Maggie's Farm

IQ tests basically test what you know based on what the test assumes you were taught. It doesn't really measure "IQ" and even what it does measure is not measured well. Most kids go through school not paying attention and they may be quite smart but won't measure high on an IQ test. Some kids are over achievers and/or their parents are making sure that they study and even learn more than schools teach. They often do very well on IQ tests but may be no smarter than the kids who aren't paying attention or whose parents aren't pushing them.

You absolutely can teach a child to excel on the IQ test or at the least to raise their score substantially. But again, their native intelligence doesn't increase, their body of knowledge does increase but they are essentially the same person. We have all met geniuses who never achieved diddly squat, barely making it through life. Often they can and will quote Shakespeare or Nietzsche to you at the drop of a hat and they carry their own hat. And yet they have nothing to show for it. We have also all met hard working blue collar people with dirty hands who sometimes speak in malapropisms, don't quote Shakespeare and have never heard of Nietzsche but they make a good living, can fix your car/HVAC/TV/computer/etc. after looking at it for 15 seconds.

There are people on either side of the intelligence Bell curve who don't fit any of these categories and it is a mistake to draw conclusions about the other 90% of humanity from them.

Also there are many more things involved other than measurable/testable intelligence that affect our apparent skills or success and in fact many of these may be more important in life. Steve Wozniak was the genius but Steve Jobs had something else that made him excel. His drive, his personality, his common sense, quick mind, did I mention his drive. Wozniak was the genius, Jobs "wanted" something really badly. IQ isn't everything and perhaps shouldn't even be tested or if tested revealed.