I occasionally do IQ tests online. I’ll go through the test, but at the end, where the website offers to send you out a report to describe what sort of intelligence you possess I close the page. I am aware that I have a good visual memory and can work things out, I know I’m reasonably clever, clever enough not to pay for the results!

The first time I came across an IQ test was the 11 plus at school. Over time I’ve completed similar tests. I know how they work. As I am an artist I have good pattern recognition (I often play Mahjong now). I also am good at detecting the murderer in who dunnits!

So perhaps the artistic gene makes it easier for me to do visual tests? I wonder if I would be as successful using a written test? But IQ tests tend to use visual symbols and are dependant on recognising  sequences of shapes. Maybe one day I’ll do a Mensa test. But again these are probably biased culturally. All I know is I’m good at Captcha traffic light pictures!