Ep 171: The IQ of an Architect

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Being an Architect is difficult and there is plenty of evidence that this is not a vocation that is suitable for everyone. The coursework you will take in college is all over the place – from the drawing and design classes to physics and upper level math requirements, you seem to have to be both an artist and a scientist to go down this path. This begs the question, Just how smart do you need to be in order to become an architect? Welcome to Episode 171: The IQ of an Architect

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Today Andrew and I are going to be talking about intelligence quotient and architects. This was a topic that I tackled with the 3^rd blog post I ever wrote (titled IQ’s and Jobs), and for years, it was a foundational blog post in the development of my website because so many people read that article. I just checked and it currently has 92 comments, and almost amusingly, there are some angry people out there and they are vocalizing their discontent.

When I was younger, probably between the ages of 8 and 12, I bet I took 20 of them. My mother was a school teacher and all of her schoolteacher friends Would use me and my sisters as practice subjects as they were pursuing diagnostician licenses. I am going to confess right now that this is a nerdy episode because there is a lot of data that needs to be presented and digested in order for us to have a fruitful conversation.

The History jump to 8:21

The origins of the IQ test can be traced back to early-20th-century France. In 1904, the French Ministry of Education commissioned psychologist Alfred Binet and his colleague Théodore Simon to develop a method to identify children who required special educational assistance. The result was the first practical intelligence test, known as the Binet-Simon Scale (published in 1905). The French government needed a systematic way to distinguish students whose learning challenges were not being met in the regular classroom. The aim was to provide extra support, not to label them pejoratively or permanently, but to help tailor education to their needs.

Binet and Simon introduced the concept of a “mental age.” The test included a series of tasks grouped by age level (e.g., tasks that an average 7-year-old could handle, an average 8-year-old could handle, etc.). A child’s performance on age-relevant tasks indicated their “mental age”—a reflection of cognitive performance relative to age-based norms.

Memory: Recalling digits or sentences
Problem-Solving: Completing puzzles or analogies
Verbal Skills: Defining words, understanding analogies
Attention & Comprehension: Following instructions, basic reasoning

The tasks grew progressively more complex. If a child could perform the tasks that most 8-year-olds could but not those of a typical 9-year-old, the test would assign that child a “mental age” of 8.

Although Binet did not explicitly define IQ as a single number, the later concept of IQ was directly inspired by the idea of mental age. Psychologist William Stern (1912) introduced the term Intelligenzquotient (Intelligence Quotient) as a ratio.

Not long after Binet and Simon released their scale, Lewis Terman at Stanford University adapted and expanded their test. The resulting Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (first published in 1916) formalized the IQ concept for the English-speaking world and continued to refine “mental age” benchmarks. Terman’s goal was to make Binet’s test more suitable for the American population by adjusting questions, norms, and scoring based on data from U.S. schoolchildren. He also introduced the now-familiar numeric scale with an average (mean) of 100 and a set standard deviation—initially, each standard deviation was 15–16 IQ points.

Terman’s (Circa 1916) Stanford-Binet Categories

Although the exact cutoff points and names varied slightly in different editions, a typical early Terman classification looked like this:

Modern Stanford-Binet (Fifth Edition) uses categories more aligned with contemporary language, for example:

The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales IQ test can be administered from an age of 30 months through adulthood. This test is popular because some clinicians appreciate that you can use this test for a wide spectrum of ages without switching instruments.

There is another way to measure intelligence quotient and that is the Wechsler Intelligence scale which was originally developed in 1939 and there are three versions of this test – each based on a particular age range.

WPPSI (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence), for ages 2½–7
WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children), for ages 6–16
WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale), for ages 16+

This test was broken up into 4 Index Scores:

Verbal Comprehension
Perceptual Reasoning (sometimes called Visual Spatial/Fluid Reasoning in child versions)
Working Memory
Processing Speed

The Wechsler and Stanford-Binet tests both measure intelligence but differ in structure, age coverage, factor organization, and certain administrative details. The Wechsler scales dominate in many clinical settings (with separate versions for preschoolers, children, and adults), while the Stanford-Binet offers a single test covering a wide age range and emphasizes five core factors assessed both verbally and nonverbally. Both are well-respected, thoroughly researched, and yield broadly comparable IQ scores.

Measuring Potential jump to 23:42

So what happens when we look to translate an IQ score into potential? First let’s talk about what an IQ measures:

Cognitive Abilities (g-factor)
IQ tests typically measure a broad cognitive ability which can be understood as general intelligence or the shared component underlying various mental tasks (e.g., problem-solving, reasoning, memory, verbal comprehension). A higher IQ score often reflects stronger performance across these tasks—especially under standardized, controlled conditions.

Academic Aptitude
IQ scores correlate with academic performance and can be helpful in predicting how easily a person might grasp school subjects, especially in the short term. However, motivation, quality of instruction, interest in the subject, and many socioemotional factors also play large roles.

Problem-Solving & Reasoning
People with higher IQ scores often demonstrate stronger abstract reasoning, which can be seen as “raw material” for more advanced or creative problem-solving. This can translate into success in fields that heavily rely on logical thinking, strategy, or conceptual knowledge.

What is Missed? jump to 26:20

Personality Traits & Non-Cognitive Skills
Traits such as perseverance (grit), emotional regulation, resilience, and social skills are crucial for long-term success but are not directly measured by traditional IQ tests. Someone with a moderate IQ but high motivation and self-discipline might outperform someone with a higher IQ but poor work habits.

Environmental Influences
Access to education, socioeconomic status, quality of schooling, health/nutrition, and support systems all profoundly impact academic and career outcomes. IQ tests do not account directly for these environmental factors, even though they can shape how a person’s intelligence is expressed and developed.

Specific Talents or Creativity
IQ tests generally do not measure creativity, artistic skill, leadership capacity, or other domain-specific talents. Creativity, for example, involves divergent thinking and other complex processes that are not always captured by standard IQ test subscales.

Changes Over Time
While IQ is relatively stable past early adolescence, life experiences—like education, training, or sustained intellectual engagement—can still influence cognitive performance to some extent. Neuroplasticity research suggests that certain forms of ongoing learning or structured interventions (e.g., early childhood education, cognitive training) can produce small to moderate changes in measured cognitive ability or related skills.

So how does your IQ score relate to potential?

Predictive Validity
High IQ is statistically associated with greater ease in learning complex material, higher scores on standardized tests, and (on average) better performance in certain careers requiring advanced analytical or problem-solving skills. However, these are broad, population-level correlations. At the individual level, correlations are not guarantees.

Baseline Cognitive Capacity
A higher IQ can be interpreted as a strong cognitive baseline—a sort of “toolkit” that can make it easier for the individual to process new information, think abstractly, and adapt to challenging tasks, but realizing potential also requires motivation, resources, opportunities, and support.

Okay … for this next part, I am going to try and avoid being offensive or condescending which is a tall order for this next bit. Based on the comments in that original post, this part is the prickly bit and also explains why I went to all the trouble of identifying what IQ tests don’t fully capture. Mapping out how linking specific vocations to IQ might be seen outdated since the measure of a person’s IQ isn’t the sole factor in determining potential vocational paths. IQ is only one factor among many – such as motivation, personality, environment, physical abilities, opportunity, socio-economic resources, etc. that influence career success. Individuals with the same IQ can thrive in vastly different careers, and people from every IQ range may succeed in a wide variety of fields. This breakdown is not prescriptive or definitive; it’s simply a general illustration based on common educational or cognitive demands of certain jobs.

Jobs and IQs jump to 33:11

IQ 130 and Above (“Very Superior” or “Gifted”)
Individuals with IQs in this range often demonstrate advanced abstract reasoning, problem-solving, and learning capacity, which can facilitate success in highly complex or academically demanding fields. Possible vocations include:

Research Scientist or Theoretical Physicist
Surgeon or Specialist Physician
University Professor (in highly analytical disciplines)
Attorney (e.g., intellectual property, corporate law)
Software Engineer / Data Scientist (cutting-edge tech roles)

IQ 120–129 (“Superior”)
People in this range tend to handle above-average academic and cognitive demands, often excelling in roles requiring strong reasoning, leadership, and problem-solving. Possible vocations include:

Accountant or Financial Analyst
Engineer (various fields: civil, mechanical, electrical)
High School Teacher / Curriculum Specialist
Project Manager or Mid-Level Manager
Healthcare Professional (e.g., registered nurse, physician assistant)

IQ 110–119 (“High Average”)
Individuals here typically perform well in many roles requiring college-level education, good judgment, and moderate-to-advanced training. Potential vocations might include:

Police Officer / Detective (often requiring good analytical and social skills)
Small Business Owner / Entrepreneur
Graphic Designer or Marketing Professional
Skilled Trades (e.g., electrician, HVAC technician, where technical/problem-solving skills are vital)
Administrative Manager (coordinating teams, handling logistics)

I don’t believe we have to go beyond this so we are going to stay in the range of vocations that typically require college-level education or advanced training.

So where would architects fall on this list? While architecture can encompass a wide range of roles—from highly technical to more artistic and design-focused—it generally requires above-average to superior cognitive abilities. Architecture programs typically involve rigorous university coursework in math, physics (structural principles), design, and spatial reasoning, and require an additional battery of professional licensure exams.

Given the broad demands—logical/analytical thinking, creative problem-solving, and strong visual-spatial skills—an architect’s intellectual demands would likely place them Superior (120–129) IQ range.

Hypothetical jump to 47:03

Today’s question comes as a result of a drawing I posted to the stories section of my Instagram account of a hot dog. You probably wouldn’t be all that surprised by people seem to have a lot of strong opinions how to make a hot dog …

You can only eat your hot dogs in one particular way – and you have to eat hot dogs at least once a week for the rest of your life. How would you prepare it?

In this regard, I also fall into the “there is really only one way to make a hot dog …” but that is for me and my preferences and I don’t really care how you want to eat your hot dog. Unless you use unmelted cheese, tomatoes, or mayonnaise.

And no ketchup once you clear puberty.

An IQ score offers a snapshot of certain cognitive abilities that can be correlated with educational and occupational outcomes. It can serve as an indicator of academic or problem-solving potential under certain conditions. However, potential extends beyond a single score—it is shaped by a combination of intellectual capacity, personal traits (like motivation), environmental resources, and life experiences. Thus, IQ is one measure among many that contribute to a richer, more accurate understanding of an individual’s ultimate capabilities.