Posted on 10/13/2012 2:57:36 PM PDT by James C. Bennett
ACHIEVING an IQ score higher than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking seems almost impossible, but not for one young girl.
Northwood College School pupil, Fabiola Mann, of Harrow on the Hill, scored a remarkable IQ of 162 in this summer’s University of London’s (UCL) Mensa medical test. It is the highest possible score anyone can achieve in the UK and European test. The 15-year-old beat physicists Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, who both scored 160 when they took it.
Being a whizz kid at puzzles and mathematical tests, Fabiola decided to give it a go, she sat the test on July 30 at UCL in Gower Street, central London, and received her results on August 20, she said: “When I got the results I couldn’t believe it. The three-hour test was quite intimidating as it was in a very formal setting. There were about 30 other people taking the test and with the exception of one other candidate they were all adults in their 20s and 30s.”
Mensa is a society for people with a high IQ, to take the three-hour test you have to be over 10-years-old. The scoring is amended marginally for 10 to 18-year-olds who can score a maximum of 162. Those over 18 can only score a maximum of 161.
After completing her GCSE’s and A-levels, Fabiola wants to study medicine at Cambridge University. She said: “I am excited to explore the new possibilities that something like this has opened up for me, beating Einstein and Hawking is pretty scary, I don’t think I will ever be able to measure up to what they have achieved but I hope to achieve my dream of being a successful doctor and helping others.”
Along with being a fan of science fiction books, Fabiola loves to play chess and martial arts.
Fabiola’s mother, Rene Mann, 46, said: “As parents we are very proud of Fabiola and we hope she will be able to use this gift in a meaningful way that helps others and utilises her potential.”
The headteacher of Northwood College, Jacqualyn Pain, said: “I was delighted to hear about Fabiola’s success. “At Northwood College we focus on raising young women who know their own minds and are creative and flexible thinkers, as well as being able to achieve outstanding results. We are all thrilled with Fabiola’s achievement.” Fabiola received her official certificate on Wednesday last week.
MARGAO: With a Mensa IQ score of 162, a 15-year-old London teenager with Goan roots has beaten Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Fabiola Mann's IQ has put her in the top 1% of intelligent people in the world, two points over the 160 scored by the scientific greats.
Mensa, founded in 1946 as a society for intelligent people, awarded Fabiola her membership certificate in August this year. The Harrow-on-the-Hill-resident, who wants to study medicine at Cambridge University and become a surgeon "because I like the idea of helping people", told STOI from London that she wasn't expecting the score.
"I had heard about Mensa and so decided to take their test," Fabiola said in an email. Being "always interested in puzzles", she "begged" her parents to apply for the test and paid the fee.
On July 30, the Northwood College School pupil sat down for a formal, supervised, three-hour test at the London UCL medical college. "The questions were slightly more confusing (from the practice IQ tests online) and we did not have much time to do them, so I could not really tell how I was doing," said Fabiola.
She had wait for a month for her scores instead of the customary two weeks as the results were lost in transit. "We went on holiday soon after (the test), and it was a month before I finally got a letter through the post telling me that I had an IQ of 162 and was invited to join Mensa. I was thrilled," said Fabiola.
Her mother Rene, a Margao native who moved to London in 1993 after marriage, said, "Obviously I had heard about Mensa and genius IQ level children, but I'm amazed that my own daughter is one."
Dad Anthony, who was born in England and is a lecturer, informed Fabiola's school, which in turn contacted local UK newspapers. Fabiola was interviewed by BBC in September and is also mentioned on the Mensa website. In her interview with 'Harrow Observer', the paper observed that "162 is the highest possible score anyone can achieve in the UK and European test".
Asked what the Mensa membership means to Fabiola, Rene, a news producer for Associated Press Television Network, told STOI from London, "People keep asking me the same thing, and to be honest I don't know. Hopefully it will mean an entry into the best universities and later job opportunities."
She quickly adds, "Of course Fabiola did not do (the test) for those reasons, these are just a mother's dreams. More than that, I hope she can go forward and realize her potential and do good in this world."
Fabiola's hobbies include martial arts — she has a purple belt in karate, and started taekwondo this year —chess and music. She plays the piano and guitar and according to her peers has an "amazing voice". She also loves creative writing and is currently working on a novel.
Fabiola's Margao-based grandparents Palikaran George, 79, and Teresa, 67, are "speechless" on their granddaughter's feat and can't wait for her to visit in December.
Good for her!
Life’s a bitch and then you die. Be thankful that we have experienced the easiest life ever available to the human species. But humans are humans...and here we are.
Mensa?
Isn’t that some kind of, like, a social club or something?
If you REALLY want to join with the high-IQ types, there is something called the “999” (Triple Nine), that is, in the 99.9 percentile.
Those folks must speak to the Mensa members slowly, and in words of no more than four syllables.
The Muslims are not pleased.
Only 162? I know of two talk show hosts who boast of higher scores. I am not going to name them.. one is a favorite and the other one’s show I like but only because his on-air staff cares the show.
The UK / Europe scale is different.
That said, here is one that stumped even Einstein at first glance, and it fooled his friend.
Try the question before reading the except from Einstein's letter at the bottom.
Q1- Distance, Time, and Speed An old car has to travel a 2-mile route, uphill and down. Because it is so old, the car can climb the first mile—the ascent—no faster than an average speed of 15 mi/h. How fast does the car have to travel the second mile—on the descent it can go faster, of course—to achieve an average speed of 30 mi/h for the trip?
Problem 1 was sent to Albert Einstein by his friend Wertheimer. Einstein (and his friend Bucky) enjoyed the problems and wrote back to Wertheimer. Here is part of his reply:
Your letter gave us a lot of amusement. The first intelligence test fooled both of us (Bucky and me). Only on work-ing it out did I notice that no time is available for the down-hill run! Mr. Bucky was also taken in by the second example, but I was not.
Such drolleries show us how stupid we are!
(See Mathematical Intelligencer,Spring 1990, page 41.)
Very interesting! I actually scored higher. Didn’t help me much because I made poor decisions after becoming completely frustrated with what I was being taught in both public and private schools. Drove my Father crazy with my low grades, but I knew what I wanted to do, and I wasn’t getting the education I craved. So,,, I made bad decisions. Back then you kept your mouth shut and didn’t complain to adults.
I split to Milwaukee, leaving only the vaguest of trails. Mensa sought me out! I was astonished. They offered me membership, and I went to an introductory meeting. I stayed about 20 minutes. Never saw such a bunch of jerks before in my life! I’ve enjoyed my career in Music, but now really regret ever having played a note. Kinda sad,,,,,,,,,,, Debating whether to post this,,,, but no one knows who I am,,,, so I guess I will,,,,
Oh, big deal. I scored a 164 when I was eighteen. Or, was that my weight? I get them mixed up.
162 in Europe effectively means that no one can tell what the actual intelligence level is...who could design such a test, who could score it?
190-200 range means pretty much the same thing on this side of the world.
I've known some Mensa members. They tend to be people with high-IQs, but whose life accomplishments don't manage to keep pace. High-IQ people who accomplish things generally manage to have no problems associating with other sharp people.
Med school would be a waste of time for her.
Thanks for the clarification.. the two I referenced claim scores in the mid-160s.
I was at such a gathering once. People were actually putting little stickers on their shirts with their IQ written on them with a black felt marker.
One girl said to me “This is really stupid, like attending a party where everyone writes their bra size on a name tag”
I suggested she do just that and she did, it was 34B and caused an uproar since from across the room it looked like 348 ...lol
Thanks for the additional information.. the two I referenced above claim scores in the mid-160s.. my guess is if what you pointed out gets back to them they each will add 30 (at least) to their scores. :)
She’s obviously a smart cookie good at solving those IQ test riddles. But until she turns those smarts into something productive, she’s still very much removed from the likes of Einstein or Hawking.
Lots of paper-smart folks out there who don’t amount to much in the real world, for any number of reasons. I hope she will be able to capitalize on her mental gift.
Q1- Distance, Time, and Speed An old car has to travel a 2-mile route, uphill and down. Because it is so old, the car can climb the first mile—the ascent—no faster than an average speed of 15 mi/h. How fast does the car have to travel the second mile—on the descent it can go faster, of course—to achieve an average speed of 30 mi/h for the trip?
what am i missing here?
why is the answer not 45 mi/h?
there is no time factor mentioned in the problem.
???
I bet Dennis Miller’s IQ is quite high, most stand-up comics are brilliant.
James Woods seems like the smartest celebrity I am aware of.
Obama is a mental midget, no way is he more than just a little above average.
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