Let's get one thing straight right out of the gate: Albert Einstein never actually took a modern IQ test.
It sounds crazy, right? We use his name as the literal shorthand for being a genius. If someone does something smart, we call them "Einstein." If they do something "not so smart," we call them Einstein too, just with a bit more sarcasm. But the truth is, the standardized IQ test Albert Einstein is often associated with didn't even exist in a form he would have sat down for during his most productive years.
Psychology was still a baby when Einstein was busy rewriting the laws of the universe. The Binet-Simon scale, the precursor to what we now call the IQ test, was originally designed to identify children in France who needed extra help in school. It wasn't meant to rank theoretical physicists.
The Myth of the 160 Score
You've probably seen the number "160" floating around the internet. People love to claim that was his score. It's a clean, impressive number. It’s high enough to be legendary but low enough to feel vaguely "real."
Honestly, it’s a total guess.
Historians and psychologists have spent decades trying to estimate his intelligence post-mortem. They look at his letters, his speed of learning, and his ability to visualize complex spatial problems—like imagining yourself riding a beam of light. While some experts, like those at the World Genius Directory, might estimate him in that 160 to 190 range, it’s all purely speculative. We don't have a piece of paper from a proctor with his name on it.
Why We Are Obsessed with the Einstein IQ Test Concept
Humans love labels. We want to quantify everything because numbers make us feel like we understand the world. By putting a number on Einstein, we create a benchmark for what "peak human" looks like.
But Einstein himself would have probably hated the idea. He was famously more interested in curiosity than raw data. He once said that imagination is more important than knowledge. If you spend your whole life focusing on a test score, you're missing the point of how his brain actually worked.
Think about it. He didn't just "calculate" the theory of relativity. He dreamed it up. He used thought experiments. He was a visual thinker who struggled with rote memorization. In fact, there’s a famous story—likely true—about him failing to remember his own phone number because he didn't want to clutter his mind with information he could just look up in a book.
The Difference Between High IQ and Genius
There's a massive gap between being "smart" and being a "genius."
An IQ test measures specific cognitive abilities:
- Spatial awareness.
- Mathematical reasoning.
- Language proficiency.
- Processing speed.
You can have a 145 IQ and still be a boring person who never contributes a new idea to the world. Einstein’s genius was his non-conformity. He wasn't just fast at solving puzzles; he was asking why the puzzles existed in the first place. This is why the search for a definitive IQ test Albert Einstein result is somewhat of a fool's errand. It measures the engine, but not the direction the car is driving.
What Real Science Says About Einstein’s Brain
Since we don’t have a test score, we have the next best (or creepier) thing: his actual brain.
After he died in 1955, a pathologist named Thomas Harvey performed an unauthorized autopsy and took Einstein's brain home in a jar. For decades, researchers studied slices of it. What they found was fascinating. Einstein’s brain wasn't huge. In fact, it was slightly smaller than average.
However, his parietal lobes—the parts of the brain responsible for spatial and mathematical thinking—were about 15% wider than normal. He also lacked a specific groove called the Sylvian fissure. This meant his neurons could communicate much faster across certain regions.
So, while he might not have "scored" a 160 on a Saturday morning test in a gymnasium, his physical hardware was literally wired for physics.
The "Einstein Failed Math" Lie
We’ve all heard it. Your teacher probably told you this to make you feel better about a C minus. "Even Einstein failed math!"
He didn't.
By age 15, he had mastered differential and integral calculus. The myth started because when he was in school in Switzerland, the grading system was flipped. A "6" became the highest grade instead of a "1." When people looked back at his report cards, they saw 1s and assumed he was failing. He was actually at the top of his class.
This brings us back to the IQ test Albert Einstein debate. Even without a formal test, his academic performance in the subjects he cared about was stratospheric.
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Can You Take an Einstein-Level IQ Test Today?
If you're looking to see how you stack up, you can take tests that use the same metrics researchers use to estimate historical figures. Tests like the Stanford-Binet or the Mensa entrance exam are the gold standard.
But keep in mind that these tests are culturally biased and often favor people who have had a specific type of Western education. They don't measure creativity, grit, or emotional intelligence (EQ).
How to Actually Think Like Einstein
If you want to move beyond the number, focus on his methods. He used "Gedankenexperiments" or thought experiments.
- Ask "What if?" relentlessly.
- Simplify. If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it.
- Ignore the status quo. Everyone "knew" time was absolute until Einstein decided it wasn't.
Actionable Steps for Cognitive Growth
If you're obsessed with your own "Einstein score," stop looking at online quizzes that tell you you're a genius after five questions. Those are just data-mining traps. Instead, do these things to actually sharpen your brain:
- Dual N-Back Training: This is one of the few scientifically backed ways to potentially increase your working memory and fluid intelligence.
- Learn a New Language or Instrument: This creates "cognitive reserve" and forces your brain to build new neural pathways, much like Einstein's violin playing helped him process physics problems.
- Deep Work: Einstein spent hours in silence. Turn off your notifications.
- Read Primary Sources: Don't just read about Einstein; read his 1905 papers. They are surprisingly readable if you take your time.
The search for the IQ test Albert Einstein took is a search for a ghost. He didn't need a score to validate his existence, and honestly, neither do you. The most "Einstein" thing you can do is stop worrying about the metric and start wondering about the mystery of the world around you.
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To get started, skip the 10-minute online IQ scam. Pick up a book on a subject you know absolutely nothing about—quantum mechanics, ancient history, or botany—and try to find the connection between that topic and your own life. That’s where real intelligence lives.