activities can lead to measurable improvements in IQ scores. For example, a study published in Nature Neuroscience (Jaeggi et al., 2008) found that working memory training can improve fluid intelligence.
So, while it’s unlikely to make dramatic changes to your IQ, targeted efforts, good preparation, and the right strategies can help you perform better on IQ tests.
Here are 10 strategies that may help you improve your performance on IQ tests in various areas such as problem-solving, memory, reasoning, and more.
Memory plays a crucial role in IQ tests. Memory activities and memory training, like sudoku or crossword puzzles, in fact, not just enhance the overall memory but also reasoning and language skills, which are both utilized as intelligence measures.
Other memory training activities to consider practicing in your free time are jigsaw puzzles, card matching, card games, and more.
Executive control, which involves controlling complex cognitive activities like decision-making, problem-solving, and reasoning, is a key aspect of executive function. Executive function, in turn, is strongly correlated with fluid reasoning, an important area of human intelligence.
Greatly, executive control can be sharpened through different activities and games like word games (such as Scrabble and Countdown), chess, family games (like Pictionary), and reaction games (such as Red Light, Green Light).
Visuospatial reasoning relates to the ability to mentally visualize and interpret physical representations of objects.
Most IQ assessments measure visuospatial skills, so strengthening them through certain games and activities can be a highly effective way to improve your IQ score, particularly in the visual and spatial elements of the tests.
Games and activities to consider may include 3D models, mazes, unfolded prisms, and more.
The well-known psychological theory “Relational Frame Theory” (RFT) suggests that cognitive and language development occurs through relational association. It's possible to train your relational abilities by engaging in activities that encourage your brain to compare and relate different objects. Many apps and games available online can help develop these skills by testing your ability to compare images, texts, or quantities. Examples of such activities are amount comparison tasks, language learning, etc.
Reading regularly and diversely, whether academic articles, novels, fiction, or nonfiction, can help improve comprehension, vocabulary, and the ability to process complex information.
There’s no denying that books are beneficial in cognitive development, not only for children but also for adults. Spending as little as 30 minutes a day reading can lead to gradual enhancement over time.
Sleep is essential for cognitive performance. Research from Loughborough University's Sleep Research Centre, as reported by Inc.com, indicates that every hour of sleep less than the recommended 8 hours per night could lower your IQ by a full point. So, aim for enough hours of quality sleep to ensure your mind is sharp.
In addition to quality sleep, your lifestyle choices, including your diet, exercise habits, and substance use, can affect your long-term IQ level. For instance, prolonged alcohol consumption may lead to memory issues that affect IQ, while an unhealthy diet can hinder cognitive development.
By maintaining a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and essential vitamins, along with exercising regularly and avoiding harmful substances like alcohol and drugs, you can enhance both your physical health and overall cognitive function, potentially raising your IQ in the process.
Even if you already know more than one language, learning a new one can greatly benefit your brain.
Neuroscience reveals that learning a foreign language can lead to brain growth. Additionally, research has also shown the relationship between IQ and early language learning.
Of course, learning a new language as an adult can also enhance mental agility. This process strengthens working memory and mental flexibility, skills that can help you perform better on standardized IQ tests.
A study from the University of Zurich found that mastering a musical instrument can help boost IQ levels in both adults and children. So, spend some of your spare time learning to play guitar or any musical instrument. This not only adds a great skill to your skill set but also helps increase your IQ score.
Continuing education, whether through self-study or courses at university or college, is essential to human intelligence. While IQ tests don’t directly measure knowledge, they assess skills like problem-solving and reasoning, which can be strengthened through study. Research indicates that every additional year of formal education is associated with an IQ boost of 1 to 5 points, according to Healthline.com.
While there are many strategies to improve IQ test performance, some methods are either ineffective, such as:
Practicing online IQ tests may help familiarize you with the format of IQ tests and develop test-taking strategies. It’s a part of preparations for the official IQ test; however, this activity alone may not necessarily lead to a significant increase in your actual IQ. Instead, a more thorough approach that includes a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, sufficient sleep, continued education, and more is crucial for improved cognitive abilities.
Yes, certain brain games like chess, Sudoku, and memory puzzles can help improve IQ test scores. These games challenge your cognitive abilities, enhance your working memory, and improve your logical reasoning skills, which are crucial components of IQ tests.
In summary, it’s possible to improve your IQ test performance. However, there’s no magic for significantly increasing IQ; adopting healthy lifestyle habits, engaging in mentally stimulating activities, and seeking new skills like playing instruments, and more are considered helpful strategies helping you improve your performance on IQ tests and enhance your cognitive abilities.