Test Australia: The National IQ Test
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Founded | August 6, 2002 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Key people | Eddie McGuire, Catriona Rowntree, Professor Con Stough |
| Products | IQ testing television program |
Test Australia: The National IQ Test is a television program from Australia that premiered on the Nine Network on 6 August 2002. Presented by Eddie McGuire and Catriona Rowntree, it became the highest-rated Australian TV broadcast of that year. The show enabled viewers to determine their Intelligence quotient (IQ) scores live during the airing, marking Australia's inaugural nationwide IQ testing event. McGuire resumed hosting duties for editions in 2003 and 2010.
Background
The concept for the show was adapted from a similar format originating in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the UK, with broadcasting rights secured by Nine Network. To create a multiple-choice IQ test suitable for adults participating simultaneously via television and online platforms, Professor Con Stough was commissioned and completed the task within three months. Stough agreed to participate under specific conditions, including disclaimers clarifying that IQ results offer limited insight into overall success, highlighting the importance of other elements such as motivation and creativity, while also acknowledging factors like anxiety and cultural influences.
Content and participation
This three-hour broadcast featured hosts Eddie McGuire and Catriona Rowntree alongside seven distinct studio groups: blondes, builders, teachers, students, identical twins, Kiwis, and a celebrity panel including Turkan Aksoy, Layne Beachley, Tim Ferguson, Derryn Hinch, John Jarratt, Gina Jeffreys, Sami Lukis, Cindy Pan, Red Symons, and Paul Vautin. Teachers recorded the highest average IQ scores, with celebrities ranking second; among them, Red Symons achieved the top celebrity score of 131. The test consisted of 76 questions divided into six areas: language, spatial reasoning, arithmetic, memory, logical reasoning, and learning ability. Over 43,000 participants registered online during the broadcast, with more than 20,000 submitting their results via mobile text messaging. The data allowed for engaging comparisons such as IQ scores between fans of Aussie rules and Rugby league, both groups averaging an identical score of 110.
Ranking
With an audience of 2.779 million viewers, the program was Australia's most watched television event in 2002. It marked the first non-sporting broadcast to lead the ratings since Seinfeld achieved this in 1998. By 2014, it held the position of No. 35 among Australia's all-time most viewed TV shows.
Later years
Building on its initial popularity, the show returned in the following year attracting 1.6 million viewers. After a seven-year break, it aired again on 9 November 2010 with an audience of approximately one million. The accompanying website encountered technical difficulties due to heavy visitor traffic. A controversy emerged concerning the definition of obsequious, as numerous viewers challenged the program’s description of the term as "nasty" rather than "submissive." Both Nine Network and Twitter received a significant volume of complaints regarding this issue. Host Eddie McGuire later clarified that both interpretations would be accepted. Professor Con Stough, responsible for designing the 2010 test, continued to endorse the original definition provided.