Hmm. So if it's that easy to game an IQ test, at least for a 5yo, what does that really mean?
Could the system be similarly gamed for an 8yo? A 14yo?
What does this suggest about the validity of IQ tests for young children?
Brain exercises, mental workouts, practice in critical thinking, challenges in creativity, and physical exercise are said to sharpen one's measured performance. Meanwhile stress, sleep deprivation, sedentary lifestyle and skipping meals or eating non-nutritional foods may decrease performance. Much of this is lifestyle choice and has an impact throughout the lifespan. Some of the biology and neuroscience explanations can be very interesting.
One concept brought forward by recent research is the relative flexibility or malleability of IQ, being responsive to changing internal/external conditions throughout the lifespan.
That being said, it is really not easy for a 5yo or anyone to "game" an IQ test. That would require an adult purchasing and utilizing preps, which some may see an analogous to purchasing an answer key. While the information may need to be memorized, the test prospect isn't coming up with the answers by his/her own spark of creativity or original thought applied to the problem. "Teaching to the test" in this case may result in admitting some pupils who subsequently cannot keep up the pace, and do not possess the intrinsic curiosity to fuel their ongoing motivation for learning.
