Highest IQ Score

The term IQ or 'Intelligence Quotient' is a measure of a person's relative intelligence. Intelligence testing first began by a psychologist called Alfred Binet, in order to differentiate the capacity of students who were brighter, and those who needed to attend special schools where they would receive more attention for their studies. These tests resulted in the development of the Simon-Binet scale (the tests were made with the assistance of Theophile Simon). The data collected upon using these tests was then standardized and classified under different levels of IQ. Here, we understand the classification of high IQ levels and the highest IQ score ever recorded.

High IQ and Giftedness

A person's intelligence quotient can be understood based on the result (s)he receives after performing a legitimate IQ test. Depending on the category those scores fall in, a person is declared to be intellectually gifted, superior, etc. A person with a very high IQ score tends to fall in the 'gifted' category. This means a person whose IQ ranges above 115 is considered gifted. In fact, there are various degrees of giftedness, which have been explained in the table below.

IQ Score	Category of Giftedness
115-129	Mildly Gifted
130-144	Moderately Gifted
145-159	Highly Gifted
160-179	Exceptionally Gifted
180 & Above	Profoundly Gifted

An interesting point to note is that only 2.2% of the population that has taken an IQ test falls in the gifted category. Almost 50% of the total population has an average IQ score, where a person's IQ may range anywhere between 90 and 109.

Highest IQ Score Recorded

The highest IQ score that has been recorded so far is that of Kim Ung-yong, a child prodigy from Korea, who started displaying phenomenal intellectual abilities right since he was 6 months old. He has also made it to the Guinness Book of World Records under the category 'Highest IQ', for receiving a score of 210. He developed the ability to speak when he was 6 months old, and by 1 year of age, he could speak fluently. By 3 years of age, he could read Korean, German, Japanese and English, and at 6 years of age, he solved a calculus problem on television. At the age of 7, Kim was invited to NASA by the United States, where he did several research studies. He eventually completed his Ph.D. in Physics in the United States by the age of 16. He is now a prominent scholar in this field.

Factors that Lead to a High IQ Score

The argument regarding a person's ability to perform well in IQ tests is attributed to both 'nature and nurture'. This means, while heredity does play an important role in defining a person's intelligence quotient, it is also the environment that has an influence and that is capable of nurturing this ability. This includes a person's nutrition, the education received, the family environment, and the general motivation to seek more information than others. Furthermore, culture, race and gender also play a role in determining a person's IQ, with no bias towards any race, culture or gender. Recent trends have shown that the normal IQ score is increasing every decade as a result of the rapid changes in the world we live in. The high competitiveness, the concern towards overall health and nutrition, and the way in which information is now so easily available helps in this regard. This entire trend is described as the Flynn Effect.

An important point to remember is that even the highest IQ score can only give a person the crown in the field of academic intelligence and problem-solving. Along with a good intelligence quotient, emotional intelligence, a person's personality, etc. play an important role in a person's overall success. In some cases, a person may have all these attributes and may be considered truly gifted. On the other hand, an intellectually gifted person may not be gifted with these other attributes. Simply put, a high IQ score solely cannot be held responsible for a person's success in life; some of the qualities mentioned above are equally essential.