The Flynn effect and the shelf life of a norm table
Across most of the twentieth century, measured IQ rose by roughly three points a decade in country after country. Nobody thinks reasoning itself improved that fast.
What probably caused it
More schooling, smaller families, better nutrition, and a world that increasingly asks people to think in abstractions and categories rather than concrete particulars.
Why it matters to you
Score against a norm table collected decades ago and your figure is inflated. Any test quoting a suspiciously generous number is often just using stale norms.
What re-standardising means
Periodically recollecting the reference data and resetting the mean to 100. Without it a scale drifts and stops meaning what its label says.
Scored against age, education and area norms. Free certificate with a QR code anyone can verify.
Questions people ask
Has the effect stopped?
Several countries report it flattening or reversing since the 1990s; others still show gains.
Are your norms current?
They are indicative tables built for this instrument and are described as such on every report.