Is IQ largely genetic ?

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I have a low IQ score of 78, which is considered mentally deficient. Yet, both my parents were above average in IQ- around 140. What other factors might contribute to having such a low IQ?

Intelligence tests, by definition, are very coarse-grained measures designed to test an individual's aptitude. Being severely impaired in one area is easily enough to drag down your score into the "mentally deficient" region. Genetics are important, but the correlation between heredity and IQ is relatively weak. As a result, I cannot with any measure of confidence take, say, the average IQ scores of your parents, and use them to predict yours.

For example, I had to take the WAIS IQ exam as part of being screened for an autism diagnosis. It had four parts, one of which is in an area that is frequently troublesome for people on the spectrum (processing speed). There's no reason why just because your parents could excel in an arbitrary area as defined by an IQ test, that you should achieve equal results.

IQ tests are just nonsense. I heard most of them are sexist and racist. They ask questions that are targeted primarily at young white NT North American males so they end up with a higher score.

I don't even know what my IQ is, but I'm afraid to take any online tests for that very reason. I'll probably also flop at anything with math or complex puzzles, so I'll get a low score because of it, and "they'll" secretly think "It's 'cuz she's a dumb ol' chick". I don't trust them at all.

I wouldn't be too concerned about an IQ test, they measure a small subset of what makes a person a person and as lost on earth mentioned they're biased towards western problem solving methods, and those are not the only problem solving methods available. Furthermore, don't trust an online test, you never know what the methodology is, or even if there is one, or if it's just an ad to get you to buy a product to 'help get you smarter' after you've failed the test (which is designed so everyone fails). In my opinion, learned knowledge is infinitely more useful and thus valuable than any kind of base aptitude test. Let me put it this way, you could be the smartest guy on earth but if you've never learned to read you wouldn't even be able to spell the word dog.

does it affect your daily life? if it doesn't, then perhaps it should not bother us much..

I just realized my IQ is actually 120 according to my school records. The recent IQ test I took online. Its not quite the same as the one I took in High School.

I hate the WAIS! My I.Q. is normally in the 120s-140s on most tests I've taken under completely relaxed conditions, but I completely blew the block design test, which plunged my overall score into the average range. I scored well above average on the verbal subtest.