tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post8651286437942041187..comments2024-02-17T04:06:00.805-05:00Comments on Just Not Said: Compel candidates for public office to reveal their SAT scoresJohn Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-34686943445625533122009-06-16T07:44:24.710-04:002009-06-16T07:44:24.710-04:00GD (or Guy, if I maybe so bold)-- Thank you for yo...GD (or Guy, if I maybe so bold)-- Thank you for your comment. I suspect that Churchill's SATs, had he taken them, would have been a lot better than his early grades. Grades are more a function of how much of a grind you are (and Churchill had too much of a wild streak to be a grind), SATS come closer to measuring raw IQ. I'm not familiar with the military academy entrance exam, but I'd guess it's more of an achievement test, the equivalent of, say, a history or physics AT, than it is of an aptitude test like the SAT. Then again, I may be overly swayed by having been to the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum five years ago. That guy had more good lines than any other politician I can think of; it's hard to believe there wasn't a very high IQ behind them.John Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-59016248014712855122009-06-16T07:18:49.993-04:002009-06-16T07:18:49.993-04:00I think Chrchill's early record (school, milit...I think Chrchill's early record (school, military academy entrance exam) suggests that he struggled academically. His later insight, oratory and writing certainly indicates a keen intelligence, but I'm not sure it was a product of "raw IQ". I suspect he would have had uneven and unimpressive SAT scores.<br />GDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-45951853512894468522009-06-14T10:15:02.640-04:002009-06-14T10:15:02.640-04:00Anonymous -- Thank you for your comment. There'...Anonymous -- Thank you for your comment. There's no question that the SAT's are an imperfect IQ test, as I said in the post. But they're still the best indicator we have that practically everyone has taken under the same conditions. <br /><br />As far as Gardner's 7 Areas, most IQ tests don't test interpersonal, musical, intrapersonal, and physical intelligences. I'm not familiar with Gardner, but it sounds like one of those measures cooked up specifically to offset the racially-skewed results of standard IQ tests. (A Michael Jordan would score extremely high on a test of "physical intelligence" even if he didn't do so well on a standard IQ test.) And how exactly would a normal test measure interpersonal "intelligence"? That can only be accurately measured by seeing how well one does interacting with a wide range of people.<br /><br />There's no question that standard intelligence is but one measure of what makes a good politician. Character (especially honesty and incorruptibility), interpersonal skills, the ability to work well with others, and desire for public service are all at least as -- if not more -- important than a standard measure of IQ. But, having said that, intelligence is also relevant, it's not an aspect of a candidacy that should remain hidden. The electorate has the right to a sense of the wattage which will be applied to leading them.John Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-38936411119138502932009-06-14T08:02:09.405-04:002009-06-14T08:02:09.405-04:00The only problem with SAT tests is they don't ...The only problem with SAT tests is they don't account for all areas of intelligence. According to Gardner's 7 Areas of Intelligence, SAT's only test for Mathematical-Logical and Linguistic Intelligence but they fail to recognize a person's Interpersonal, Musical, Intrapersonal, Physical, or Spatial Intelligences. There are plenty of talented, successful, and compelling people who did poorly on their SAT's but still make excellent candidates for both public office and other influential positions. <br /><br />Just to keep things open and transparent... my SAT's are 630 Verbal and 720 Math.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com