Can You Improve Your IQ? An Evidence-Based Answer
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Quick answer
This is one of the most over-hyped questions in popular psychology. The honest, evidence-based answer is nuanced: you can almost certainly improve how you perform on a given test, and some life factors genuinely shift measured ability — but the dramatic 'raise your IQ 20 points with this app' claims don't hold up. Here's what the research actually supports, what's marketing, and what's worth your time.
Two questions hiding inside one
"Can you improve your IQ?" actually bundles two different questions. The first is: can you score higher on an IQ test? Often yes — through practice, familiarity and better test-day conditions. The second is: can you raise your underlying general reasoning ability (the thing the test is trying to estimate)? That's much harder, and the evidence for large, lasting gains is weak. Most hype blurs these two together, selling test-score gains as if they were genuine increases in intelligence.
The key distinction
A higher test score after practice doesn't necessarily mean you got smarter — it can simply mean the test got easier for you. Real ability gains have to show up beyond the specific tasks you trained on.
Practice effects: real but limited
Take a similar test twice and you'll usually score higher the second time. This 'practice effect' is well documented and is exactly why proper assessments use alternate forms and why repeat scores are interpreted cautiously. It's a real phenomenon — but it's a one-time familiarity boost on that kind of test, not a permanent rise in ability. If you train hard on matrix puzzles, you'll get notably better at matrix puzzles; that improvement largely stays inside the format you practised.
Brain training: what the evidence shows
Commercial brain-training has been studied a lot, and the consistent finding is sobering: people reliably improve at the trained tasks, but those gains usually fail to transfer to broad cognitive ability or everyday function. Working-memory training, for example, makes people better at working-memory exercises without dependably raising general intelligence. The pattern across the literature is 'near transfer, little far transfer'.
Read the claims carefully
Several brain-training companies have faced regulatory action over exaggerated claims about boosting intelligence. Improving at an app's games is genuine; the leap to 'this raised my IQ' is where the evidence runs out.
What genuinely seems to help
Some factors do have credible evidence behind them, especially when applied over the long term and early in life:
| Factor | What the evidence suggests |
|---|---|
| More years of education | One of the most robust influences — additional schooling is associated with measurable gains on cognitive tests. |
| Early-childhood environment | Stimulating, supportive environments matter most while the brain is developing rapidly. |
| Health and nutrition | Severe deficiencies depress cognitive performance; correcting them helps, but mega-dosing a healthy person doesn't add points. |
| Sleep, exercise and mental health | Support the conditions for thinking well and performing at your true level; not a magic IQ boost. |
| Avoiding harm | Reducing exposure to toxins (e.g. lead) and managing chronic stress protects cognitive function. |
Hype vs. reality
A simple filter helps you judge any 'raise your IQ' claim:
- Be skeptical of large, fast gains. Real cognitive change is gradual and modest, not '+20 points in a week'.
- Watch for transfer. Ask whether benefits show up beyond the exact task being trained — if not, it's task practice.
- Distinguish performance from ability. Better test conditions and familiarity raise scores without raising intelligence.
- Prefer broad, healthy habits over gimmicks. Education, sleep, exercise and a stimulating life beat any single 'brain pill' or app.
You can sharpen how you perform and protect the ability you have — but there's no shortcut that reliably turns an average score into a genius one.— Summary of the current evidence
Frequently asked questions
Can you actually increase your IQ?+
You can reliably improve how you perform on a test through practice and better conditions, and factors like education and a healthy environment can genuinely shift measured ability — especially early in life. But large, fast increases in underlying general intelligence aren't supported by the evidence.
Do brain-training apps raise your IQ?+
Mostly no. Research consistently shows people get better at the specific games they train on, but those gains rarely transfer to broad cognitive ability. Some brain-training companies have even faced regulatory action over exaggerated intelligence claims.
What actually helps improve cognitive ability?+
The strongest evidence points to more years of education, a stimulating early-childhood environment, good health and nutrition, and adequate sleep, exercise and mental health. These mostly support or protect your ability rather than dramatically inflating it.
Why did my IQ score go up after practising?+
That's the practice effect — taking a similar test again makes the format familiar, so you score higher without your underlying ability changing. It's a real, well-documented one-time boost, which is why proper assessments use alternate forms and interpret repeat scores cautiously.
Sources
This guide draws on standard psychometric references and peer-reviewed research:
- 1.Jaeggi, S. M., et al. (2008). “Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory.” PNAS, 105(19).
- 2.Redick, T. S., et al. (2013). “No evidence of intelligence improvement after working memory training.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 142(2).
- 3.Flynn, J. R. (2007). What Is Intelligence? Beyond the Flynn Effect. Cambridge University Press.
- 4.Deary, I. J. (2020). Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Sources are provided for further reading. Organization links point to official sites; academic works are cited in full. See our research standards and editorial team.
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