To wonder how smart do you actually have to be for some professions?

Basically, yes you need to be intelligent but also prepared to work hard. I do think though that as a pp said, we've come to think "intelligent" must only mean absolute top drawer, straight As people, but actually solid grades at each stage is more than enough for most jobs....the issue is at the other end if some of the illiterate, frankly terrifying FB posts I sometimes read are anything to go by. Absolutely zero comprehension skills, critical thinking, awareness of nuance or bias, two dimensional, limited interest in understanding. And a large proportion of those will be in work, making decisions and probably voting. Sound bites and scrolling have doomed a large proportion of people to never develop an attention span long enough to really think and absorb anything. A level students I teach now can't imagine reading a 3-4 side article. They scan it for the answers and frequently struggle to find them.

I’m not sure why you think an academic needs to be any smarter than a doctor or a lawyer?

I also don’t know why you think a barrister needs to be any smarter than a solicitor?

Why do you think these things?

In my experience of these professions, if you’ve had a privileged upbringing (private school or very good state school, private tutoring, wealthy parents, etc), it’s very easy to do these things with roughly average intelligence. It’s very easy to buy the ability to do exams, and very easy to buy the ability to do applications and interviews.

If you’ve not had a remotely privileged upbringing (care leaver, poor state school, etc) then you need to be extremely intelligent to overcome the huge gap in advantage.

It’s also worth considering that there’s huge difference within these roles - a partner at a magic circle firm is likely to be far more intelligent than one at a local high street firm, and a more recently qualified solicitor is likely to more intelligent than one who qualified 40 years ago because the profession has become more competitive and, 40 years ago, it was easier for dumb people to buy their way in. The same applies to all the other professions you’ve mentioned - an Oxford academic isn’t the same as one from the University of Hull, a local accountant isn’t the same as someone at the Big 4, a top London chambers isn’t the same as your local…

I am intelligent but academically lazy. My sister is intelligent with a thirst for learning and she is the lawyer in the family. Am sure you need to be intelligent to do well at that kind of job, let alone qualify in the first place. Could I have studied for a job like that? Potentially, but would I have tried? Never.

R u sure they are unintelligent or just so up their own bottoms they have lost all sense of reality

Depends what you mean by smart. You can't pass school, university and professional exams by hard work alone. You need a good memory, quick brain and the ability to understand increasingly complex concepts. In professional life you also need good written and interpersonal communication skills, common sense and a good work ethic. These qualities are not that common.

Have you seen our government? Not very intellectual at all apparently.

of course you have to have a modicum of intelligence op

you also have to have the ability to see things thru ie training - education at uni - more work place training - the ability to listen and not make a drama out of something ordinary

I’m confused about your question about accountants, solicitors and barristers