Hi everyone, I (25 yrs, half-White-half-Hispanic male) just finished the Full IQ Test. I’m happy with my results: 127, wherein I’m strongest in fluid reasoning (97th percentile) and weakest in working memory (70th). I’m very surprised by my verbal reasoning scores, though. I scored 99.8th in vocabulary, 96.5th in information… and then 24th percentile in analogies! By far my lowest subtest score. I don’t know if I have a specific question per se. I almost wish I could retake the subtest, haha. But I’m curious what this says about my cognitive ability. What, if anything, are the real-world implications of low “analogy ability?” Is it localized within a specific region of the brain? How common is it to bomb on one specific subtest compared to the rest of the exam? If anyone has any interesting insights, comments, or reading material, I’d appreciate it.
Your analogies dip might just mean you’re slower at spotting verbal patterns on the spot, but with killer vocab and info, you’ll crush knowledge-based stuff. Real world relation? Could make metaphors or quick witted debates tougher, but easy to work around. Super common to tank one subtest. Happens to like 35% of folks.
Wait, how is it possible to score 99.8th percentile in vocabulary but only 24th in analogies? Aren’t both testing the same verbal ability? What’s the actual difference between what these subtests measure?
The implications in real-world are likely minimal. You’re clearly articulate, knowledgeable, and excel at fluid reasoning, and most everyday problem-solving doesn’t look like timed analogy questions where you’re holding multiple relationships in mind at once. This just tells us you’re human with a nuanced cognitive profile, not that you have a deficit. If you’re noticing real struggles with making conceptual connections in daily life, that might be worth exploring further, but from what you’ve shared, this sounds like normal test variability rather than something concerning. Try not to let one subtest overshadow what’s clearly a strong overall performance.
Given your half-Hispanic background, maybe we can take a look at the potential impact of language and cultural exposure on analogy performance. Verbal analogies often depend on exposure to specific vocabulary, idioms, and cultural knowledge that facilitate the rapid connection between concepts. While your Vocabulary score is excellent, a slight difference in your primary language exposure growing up (even minor code-switching or early bilingualism) can sometimes specifically impair the speed and accuracy required for analogy problems, even when fluency is high. Did you feel any of the analogies used unfamiliar or highly esoteric vocabulary?
Variability in individual subtest scores is the rule – not the exception. It is VERY rare for someone to have all of their subtests scores be similar.
Moreover, the higher the IQ of a person or sample, the more variability we tend to find. So, someone with an IQ of 127 who a subtest or two that’s below average is pretty typical.
Verbal analogies measure a combination of verbal knowledge (vocabulary mostly) and reasoning. It’s not localized in one part of the brain (most verbal abilities aren’t, though there are exceptions). It’s useful for pulling inferences from written text and understanding relationships among words and verbal ideas. It’s a good ability, but you can be a perfectly successful person with a below-average verbal analogy score and high scores in everything else.