I find it interesting how people rate their intelligence and dexterity. I think people are too confident about there own abilities.
I understand why a few posters have made similar statements. And clearly some overestimation can tend to exist where self evaluations are concerned. Yet, I've also met enough people who have really underestimated themselves.
What if a person with true INT 17 presented himself on this thread, and he claimed to be probably INT 17. Would your general statement "I think people are too confident about their own abilities", really apply to him/her?
@Majoca - I agree. In my case I am an academic/teacher of sorts so i'd like to think I have in the least above average intelligence/wisdom, but I am well aware of my intellectual limits. I consider myself dexterous due to the large amount of sport I play (football/soccer, Skateboarding) as well as 7 years of chinese kickboxing. Regardless of this, I consider myself very unhealthy at the moment - stamina wise. I definitely need to quit smoking. I can't run 1 to 2 miles miles without keeling over... terrible I know!
Thing is there is no full explanation/definition of intelligence, it must take into consideration of many things about the mind. What is this "true intelligence" statistic you mention? How can it be rated 17? and how good is 17? without a really solid definition people are rating there intelligence based on trivial things or think that what they do requires a reasonable intelligence, A lot of people post they have 14-17 intelligence how can they know or estimate there intelligence?
Is intelligence static as in stays the same throughout your whole life? surely it can become better as we get older or practice and continue to be curious. What I find interesting is that intelligence must be highly regarded as an attribute, people want it to be higher than it probably is, does being more intelligent make you superior to others?
The only way you can really know you have a good intelligence is from what you do. But even then anyone with patience, the will and passion and practice can eventually learn a vast amount of information and know how to become educated in a skill and people view different things as intelligent.
I think highly regarded universities favour students with multilingual skills, I heard (this is what I have been told) the amount of languages you can speak fluently and how easy you learn languages is a good or reasonable way to know if someone is quite intelligent.
I do realise that this is all just fun and games though :P If I was to really honestly rate my intelligence I would want to say 11, but even then saying I am slightly above average by one point is probably me overestimating.
What an interesting set of things you have done, what do you teach? I don't think I can run a mile but If I really want to endure something I can really push my body to the limits, I love endurance, I am no way built fit though its strange haha, I think problem with training for me is the boredom I feel, I wish I could find something that interests me to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
@Majoca - History and archaeology for the most part. I was an English foreign language teacher for a little while. I'm not the greatest at maths. I haven't touched an equation for 10 years!
I'm a bit of a jack of all trades so I'd begrudgingly most likely be a bard if I had a class. Being good at history etc, would probably explain the 'lore' part. I'd prefer a dual-wielding assassin dual class fighter, but that probably wouldn't happen! I get bored relatively easy. :-O
@lunar, That easydamus test does your level purely by your age. Also, it is using third edition rules, where there are no racial class restrictions. I believe it does your race by high scores on certain personality poles, such as being outdoor-loving for elves, stoic and practical for dwarves, and stuff like that. I even remember some questions about height - since I said I'm tall, it made me human.
It calls you a bard when you give answers indicating you like music, entertaining, telling stories, being the life of the party, and stuff like that. At least I think that's what I remember - it's been a long time since I took the test.
It's fun, but the results have to be taken with a grain of salt.
@belgarathmth Okay, I've understood that much too, thanks. :-) still it is a fun test. My second highest scores were lawful good human wizard I think that suits me a bit better. ^_^
On the definition of intelligence - it definitely has components to it. One relates to memory capacity, and another relates to problem-solving. I like the way the Graduate Record Examination divides it into analytical, qualitative, and verbal. It also factors into how fast you can learn new skills and information - the faster you are, the more intelligent you are.
Practicing solving problems and memorizing new information might increase it by a point or two, but I think there is a strong biologically determined component to it as well.
One reason I like the Angelfire stat test is that it doesn't let you rate your own intelligence. It actually makes you solve problems to demonstrate it, and it tests two different kinds of intelligence.
Another issue is intelligence as compared to wisdom. There is a lot of confusion and room for differences of opinion here as well. I see wisdom as encompassing common sense, practical know-how, "street smarts", and ability to handle emotions and relationships. Most people are of average intelligence for life, but wisdom increases with life experience.
@belgrarathmth - The way I always think of it: Intelligence = Pythagorus. Wisdom = Socrates.
I asked my philosophy teacher this back in school. He said something along the lines of:
Intelligence governs the speed in which one processes thoughts and the speed in which one may access the memory banks. People with high intelligence usually process reasoning into mathematical logic. Often without even knowing it. When combined with low wisdom, this often results in the 'dopey' genius who often walks into walls whilst pondering certain problems. Intelligent 'yet' oblivious is a good term. (Sheldon Cooper anyone? - Big Bang Theory)
Wisdom governs abstract thought, theoretical methodology and memory retention. People with high wisdom are often a perceptive folk who process reasoning through experience/knowledge. When combined with low intelligence, you may find a careful individual who is street wise. These people may not have done to well at school, but they are no mugs (UK slang for 'easy target').
Whereas an 'intelligent' person may solve the most complicated problems, they may not always use this information wisely. They can be easy targets - often not taking on the fact that they may be walking through a dangerous area. All they were thinking about was the quickest mathematical way to get home.
Whereas a wise person may not be able to comprehend basic/complex equations they often use what they know to a very high standard, or wisely refuse from insinuating their lack of intelligence at all. When they have not experienced something, or read about something, they often do not know how to handle a situation. When this happens they will often rely on their perception and whatever past experiences they have in order to 'get out' of the mess they're in. "My dog ate my homework" kind of thing. Good at making excuses.
When you combine both intelligence and wisdom... well... then you have a very dangerous/incredible individual indeed. It might be worth pointing out that very rarely do you get an individual who has an extremely large gap between the two. For example: 3 intelligence, 18 wisdom.
Strength = 10 Dexterity = 11 Constitutions = 11 I'm not sure how to measure intelligence. There are so many factors that contribute to it. If it's simply one's IQ then my intelligence stat would be around 16, but I don't believe it to be so simple a matter. Same with wisdom; difficult to give it a number. I'll say 12 as that seems an acceptable number for my level of perception and age. Charisma = 11
Let's see, I don't have the stats for a fighter or thief so in the D & D world I would be a mage of sorts. Probably a wild mage whose ability to cast spells depends on the situation.
*You cast dire charm on ogre, but need an emotional intelligence of 15 and so fail. The ogre eats you.*
Despite his rather crude way of having pointed it out, @ZelgadisGW actually had a point by pointing out that 10's the average for a 'normal' human being, and so we shouldn't stray too far from it. Therefore my stats are: Strength: 7 (I'm small, it's hard for me to lift heavy things) Dexterity: 11 (could be higher, but I'm currently out of shape ) Constitution: 12 (I rarely get sick, but I suffer from various allergies and am vulnerable against climate changes) Intelligence: 13 (I made it through high school without any significant problems, but math will always be my eternal enemy) Wisdom: 14 (I am a realist, am usually clear in my wordings, have clear opinions and know how to give suitable advice to people in most cases) Charisma: 14 (I am not extraordinarily beautiful and I'm more of a follower than a leader, but when the situation calls for it, I think I could be a bit of a leader, as I know very well what I want) So, I think this is about average? I don't know which class would suit me, though...
Essentially my stats could be represented as: STR ∞ DEX ∞ CON ∞ INT ∞ WIS ∞ CHA ∞ Though that's far from accurate, since infinity has its limits, whilst I can choose not to.
As a sidenote, I must say I find it very amusing how people exaggerate the stats of popular celebrities.
Str: 13, I work in a warehouse so I keep to lifting all night Dex: 6, I'm a klutz. Con: 9, I get headaches frequently, not exactly healthy material Int: 12, I can be pretty intelligent when the time calls for it Wis: 13, I have VERY good retention on things I learn, plus I'm a thinker. Cha: 15, because I'm known as very charming to my friends, I can talk anyone into anything. Plus I'm cute
Str: 9 - I gave up lifting entirely for endurance running after high school. Dex: 13 - The speediness of my hands is well-above average with a typing speed of 224 words per minute without errors. Con: 11 - While I run for endurance it is certainly nothing to brag about. Also, I damaged by lungs by smoking for 4-6 months my senior year in high school. I did not receive smoker's lung and it was not for a lengthy period of my life but I still think those Marlboros did something. Int: 9 - Colleagues often mistake me for being a genius due to my copious quantity of knowledge (though that toke a while to acquire) and my memory retention (though memory retention is actually dictated by wisdom). I actually believe the rate for me to process reasoning into mathematical logic is slightly below average like with my academics. Wis: 14 - I excel with abstract thinking, theoretical methodology, and I have a high memory retention. My willpower has been described as phenomenal. My wisdom score is high as I am perceptive of my life surroundings, people look to me for my wisdom and I am very street wise. Additionally, I'm a very cautious individual who certainly is not a mug. Cha: 12 - My charisma is a true oxymoron; I was blessed by the gods with good looks and a strong force of personality easily witnessed. But I am also a reserved introvert.
Str: 11- only on account of the Large creature size bounus Dex: 8- I constantly bump, and crash into things. The drawback of being a large creature Con: 15- The last time I got sick enough to stay home was when I was 8, and I recovered from a minor surgery in less than a day. Int: 12- I'm smart and learn things easily but, I hate studying Wis: 11- I'm relatively clever, yet miss the obvious a lot Cha: 9- Why, because I'm an ugly son of a gun that only gets along with other social rejects.
Con: 11 - While I run for endurance it is certainly nothing to brag about. Also, I damaged by lungs by smoking for 4-6 months my senior year in high school. I did not receive smoker's lung and it was not for a lengthy period of my life but I still think those Marlboros did something.
The chance of a high school senior developing "smokers' lung" after smoking for 4 to 6 months is virtually nil, unless you have a CON of 3. After you quit smoking your lungs eventually heal, unless you've been a lifetime heavy smoker (and even they can recover significantly).
The sum of my stats is 69. No need to re-roll, just subtracted points from the initial roll. Off course, as in real life, my D&D avatar must be played with no reloads
It's hard to rank yourself, since everyone thinks they're smarter and more attractive than they ever actually are...
THAT SAID!
STR - 13
I am 6' 180lbs of solid muscle on a large frame. I've been a scrapper my whole life and have quite a bit of fighting experience, both on the winning and very painful losing end.
DEX - 12
I'm fairly agile, but compared to my brother who can do a standing back flip I'm nothing. I've worn metal armour in the past and could easily see myself maintaining a +1 modifier in it.
CON - 11
I always catch the yearly cold and flu first out of everyone I know, but have only ever been knocked on my ass once because of it. I can really take a punch so my base HD must be pretty darn high. I've never broken a bone or torn a ligament, but I have some old ankle and shoulder injuries from playing Rugby that can catch me off guard.
INT - 15
I attended the best University in my country, play competitive card games which require a lot of fast number crunching and memorization, and read at least three full newpapers a day keeping me well informed on current events. I helped my sister-in-law study for her LSATs and did just as well as she did on all the practice exams. I also study physics for fun, because it IS fun, damnit!
WIS - 6
I ALWAYS have to go to the school of hard knocks to learn my lessons. This may be too low, since I'm a pretty insightful person, but its my weakest area for sure.
CHA - 17
I'm very charismatic and very attractive. I've been elected to student unions and have worked in some form of customer relations role in almost every job I've had. I've wanted to run for parliament my whole life and have been told by members of my local riding association that I could probably win a nomination in a few years once I've established myself. I know I could never win, though, since I'M NOT RICH ENOUGH!!!
I just, for fun and because of boredom, took the same test as @gunman I got:
Str: 11 (seems legit) Int: 13 (I don't think I am that smart) Wis: 12 (I've always thought that in DnD standard, I'm more "wise" than intelligent. Dex: 10 (nothing special, just as I predicted) Con: 8 (today's jogging session just comfirmed it) Chr: 9 (I hate looking in the mirror, so it seems legit too).
Total stats: 63. Pretty weak.
Of course, it's just a test made for fun, and I'm pretty sure the author had no opportunity or resources to do any studies for norms regarding this test.
Comments
What if a person with true INT 17 presented himself on this thread, and he claimed to be probably INT 17.
Would your general statement "I think people are too confident about their own abilities", really apply to him/her?
Thing is there is no full explanation/definition of intelligence, it must take into consideration of many things about the mind. What is this "true intelligence" statistic you mention? How can it be rated 17? and how good is 17? without a really solid definition people are rating there intelligence based on trivial things or think that what they do requires a reasonable intelligence, A lot of people post they have 14-17 intelligence how can they know or estimate there intelligence?
Is intelligence static as in stays the same throughout your whole life? surely it can become better as we get older or practice and continue to be curious. What I find interesting is that intelligence must be highly regarded as an attribute, people want it to be higher than it probably is, does being more intelligent make you superior to others?
The only way you can really know you have a good intelligence is from what you do. But even then anyone with patience, the will and passion and practice can eventually learn a vast amount of information and know how to become educated in a skill and people view different things as intelligent.
I think highly regarded universities favour students with multilingual skills, I heard (this is what I have been told) the amount of languages you can speak fluently and how easy you learn languages is a good or reasonable way to know if someone is quite intelligent.
I do realise that this is all just fun and games though :P If I was to really honestly rate my intelligence I would want to say 11, but even then saying I am slightly above average by one point is probably me overestimating.
What an interesting set of things you have done, what do you teach? I don't think I can run a mile but If I really want to endure something I can really push my body to the limits, I love endurance, I am no way built fit though its strange haha, I think problem with training for me is the boredom I feel, I wish I could find something that interests me to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
I'm a bit of a jack of all trades so I'd begrudgingly most likely be a bard if I had a class. Being good at history etc, would probably explain the 'lore' part. I'd prefer a dual-wielding assassin dual class fighter, but that probably wouldn't happen! I get bored relatively easy. :-O
It calls you a bard when you give answers indicating you like music, entertaining, telling stories, being the life of the party, and stuff like that. At least I think that's what I remember - it's been a long time since I took the test.
It's fun, but the results have to be taken with a grain of salt.
Practicing solving problems and memorizing new information might increase it by a point or two, but I think there is a strong biologically determined component to it as well.
One reason I like the Angelfire stat test is that it doesn't let you rate your own intelligence. It actually makes you solve problems to demonstrate it, and it tests two different kinds of intelligence.
Another issue is intelligence as compared to wisdom. There is a lot of confusion and room for differences of opinion here as well. I see wisdom as encompassing common sense, practical know-how, "street smarts", and ability to handle emotions and relationships. Most people are of average intelligence for life, but wisdom increases with life experience.
I asked my philosophy teacher this back in school. He said something along the lines of:
Intelligence governs the speed in which one processes thoughts and the speed in which one may access the memory banks. People with high intelligence usually process reasoning into mathematical logic. Often without even knowing it. When combined with low wisdom, this often results in the 'dopey' genius who often walks into walls whilst pondering certain problems. Intelligent 'yet' oblivious is a good term. (Sheldon Cooper anyone? - Big Bang Theory)
Wisdom governs abstract thought, theoretical methodology and memory retention. People with high wisdom are often a perceptive folk who process reasoning through experience/knowledge. When combined with low intelligence, you may find a careful individual who is street wise. These people may not have done to well at school, but they are no mugs (UK slang for 'easy target').
Whereas an 'intelligent' person may solve the most complicated problems, they may not always use this information wisely. They can be easy targets - often not taking on the fact that they may be walking through a dangerous area. All they were thinking about was the quickest mathematical way to get home.
Whereas a wise person may not be able to comprehend basic/complex equations they often use what they know to a very high standard, or wisely refuse from insinuating their lack of intelligence at all. When they have not experienced something, or read about something, they often do not know how to handle a situation. When this happens they will often rely on their perception and whatever past experiences they have in order to 'get out' of the mess they're in. "My dog ate my homework" kind of thing. Good at making excuses.
When you combine both intelligence and wisdom... well... then you have a very dangerous/incredible individual indeed. It might be worth pointing out that very rarely do you get an individual who has an extremely large gap between the two. For example: 3 intelligence, 18 wisdom.
Dexterity = 11
Constitutions = 11
I'm not sure how to measure intelligence. There are so many factors that contribute to it. If it's simply one's IQ then my intelligence stat would be around 16, but I don't believe it to be so simple a matter.
Same with wisdom; difficult to give it a number. I'll say 12 as that seems an acceptable number for my level of perception and age.
Charisma = 11
Let's see, I don't have the stats for a fighter or thief so in the D & D world I would be a mage of sorts. Probably a wild mage whose ability to cast spells depends on the situation.
*You cast dire charm on ogre, but need an emotional intelligence of 15 and so fail. The ogre eats you.*
Strength: 7 (I'm small, it's hard for me to lift heavy things)
Dexterity: 11 (could be higher, but I'm currently out of shape
Constitution: 12 (I rarely get sick, but I suffer from various allergies and am vulnerable against climate changes)
Intelligence: 13 (I made it through high school without any significant problems, but math will always be my eternal enemy)
Wisdom: 14 (I am a realist, am usually clear in my wordings, have clear opinions and know how to give suitable advice to people in most cases)
Charisma: 14 (I am not extraordinarily beautiful and I'm more of a follower than a leader, but when the situation calls for it, I think I could be a bit of a leader, as I know very well what I want) So, I think this is about average? I don't know which class would suit me, though...
STR ∞
DEX ∞
CON ∞
INT ∞
WIS ∞
CHA ∞
Though that's far from accurate, since infinity has its limits, whilst I can choose not to.
As a sidenote, I must say I find it very amusing how people exaggerate the stats of popular celebrities.
Dex: 6, I'm a klutz.
Con: 9, I get headaches frequently, not exactly healthy material
Int: 12, I can be pretty intelligent when the time calls for it
Wis: 13, I have VERY good retention on things I learn, plus I'm a thinker.
Cha: 15, because I'm known as very charming to my friends, I can talk anyone into anything. Plus I'm cute
Dex: 13 - The speediness of my hands is well-above average with a typing speed of 224 words per minute without errors.
Con: 11 - While I run for endurance it is certainly nothing to brag about. Also, I damaged by lungs by smoking for 4-6 months my senior year in high school. I did not receive smoker's lung and it was not for a lengthy period of my life but I still think those Marlboros did something.
Int: 9 - Colleagues often mistake me for being a genius due to my copious quantity of knowledge (though that toke a while to acquire) and my memory retention (though memory retention is actually dictated by wisdom). I actually believe the rate for me to process reasoning into mathematical logic is slightly below average like with my academics.
Wis: 14 - I excel with abstract thinking, theoretical methodology, and I have a high memory retention. My willpower has been described as phenomenal. My wisdom score is high as I am perceptive of my life surroundings, people look to me for my wisdom and I am very street wise. Additionally, I'm a very cautious individual who certainly is not a mug.
Cha: 12 - My charisma is a true oxymoron; I was blessed by the gods with good looks and a strong force of personality easily witnessed. But I am also a reserved introvert.
Dex: 8- I constantly bump, and crash into things. The drawback of being a large creature
Con: 15- The last time I got sick enough to stay home was when I was 8, and I recovered from a minor surgery in less than a day.
Int: 12- I'm smart and learn things easily but, I hate studying
Wis: 11- I'm relatively clever, yet miss the obvious a lot
Cha: 9- Why, because I'm an ugly son of a gun that only gets along with other social rejects.
Today my stats are all 20s.
The sum of my stats is 69. No need to re-roll, just subtracted points from the initial roll. Off course, as in real life, my D&D avatar must be played with no reloads
THAT SAID!
STR - 13
I am 6' 180lbs of solid muscle on a large frame. I've been a scrapper my whole life and have quite a bit of fighting experience, both on the winning and very painful losing end.
DEX - 12
I'm fairly agile, but compared to my brother who can do a standing back flip I'm nothing. I've worn metal armour in the past and could easily see myself maintaining a +1 modifier in it.
CON - 11
I always catch the yearly cold and flu first out of everyone I know, but have only ever been knocked on my ass once because of it. I can really take a punch so my base HD must be pretty darn high. I've never broken a bone or torn a ligament, but I have some old ankle and shoulder injuries from playing Rugby that can catch me off guard.
INT - 15
I attended the best University in my country, play competitive card games which require a lot of fast number crunching and memorization, and read at least three full newpapers a day keeping me well informed on current events. I helped my sister-in-law study for her LSATs and did just as well as she did on all the practice exams. I also study physics for fun, because it IS fun, damnit!
WIS - 6
I ALWAYS have to go to the school of hard knocks to learn my lessons. This may be too low, since I'm a pretty insightful person, but its my weakest area for sure.
CHA - 17
I'm very charismatic and very attractive. I've been elected to student unions and have worked in some form of customer relations role in almost every job I've had. I've wanted to run for parliament my whole life and have been told by members of my local riding association that I could probably win a nomination in a few years once I've established myself. I know I could never win, though, since I'M NOT RICH ENOUGH!!!
I got:
Str: 11 (seems legit)
Int: 13 (I don't think I am that smart)
Wis: 12 (I've always thought that in DnD standard, I'm more "wise" than intelligent.
Dex: 10 (nothing special, just as I predicted)
Con: 8 (today's jogging session just comfirmed it)
Chr: 9 (I hate looking in the mirror, so it seems legit too).
Total stats: 63. Pretty weak.
Of course, it's just a test made for fun, and I'm pretty sure the author had no opportunity or resources to do any studies for norms regarding this test.