to want people to realise that theres more to me than my IQ?

[sickoftheholidays]

going to try not to come accross as arrogant here, but I have a high IQ. Great you might think, but I am so heartily sick of everyone assuming that because I am (apparently) very intelligent, that to have any job which doesnt really need a high IQ is a waste of my talents?
I mean I have lots of talents, I can dance, I can sing, I am a great mum, hell I'd even go so far as to say I'm attractive (on a good day with make up on)
why cant people see that although I have this gift, that to use my other gifts instead isnt actually a waste?

Yep there is a restriction. Obviously repeated testing would invalidate the results as a practise element would change and invalidate results.

I asked why people were getting tested, dyslexia testing is one reason, there are many others, but when the general population seem to know and share their amazing high IQ scores I am usually slightly sceptical, but of course some will be genuine.

Tell them you've had a new test and in fact you have an average IQ.

Weirdly I have same IQ as Reality (152).

Luckily I have 36J Norks so noone ever takes me seriously

Have more kids. Your IQ goes down about twenty points per child.

Tell them that because your EQ is impossibly low it makes it difficult for you to get on with others, then flash your norks and tell them to fuck off. Just to prove the point like!

But smiley, how come I've had to be tested more often than every 4 years? In fact, I thought an up-to-date test was actually required between GCSE/A-level/university. My university wouldn't let me apply for DLA on the basis of the test that I'd used during my A levels.

It may be I'm out of date, thought.

sick - it sounds as if (and I don't mean this as a criticism) this thread is more about your mother's expectations than anything else?

LRD - You are probably right. I'm sick of being made to feel like a failure for not following the career path she mapped out for me. I just want to be left in peace to do my own thing.
Boss and vicar didnt help though.

My IQ and my tits have sagged with age, still 36D but somewhat lower. I have a high IQ but crap short term memory. Such is life, swings and roundabouts.

Did I mention I have 36D tits?

If it cheers you up: Today I read an extract from a letter, sent by T. S. Eliot's mother to one of his supervisors. She was in bits because he'd decided not to attend his thesis viva, and to become a poet instead of a university teacher of philosophy.

His supervisor commiserated.

I can imagine that, for a fair few years, letters back and forth between mother and son sounded similar to the conversations you and your mother have.

Thing is, it really is all about them. You are not a doll, to live out other people's fantasies. It's your one and only life. Just ignore, ignore, ignore.

If it's any help my dear late father would bring up me dropping out of uni where I was doing a Chemical Engineering BSC at Imperial College every time I visited to the end.

I am a happy IT worker and I would have probably designed Bohpal type reactors had I continued, plus I got the guys to do most of my course works so I actually learnt not much!

Accept yourself and ignore the idiots.

Of course, it'll be incredibly ironic if one of your dc drops out of medicine/law and you go completely bonkers at them!!

I have the opposite.
I do a very menial mundane (but comparatively well paid) part time job, where everyone assumes I'm thick as shit and half the time don't even acknowledge my existence.
I 'let it slip' that I was a member of Mensa, and hey presto, even the legal department now talk to me.

sick, that is rotten.

But you have to put her opinions behind you. You're an adult and you know what is important to you, so let her have her say and don't take it to heart. (I know this is far easier said than done - in fact if you learn how to do it all the time, I would love to know the secret). But you won't find vindication by asking us, or your vicar, or anyone else. And in fact, people are likely to be confused and see you as defensive, if you constantly defend yourself against a perceived attack.

animula - I'd never thought I'd pity Eliot!

RedDragon Dyslexia reports usually run out every 3 yrs. It's not necessary to conduct IQ testing every time, but sometimes psychologists will and can get around this by using a different IQ test (there are 2 widely used valid tests) and by using child standerised tests at GCSE and then moving to the adult IQ test post 16 so no practise element.

Or more likely they are rather slapdash and don't bother to look at the previous assessment by a different psychologist and carry out the tests they always would oblivious they are invalidating their own results.

Incidently IQ scores are the least interesting and informative product from the cognitive assessment they are part of and are hugely flawed in many ways.

I do unkindly sometimes think people who advertise their high IQ must be a teeny bit dim, or at least ignorant, about the very thing they are flaunting.

smiley, I don't think you mean to but you are coming across as pretty ignorant or judgmental yourself.

The OP's been quite graceful admitting that she is upset for reasons that go beyond what she initially said.

You first said IQ tests can't happen more often than every 4 years, then admitted this is incorrect as long as different tests are used?

If you don't mind me saying, I don't believe the people who took the time to help me learn were 'slapdash'. Both the last two people who tested me took far more than the time they were paid for to do tests, and they were very kind.

I am well aware that IQ scores on their own are not very useful, and that many people misunderstand the tests (and why not, as it's a specialist subject?).

But your post comes across as if you're saying that it's dim and/or ignorant to get bothered about tests. If you're someone who struggled and failed a lot when you were a child at school, you might better understand, I think.

What a lovely, sensible post from LRD.

If only life were as simple as IQ. There wouldn't be all the angsting about schools.

Daaahlin'. Simply posting what you have, voids all claims to high IQ. Sorry.

That was @ LRD's previous post, though I think she has a point with the last one. I think sickoftheholidays sounds as though she's feeling a bit anxious/down, tbh, and could do with a bit of support.

Thanks animula.

I do think the idea of measuring intelligence is really cruel - it's hard not to cling to a good IQ score if you've struggled otherwise; it's hard not to feel irritated at the limitations of the tests!

Better if we all stopped judging on this count, I think.

www.amazon.co.uk/Case-Working-Your-Hands-Office/dp/0670918741

Show this to your mum. An old argument for the 21st century.

I thought anyone could become a member of mensa if they were dumb enough to write out the cheque?

Almost impossible to be rejected by menus once they've seen the colour of your money I understand.

OP, your problem is that you give a shit what people think. You need entirely more self confidence and self belief. Repeat after me "when it comes to my career choices, the opinion which matters is mine".

There you go, problem solved

You have to do a supervised test. You will only be accepted if you score within the top two percent of the population.

LRD my posts have not really been directed at the OP, I think her issues are not actually about IQ, but about previous high academic acgeivement and expectations from that.

My comments were initiated by the (not uncommon) flurry of 'my IQ is SO high and Ivehad it tested it loads' comments, which usually make me think many of these are probably not based on valid IQ tests.

The same test cannot be repeated within 4 yrs, there are ways around this by using a different test (said only 2 commonly used) but you'd be suprisesd how many psychologists do not read prevoius assessments, or how often previous assessments are not even available to read. This is a general comment and not an accusation of the particular professionals who conducted your assessments.

I am considerably ficker than yowww...

Get over it

Mind you, 'only the top two percent of the population' is still a heck of a lot of people. There are around 60 million people in the UK, aren't there?

I don't mean to denigrate those who are that bright. But it's likely we've all met several people who're in the top two percent of the population - and I don't believe they often stand out in day-to-day life.