Intelligence may seem difficult to measure, and it is. But that doesn't stop us from being fascinated by intelligence tests that quantify how smart we are, and of course trying to figure out who has the highest IQ in the world .
There is no standard intelligence quotient (IQ) test, but scores tend to be similar no matter the method, with 100 being considered an “average” IQ and 140 and above being considered the realm of genius. And while there are many IQ tests available (and many revisions have come and gone over the years), only a handful are currently the most commonly used. These include the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, and the Peabody Test of Personal Achievement. IQ tests typically measure a person's intelligence based on their ability to reason using logic. However, keep in mind that there are different types of intelligence, including emotional, musical, visual-spatial, naturalistic, and linguistic.
All of this is to say that IQ scores should be taken with a grain of salt. Since their introduction in 1905, modern IQ tests have been controversial for a variety of reasons, ranging from inconsistencies in their application and interpretation to cultural, linguistic, and economic biases. Additionally, IQ scores reported for people who lived before the 20th century are estimates. All caveats aside, here are the 50 people with the highest IQ scores tested (and estimated).
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