Buzz
If your IQ falls between 85 and 115, you are in the range of the majority of people. A score exceeding 130 indicates exceptional intellect, and anything beyond 160 categorizes you as a genius (at least by intelligence test standards). The aptly named Marilyn vos Savant stands apart with an IQ of 228, a score that Guinness World Records recognizes as the highest ever documented.
Vos Savant, born in 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri, to an Italian father and a German mother, demonstrated remarkable intelligence early on. By age 10, one IQ test showed that her cognitive abilities had already reached adult levels.
In the 1980s, vos Savant aimed to demonstrate her extraordinary intelligence to the Guinness World Records committee. After taking the Stanford-Binet and Mega IQ tests, she scored above Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. From 1986 to 1989, Guinness listed her as the individual with the highest IQ in the world.
Determining whether vos Savant still holds that title is challenging. In 1990, Guinness discontinued the category, citing the unreliability of IQ tests. While other test-takers may have exceeded vos Savant's score over the past 32 years, without third-party confirmation, it is unlikely they will surpass her in the public’s eye.
Rather than pursuing quantum physics like some of her genius-IQ contemporaries, vos Savant has been a columnist for Parade since 1986. She answers logic puzzles submitted by readers in her "Ask Marilyn" column. Since 2008, she has also created Numbrix puzzles for the magazine. If you're looking for a challenging brainteaser from the person with the highest IQ ever recorded, check out her work here.
