Higher IQ

[Homeless Nutter]

I think I used to be quite smart, before all the drugs...

I remember taking some kind of IQ test shortly before high-school. People administering the test seemed very enthusiastic about my result, so much so, that they made me come again and do a whole bunch more tests. I know what you're thinking - I too expected them to molest me, alas - I was an ugly child and they didn't... I don't remember what my scores were, I guess it wasn't that important to me at the time. I was 14 years old, of course I knew I was the smartest person on the planet.  

I took a bunch of self-administered IQ tests as an adult, like the ones available online. I usually scored between 120 and 140, depending on the test and how high I was, while taking it...

1) How did you fare academically?

Very well at first. In high-school I discovered there were other things, beyond school curriculum and while I still excelled (by mediocre standards of my public school) in classes, that interested me, I neglected those that didn't, sometimes to the point of nearly failing the year. I wasn't all that interested in education at that point, largely because schools I went to never had many options for extra-curricular activities, or other ways of furthering my interests.

I went on to study philosophy at the University - mostly to avoid military service - where I did reasonably well, considering I failed to show up to most of my lectures and was mostly preoccupied with playing in bands and making music. But after 2 years I didn't want to remain a financial burden on my parents, studying something I had only a faint interest in and with no real prospective job options - so I dropped out and that was the end of my academic career...

2) How fast did you learn a new concept?

Not sure what that means, but I guess - depends on the concept...

3) Did you have to study much outside of school?

No. Didn't have to study much in school either. I'd just pay attention in class, for the most part. Read a few chapters of a textbook, before bigger exams. That kind of stopped me from developing any sort of discipline, when it came to learning stuff.

4) What was difficult for you to learn and what wasn't?

Most things were/are fairly easy for me to learn, if I apply myself. But I've always found it difficult to put the effort into studying subjects which I considered boring. Music was perhaps a bit more difficult, than some things, because I don't think I ever had any particular talent in that direction, which may be why I stuck with it for a long time - because it remained a challenge. But maybe that's just because I taught myself music and I'm just as lousy a teacher as I am a student...

Also, anything that required me to take other people's emotions and irrationality into consideration - like social interaction with people of my age - was inscrutable to me.

5) How did it feel being around people that had it a bit more difficult to learn new concepts, remember things, solve problems etc

As a book-worm kind of child I learned quickly, that most people are dull, insecure and violent. To be fair - for a smart kid - I took quite a long time, learning to keep my mouth shut and not come across as a "wise-ass"...

But it depends. I used to hang around with musicians a lot - many (most?) of them are thick as pig-sh*t. Didn't bother me much, as long as we were playing music. But at work, for example, dumb people drive me mad.

6) When you solve a problem in let's say mathematics (you can use another example) what is your approach and thought process when solving it?

Again - it largely depends. On the nature of the problem, available resources, my motivation, intoxicants in my system. I'm not a very disciplined thinker.

7) How was your experience when learning a new language? Did it come to you easily?

Languages come easy to me. At one point or another I learned 4 languages, not counting my native tongue, or the few semesters of Latin at the Uni. I also forgot most of them, because I haven't had much chance to use them - except for English, as I've been living in London for years now. But if pressed - I can probably still understand a fair bit of German, Russian and Spanish.