CFNSE

Culture Fair Numerical & Spatial Exam


Q: I did not receive a good score. What does this mean?

A: Actually it only means that you simply scored low on the CFNSE. One of the most intellectually demanding tasks to accomplish in modern society is to acquire a PhD. The average IQ of a person holding a PhD is around 125 (SD=15), that is the 95th percentile. This is below the “floor” of the CFNSE. This means is that even if you have scored a "0" on the CFNSE you still have the potential to complete intellectually challenging tasks!




Q: Is the CFNSE a valid and PhD certified IQ-test?

A: The CFNSE is not a regular IQ test. It does not aim to measure IQ’s in the intervals of regular, supervised, IQ-tests. The aim of the CFNSE is to measure intelligence above this range. Most supervised tests have ceilings around the 98th percentile (Measured in IQ this is roughly 130 ; SD=15). The CFNSE scoring scale starts from this level and moves up towards the higher ranges of intelligence. There are no official "standards" for high-range tests.




Q: Is it possible to access the norms for previous versions of the CFNSE?

A: Yes, it is possible to access the norms for all previous versions of the CFNSE that were in a multiple-choice format. The links to the previous CFNSE norms, in PDF-format, can be found here: Version-C, Version-D, Final Version.




Q: My math skills are not that impressive. Will not this be a disadvantage for me when taking the numerical section of your test?

A: Knowledge about simple mathematic operations is all that is needed in order to solve the mathematical part of the numerical items. The requirement is basically the knowledge required to function in modern society, just simple arithmetic.




Q: I received my score report, but three different percentiles were reported. Which of these scores is closest to “regular” IQ?

A: The age corrected percentile is, when converted, the one closest to “regular” IQ.




Q: I got a good score on the CFNSE! Does this mean that I’ll be successful in life?

A: Maybe, there is much more to real-life success than high intelligence. However, scoring high on the CFNSE means that you probably don’t have any “mental bottlenecks”.




Q: Would you recommend that I use my CFNSE score in a psychological context?

A: No, the CFNSE is not to be confused with a regular, supervised, IQ-test. Supervised IQ-tests are meant to be used exactly for this purpose. Therefore you should take a regular IQ-test if you need a valid document that can be used in a psychological context.




Q: Since IQ’s are calculated according to national standards, reported IQ scores will differ slightly with the nationality of testees. Is this variation compensated for?

A: Yes, all reported scores are converted to apply to national IQ standards in England.




Q: I scored a “0” on the CFNSE. This does not give me much information about my level of intelligence. What should I do in order to find out what my IQ is?

A: Since you scored rather low on the CFNSE your IQ is probably not in the High-Range. Therefore the best measure of your IQ can be obtained by taking a supervised test.




Q: I'm a member of Mensa and I still scored "0" on the CFNSE. Does this mean I was lucky when I "passed" the test Mensa administered?

A: The minimum requirement for joining Mensa is actually slightly below than the "floor" of the CFNSE. With regard to this, and other factors like error of measurement, it is natural that roughly 20% of all Mensa members will score "0" on the CFNSE.




Q: I have a score on a previous version of the CFNSE. Is this score still valid for admission to IQ-societies?

A: Yes, some IQ-societies accept previous versions of the CFNSE for admission, but not the current self scoring version.




Q: How can I, for example as a membership officer of a high-IQ society, verify that a CFNSE score report from an applicant is genuine?

A: Send the report to the CFNSE administrator. Within a few days you will receive a message that indicates if the reported score is authentic or not.




Q: Requiring people to perform higher than the 98th percentile is a bit too ambitious, is it not? Why don’t you redesign the scoring scale so that lower IQ’s can also be reported?

A: The CFNSE was not designed to interfere with regular psychometric testing designed for the "Low/Normal-range", that is the interval between the 0th and 98th percentile. The "High-range" starts at the 98th percentile.




Q: I scored an almost perfect score on the CFNSE! Does this mean that I can achieve a ceiling score on a standardized test?

A: If the test is Culture-Fair then you will probably score very high. For example the CFNSE shows very strong correlation (r=0,9) with well known standardized tests like the APM (Raven), CFT20 (Cattell) and FRT (Daniels). Test takers that have taken these tests scored at a similar level on the CFNSE.




Q: It is commonly known that tests lose their accuracy as the raw scores approach the ceiling of the test in question. Would this not mean that the top scores are in fact very unreliable due to this fact?

A: No, in order to get a perfect score (balanced score of 10) you don’t have to answer every item correctly.




Q: How are raw scores converted to balanced scores?

A: The balanced score is your raw score minus 12. The maximum reported balanced score is 10, that means you can answer a total of 2 items incorrectly and still achieve a maximum score.




Q: Is the conversion system for raw to balanced scores the same as for previous versions of the CFNSE?

A: No, this version of the test uses a simplified scoring system.




Q: Is it not a bit unethical to provide people with IQ scores on a test that is not a standardized psychometric instrument? Is it even possible to measure what psychologists define as IQ’s at the extreme levels that the CFNSE operates at?

A: The CFNSE is, as stated earlier, not a regular IQ-test, therefore scores are not reported as IQ’s. The score report indicates how many percent of the general population was outscored by the testee in question. So scores on the CFNSE are not given as IQ’s.




Q: Can you provide me with an explanation of the logic behind the items on the test?

A: No, this has prooven to be very time consuming. Therefore this information is not provided.




Q: What should I do if I can’t find an answer to my question on this page?

A: E-mail the CFNSE administrator. You will receive a reply within a few days.


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