The trouble with calling 140 genius
The threshold is a historical convention from early twentieth-century classification schemes, not a discovery about human beings.
Where it came from
Early test manuals attached labels to ranges, and "genius" sat near the top. The word survived in popular use long after the classification was abandoned.
What long-term studies found
Terman’s decades-long study of high scorers found successful lives and no eminent creative breakthroughs. Two children rejected from the sample later won Nobel Prizes.
What high scores do mean
Fast, accurate reasoning with abstract material. Useful, measurable, and a long way from the kind of achievement the word genius implies.
Scored against age, education and area norms. Free certificate with a QR code anyone can verify.
Questions people ask
What is the highest score here?
The report clamps at 145, because a twenty-item paper cannot resolve beyond that.
Do high scorers earn more?
On average modestly, with enormous individual variation.