GLOBAL BRAIN INSTITUTE
IQ research . Assessment
In our modern era driven by information and knowledge, intelligence stands as a prized asset. IQ, or Intelligence Quotient, is a measure of a person's intellectual abilities in relation to others. A score above 130 is generally considered high, with the highest recorded scores often exceeding 200, demonstrating exceptional cognitive abilities.
The Highest IQ scores are at the top of the IQ scale, showcasing the peak of human cognitive abilities. Those individuals who possess the highest IQ scores often achieve remarkable feats. Among the notable figures with extraordinary IQ scores, luminaries such as Terence Tao, Marilyn vos Savant, and Chris Hirata stand out, with IQ scores surpassing the 200 mark.
Join us as we embark on a journey to uncover these exceptional minds who have scaled the heights of IQ and investigate the profound influence their intelligence wields across diverse domains, from catalyzing scientific breakthroughs to ushering in technological innovations, and more.
However, it's essential to keep in mind that IQ scores, especially at the extreme high end, can be influenced by various factors and might not fully represent a person's overall intelligence or potential.
Today, many people are often considered to have the most brilliant minds in their respective fields, but they may not have had the highest IQ scores. Here is the list of people with the highest IQ score who are still alive in 2024.
Terence Tao: Born in Adelaide in 1975, Australian prodigy Terence Tao exhibited remarkable mathematical abilities from an early age. At just two years old, he could perform basic arithmetic, and by the age of 9, he was studying college-level math courses.
In 1988, Tao achieved the distinction of becoming the youngest-ever gold medal recipient in the history of the International Mathematical Olympiad, a record that still stands. He earned a master's degree in mathematics from Flinders University in Adelaide in 1992, followed by a Ph.D. from Princeton in 1996.
He has achieved numerous awards, including the prestigious Fields Medal in 2006. Now, Tao is a mathematics professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Marilyn Vos Savant is widely recognized for having one of the highest recorded IQ scores in the world. In 1985, she achieved a score of 228 on the Stanford-Binet IQ test, which was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records at the time as the highest IQ ever recorded. She gained the media's attention and became a celebrity because of her extraordinary IQ score.
She was born on 11 of August, 1946, in St. Louis, Missouri. She is best known for her "Ask Marilyn" column in Parade magazine, where she answered a wide range of questions on various topics, including mathematics, science, and logic puzzles. Her intelligence and ability to provide clear and concise explanations made her column popular with readers.
Chris Hirata: Astrophysicist Chris Hirata, born in Michigan in 1982, achieved an extraordinary feat by becoming the youngest U.S. citizen to receive an International Physics Olympiad gold medal at the age of 13. At 14, Hirata embarked on his academic journey at the California Institute of Technology, eventually earning a bachelor's degree in physics from the institution in 2001.
With an impressive reported IQ of 225, he started his job at NASA when he was 16. Notably, he explored the feasibility of human settlement on Mars. In 2005, he furthered his academic pursuits by obtaining a Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University.
Currently, Chris Hirata works as a professor of physics and astronomy at The Ohio State University, specializing in various areas, including dark energy, gravitational lensing, the cosmic microwave background, galaxy clustering, and general relativity. His exceptional intellectual abilities were already recognized during his high school years, with one staff member describing him as "one in a million" in 1997.
Born in 1952, Christopher Langan is dubbed “the smartest man in America”. He is indeed known for his high reported IQ scores and is often referred to as one of the smartest people in the world. Langan's IQ has been estimated to be exceptionally high, with some reports suggesting it is in the range of 195 to 210.
Langan gained widespread recognition due to his participation in various television shows, documentaries, and articles about highly intelligent people. He is often described as an autodidact, which means he is largely self-taught, and he has a wide range of interests and knowledge in various fields.
In addition to his reputation for high IQ scores, Christopher Langan has worked as a horse rancher and has not pursued a traditional academic or professional career in academia or research. Despite his unconventional career and life path, he has become a prominent figure in discussions about intelligence and talent.
Kim Ung-Yong is a South Korean former child prodigy who is often cited for having one of the highest IQ scores ever recorded. Born on March 8, 1962, Kim Ung-Yong's IQ has been reported to be around 210, although the accuracy of specific IQ scores in this range can be debated. He gained fame for his exceptional intellect and abilities at a very young age.
At the age of 4, Kim Ung-Yong was reportedly fluent in multiple languages, including Korean, English, German, and Japanese. He was accepted into the Guinness Book of World Records as having the highest IQ in the world at that time.
Kim Ung-Yong's story serves as an example of extraordinary cognitive abilities, and he has become a notable figure in discussions about intelligence and prodigies.
Evangelos Katsioulis Greek physician Evangelos Katsioulis gained notoriety in his home country when he was awarded the title of Genius of the Year in the 2013 World Genius Directory Awards. According to the directory, Katsioulis boasts an extraordinary IQ of 198, as he reportedly scored 205 on the Stanford-Binet scale with a standard deviation of 16, equivalent to 258 on the Cattell scale with a standard deviation of 24, and 198 on the Wechsler scale with a standard deviation of 15.
Born in Ioannina in 1976, Katsioulis pursued his education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece until he obtained a Ph.D. in psychopharmacology. In 2001, he founded the World Intelligence Network IQ Society and is currently a member of 28 IQ societies, including the exclusive Giga Society. Katsioulis' intelligence is so rare that only one in 30 billion people can match his cognitive abilities.
Magnus Carlsen Magnus Carlsen, born in Tønsberg, Norway, in 1990, currently holds the title of World Chess Champion. He achieved grandmaster status in 2004 at the remarkable age of 13. In 2009, the legendary chess player Garry Kasparov took Carlsen under his wing for personal training, although their collaboration ended the following year.
Carlsen made history in 2010 by becoming the world's youngest-ever number-one-ranked chess player shortly after his 19th birthday. His crowning achievement came in 2013, when he defeated Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand to claim the title of world champion at the World Chess Championship. Carlsen has earned four Chess Oscars, an impressive feat, although seven fewer than Kasparov. In addition to his chess prowess, Carlsen has ventured into modeling work for G-Star Raw, earning him the moniker "the Justin Bieber of chess" from the media.
Mislav Predavec, a Croatian mathematics professor, is renowned for his reported IQ of 190. He has attributed his intellectual prowess to always feeling a step ahead of his peers, effortlessly solving problems faster and more efficiently as the school material became increasingly challenging. Born in Zagreb in 1967, Predavec's exceptional abilities manifested early in his life.
As an adult, he has been teaching at Zagreb's Schola Medica Zagrabiensis since 2009. Furthermore, he has been managing his trading company, Preminis, since 1989. In 2002, Predavec established the exclusive IQ society GenerIQ, which is part of his broader network of IQ societies. He has a penchant for challenging intelligence tests, which he considers a favorite hobby. In 2012, the World Genius Directory recognized Predavec as the third smartest person in the world.
Richard Rosner, born on May 2, 1960, is an American television writer who has gained recognition for his purportedly exceptional intelligence test scores and his unique career path. He is particularly known for his remarkable performance on IQ tests designed to assess extraordinary levels of intelligence, with reported scores ranking among the highest ever recorded. Richard Rosner's life and achievements stand as a testament to his intellectual prowess and unconventional journey in the world of television and beyond.
Garry Kasparov, born in 1963 in Baku (now part of Azerbaijan), is one of the greatest chess players in history. His journey in the world of chess began at the age of seven, when he enrolled at Baku's Young Pioneer Palace. At 10, he commenced training at the school of the legendary Soviet chess player, Mikhail Botvinnik.
Kasparov achieved the title of grandmaster in 1980 and, just five years later, became the youngest-ever outright world champion. He retained this championship title until 1993. However, he faced defeat the following year against an upgraded version of the machine. In 2005, Garry Kasparov retired from the world of chess to shift his focus to politics and writing. Notably, he is reported to possess an IQ of 190.
Nikola Poljak, born in 1982, is a Croatian physicist and researcher who has an impressive IQ score of 183. Now, he works as an assistant researcher and instructor at the Physics Department of the University of Zagreb.
According to the World Genius Directory, Croatian researcher and physicist Nikola Poljak has an IQ of 183. Born in 1982, Poljak is currently an assistant research fellow and instructor in the University of Zagreb’s physics department. In addition, he is an assistant research fellow at CERN, working on the collaborative A Large Ion Collider Experiment in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2010, Poljak received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Zagreb. He has carried out scientific assignments for the Croatian Ministry of Science and the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes, and his current projects include the “exploration of hadronic systems with relativistic probes.”
John H. Sununu, boasting a reported IQ of 180, meets the criteria for admission into the exclusive Mega Society for high-IQ individuals. Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1939, Sununu pursued a path in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1961, followed by his master's in 1963 and his Ph.D. in 1966.
Following his academic journey, Sununu assumed the role of a professor at Tufts University in Massachusetts until 1968, at which point he took on the position of the school's associate dean of engineering, a role he held until 1973. From 1983 to 1989, Sununu served as the governor of New Hampshire before taking on the position of White House Chief of Staff in 1989. Regrettably, in 1991, Sununu resigned amidst allegations of misusing his government travel privileges.
Ivan Ivec: Born in 1976, Ivan Ivec is a Croatian mathematician and an expert in IQ testing. According to the World Genius Directory, he boasts an impressive IQ score of 174. Dr. Ivec holds a Ph.D. in mathematics and is currently affiliated with Gimnazija A.G. Matoša High School in Samobor, Zagreb. In collaboration with fellow Croatian mathematician Mislav Predavec, he has also contributed to the design of these tests. Notably, Ivec emphasizes that traditional time constraints on intelligence tests, as devised by psychologists, may not be ideal for everyone. He believes that some highly intelligent individuals excel in problem-solving and complex tasks, even if their speed of solving is comparatively low.
Alan Guth Alan Guth, an American physicist and cosmologist, was born in 1947 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He displayed exceptional intelligence, graduating from school a year early and enrolling directly at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in physics. Guth's exploration of the concept of cosmic inflation began during his tenure as a junior scientist at Cornell in 1979. He formally introduced the theory in 1981, and then it gained widespread acceptance among scientists.
Guth is often referred to as "the man who expanded our understanding of the 'Big Bang.'" Throughout his career, he has held positions at institutions such as Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, and Stanford, and he currently serves as a physics professor at MIT.
Donald Knuth Donald Knuth, a pioneering computer scientist and mathematician, was born in Milwaukee in 1938. He is best known for his multi-volume work, "The Art of Computer Programming," which has left an indelible mark on the field. Knuth is also celebrated for creating the sophisticated typesetting system TeX, a notable achievement in the realm of typography. In 1971, he received the inaugural Grace Murray Hopper Award, and his accolades include a National Medal of Science and the A.M. Turing Award. Knuth completed his Ph.D. in mathematics in 1963 at CalTech and is presently a professor emeritus at Stanford.
Judit Polgár was a Hungarian chess grandmaster and was widely known as one of the greatest female chess players in the world. She was born on July 23, 1976, in Budapest, Hungary, and comes from a family of chess enthusiasts. Judit Polgár and her two sisters, Susan and Sofia, were collectively known as the "Polgár Sisters" and were all exceptional chess players.
Judit Polgár's rise to prominence in the chess world was marked by her remarkable achievements against some of the strongest male players. She reached the title of Grandmaster at a very young age, becoming the youngest person, male or female, to achieve that title at the time. Her peak FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs or International Chess Federation) rating was over 2700, making her one of the top players in the world.
Judit Polgár's accomplishments in chess broke down gender barriers and challenged the stereotype that women were inherently less skilled in chess than men. She chose not to compete in women-only tournaments, instead opting to compete in open events against male players.
Manahel Thabet, a Yemeni economist and scientist, achieved a remarkable feat in 2008 when, at the age of 25, she became the youngest individual to earn a financial engineering Ph.D. magna cum laude at the University of Illinois. Thabet has continued her academic pursuits by working toward a second Ph.D. in quantum mathematics. In 2012, she made a groundbreaking contribution by devising a revolutionary 350-page formula for calculating distances in space without relying on light. With an IQ exceeding 168, Thabet received the Genius of the Year Award and earned a place on the 2013 World Genius Directory's list.
Born in Montreal in 1954, Steven Pinker is a Canadian expert in visual cognition and psycholinguistics. His influential work spans popular science, experimental psychology, linguistics, and cognitive science. From 1982 to 2003, he served as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology within the school's brain and cognitive science department. During his tenure at MIT, Pinker also took on the directorship of the university's cognitive neuroscience center. In 2004, TIME magazine recognized him as one of the 100 most influential thinkers and scientists. Currently, he holds the position of professor of psychology at Harvard University.
Scott Aaronson is an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fields of electrical engineering and computer science. His research basically focuses on quantum computers' capabilities and limitations, along with computational complexity theory. Born in Philadelphia in 1981, he obtained a bachelor's degree in computer science from Cornell University in 2000. Four years later, Aaronson earned his Ph.D. from the University of California.
In 2012, he was honored with the Alan T. Waterman Award for his groundbreaking contributions to computational theory and his exploration of the fundamental limits of computation in the physical world. He is famous for his work on algebrization and the abstract quantum Turing machine.
Noam Chomsky Noam Chomsky, a philosopher, cognitive scientist, and astute political observer, is often referred to as the "father of modern linguistics." Born in Philadelphia in 1928, Chomsky began his academic journey at the University of Pennsylvania in 1945 at the age of 16. He attained his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in linguistics there, eventually leaving in 1955 to take up a teaching position in philosophy and linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he now holds the title of professor emeritus. Chomsky is a revered figure with a far-reaching influence, touching various fields, including artificial intelligence and music theory. He remains politically active, particularly in matters concerning American foreign policy, state capitalism, and mass media news. Chomsky has authored over 100 books and was recognized as the "world's top public intellectual" in a 2005 poll.
Read More: Top 10 Peoples with Highest IQ Ever in History
Are high IQ scores a guarantee of success?
No, a high IQ doesn’t guarantee someone’s success at all. While high IQ scores can indicate a strong capacity for learning and problem-solving, they do not decide success in life. Success depends on a combination of factors, including hard work, motivation, and emotional intelligence.
What are the limitations of IQ tests?
IQ tests have been criticized for their cultural bias, as they may not accurately measure the intelligence of individuals from different backgrounds. They also focus primarily on cognitive abilities and may not capture other essential skills and traits.
Can IQ change over time?
IQ scores tend to be relatively stable throughout an individual's life. However, they can be influenced by factors like education, life experiences, and brain injuries.
What is the significance of having an extremely high IQ?
Having an extremely high IQ can open doors to academic and professional opportunities. It may also indicate a strong aptitude for complex problem-solving and creative thinking.
The topic of the highest recorded IQ score is a subject of debate, but it's widely acknowledged that scores exceeding 200 are exceedingly rare. Notable individuals such as Terence Tao, Marilyn vos Savant, and Chris Hirata are often cited as having IQ scores that surpass the 200 mark. However, not all the individuals with the highest IQ scores are successful in their life.
It's also important to remember that intelligence is just one aspect of a person's abilities and does not necessarily predict success or contributions to society. Many other qualities, such as creativity, determination, and social skills, are important as well.