How to Increase Your IQ Level: 10+ Proven Methods to Try

A high IQ can land you a dream job, help you enroll in a school of your choice, and improve your performance in academic and professional settings. Considering all the benefits, it’s hardly a surprise that many people are trying to figure out how to increase IQ.

While psychologists are largely undecided about whether IQ can truly increase, they agree that your cognitive abilities and intelligence potential can improve with enough effort and mental exercise.

In this article, we will uncover scientifically tested methods to help you develop your IQ potential and achieve a better score on an IQ test.

So, let’s take a look.

Key Takeaways

• To increase your IQ, you should take up an instrument, learn a new language, play chess, or try another hobby that challenges your cognition.
• Video games, memory activities, and studying can increase the IQ levels of teenagers.
• A healthy lifestyle prevents drops in IQ and may even boost your cognitive potential.
• Devising specific strategies for taking an IQ test ensures you achieve the best possible result.

What Is IQ?

The intelligence quotient, better known as IQ, is a score derived from an IQ test that compares your cognitive abilities and deductive reasoning to your peer group’s.

Originally, IQ tests were developed to determine children’s intelligence and discover who needed additional help in school. However, their popularity grew over time, and adults soon began testing their intelligence too.

Currently, IQ tests are used for evaluating job applicants for certain positions as well as helping children and their parents choose an appropriate school. As a result, achieving a high score on an IQ test can make quite a difference in determining your life path.

10+ Proven Ways to Increase Your IQ Level

If you want to develop your cognitive skills or achieve a high score on an IQ test, try one of the following ways to increase your IQ level at home.

#1. Play an Instrument

How to increase IQ - play an instrument

Although playing an instrument is usually associated with musical intelligence, this activity can also raise your IQ level by improving higher cognitive skills such as memory and information processing.

In fact, musicians tend to be quicker at using both their left and right brain hemispheres, showing equal ability to think analytically and creatively.

What’s more, studies have shown that the beneficial effects of playing an instrument start at a very young age. Namely, children with some musical training achieve higher scores on IQ tests and perform better on verbal tests.

#2. Practice Memory Activities

A maze made out of walls

Memory activities stimulate your working memory, boosting your fluid intelligence—an essential component of general intelligence.

Generally speaking, fluid intelligence is responsible for solving problems, processing new input, and recalling information. All these processes require a developed working memory, which helps the brain hold information for a short time, just as long as it takes for it to be processed and effectively used.

Memory games, such as matching pairs, pattern recognition tasks, and jigsaw puzzles, stimulate working memory, making it quicker and more efficient.

For more tips on enhancing your memory, check out our article on memory training.

#3. Learn a New Language

Learning a new language can help answer how to increase IQ

Aside from boosting your verbal-linguistic intelligence, learning a new language significantly contributes to your memory, attention span, information retention, and cognitive flexibility.

In addition, a new language can boost your decision-making skills, mainly by equipping you with new thinking tools and developing areas of your mind that are otherwise dormant. Thanks to that, you tend to be more rational when thinking in your second language, which results in a better grasp of the problem at hand.

That, in turn, leads to a better performance on an IQ test since it is, essentially, a problem that requires solving.

#4. Play Video Games

A person playing a video game on his computer

Who says that video games can’t benefit the brain and its development? According to a 2022 study, children who consistently play video games tend to be more intelligent than those who don’t.

That’s not too surprising when we consider that video games frequently come with tasks and puzzles that must be solved in order to progress through the levels. That way, they directly engage your cognitive faculties, developing problem-solving skills, working memory, and mental agility.

Generally speaking, there are no specific video games to help you increase your IQ, but focusing on puzzle games, RPGs, and platform games will yield maximum benefits.

#5. Study

How to increase IQ - study

If you hope to raise your IQ score, it might be good to go back to your student days. Of course, we don’t mean literally—you don’t need to pursue another college degree to boost your intelligence. However, you should expand your education by reading up on various topics that interest you.

That way, you won’t just keep your mind active and curious; you’ll also increase your crystallized intelligence. This type of intellect is another important component of general intelligence that ultimately contributes to your IQ score.

#6. Read Books

A person reading a book

Reading books isn’t just a fun pastime that can help you unwind after a long day; it also contributes to your crystallized intelligence, general knowledge, and IQ score.

If you’re reading specifically to boost your intelligence, we suggest exploring the non-fiction genre. It has plenty to offer, whether you’re interested in psychology, philosophy, history, science, cosmology, or something entirely different.

However, don’t neglect fiction, either. While it may not teach you about our world like non-fiction, it can help you appreciate different perspectives, empathize with others, and understand yourself better.

#7. Play Chess

Playing chess can answer how to increase IQ

Chess is undoubtedly one of the best activities for increasing IQ, as it forces you to think strategically, solve problems on the go, memorize key positions and patterns, and adapt to new and unexpected developments.

And although you’re unlikely to reach the IQ level of a top-notch chess grandmaster, your score can increase by at least a few points through consistent playing. Plus, chess makes for an excellent socializing opportunity with other enthusiasts!

#8. Practice for the IQ Test

A person filling up an answer sheet

You can prepare for a math or biology test, so why wouldn’t you be able to do the same with an IQ test? After all, it’s a set of specific tasks with correct answers that follow a certain logic. These tasks aren’t secret, either—you can find their numerous variations online.

So, before you take a standardized IQ test, take a few practice tests to prepare. That way, you’ll familiarize yourself with the tasks that commonly appear on the official one and get in the right mindset for problem-solving.

#9. Meditate

A person meditation can answer how to increase IQ

Meditation is crucial for increasing intrapersonal intelligence, as it helps you achieve deeper self-awareness and shut out outside noise and distractions.

However, your general intelligence can benefit from it as well. After all, meditation reduces the adverse effects of stress and slows down brain activity, allowing the brain to refresh and regroup. As a result, it becomes more capable of accepting and processing new information, and its cognitive capacities grow.

Check out our article on IQ and meditation to learn more about their connection.

#10. Improve Your Routine

A woman making a coffee

You don’t have to reorganize your life entirely to increase your IQ. Sometimes, even the smallest of changes can have an impact.

For example, consider how you could challenge your mind while performing simple, everyday tasks. That could include brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand or trying to think in a different language.

No matter how small a change, it can form new pathways in your brain, leading to a fast increase in your IQ level.

#11. Take Supplements

How to increase IQ - take supplements

Certain supplements, like creatine, can boost cognition and reasoning when administered appropriately. Although research is still fairly limited, there is enough evidence to suggest that this substance improves working memory and may even protect neurons from deterioration.

Other substances with a similar effect are ginkgo biloba and omega-3 fatty acids. However, the former only has a modest impact on cognitive speed and memory, while the latter shows results only in children.

#12. Get Enough Rest

A woman waking up from sleep

When you don’t get enough sleep, your brain can’t focus or process information, as well as when it’s well-rested. Consequently, it can’t develop to its full potential, only doing the bare minimum to keep you alive and functional.

As a result, your IQ score can’t increase unless you get seven to nine hours of sleep most nights.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you must fall asleep before midnight and wake up with the sun—if that’s not your natural rhythm, don’t force yourself. Still, whether you go to bed at 9 p.m. or 3 a.m., make sure you get enough rest.

We have a separate article on the topic if you're curious to learn more about IQ and sleep.

#13. Exercise Regularly

How to increase IQ - Exercise regularly

Not only does regular exercise keep you healthy and fit, but it also improves your cognitive faculties. In particular, your memory, concentration, and processing abilities benefit significantly from physical exercise.

According to research, the reason may be the oxygen supply to the brain, which increases with exercise. As a result, your brain has more energy to think, and your mind feels clearer and more prepared to tackle cognitive challenges.

What Decreases Your IQ?

Unfortunately, IQ scores don't only go up—certain behaviors and conditions can also decrease them. Although the decrease is rarely drastic, it’s still important to be aware of the potential threats to your intelligence.

Here are three factors that can lower your IQ.

#1. Vitamin Deficiency

A poor diet with limited vitamin intake during infancy and childhood can lead to a lower IQ. That’s because the brain doesn’t get enough nutrients to support its normal development, which results in weakened cognitive functions.

Although every vitamin contributes to cognitive development in some way, none is quite as crucial as B12. Children with a severe B12 deficiency suffer from cognitive disabilities, struggles with perception and sequencing, and weaker memory.

However, although the effect of vitamin deficiency on the brain is less severe in adulthood, its impact can still be felt. Therefore, it’s important to maintain a healthy, vitamin-rich diet regardless of your age.

#2. Brain Injuries

Certain kinds of brain injuries can lead to significant drops in IQ scores that can persist for years. Usually, people who experience brain damage have difficulties learning, accessing knowledge, focusing, and sometimes even organizing their thoughts.

However, unless the injury is particularly severe, the brain has an amazing regenerative ability, which allows it to eventually revert to its pre-injury state.

In other words, even if you’re struggling with an IQ test right after the injury, that doesn’t mean your intelligence is lost forever. Given enough time, your cognitive abilities will likely improve, especially if you keep your mind active.

#3. Drug Abuse

Consumption of illegal substances at a young age—before the brain is fully developed—may have a detrimental effect on cognitive abilities and lower IQ by up to 8 points. Usually, the effects are only noticeable in addicts, not those who take drugs occasionally or recreationally. Our article on drugs and IQ offers further insights on this topic.

4 Tips for Taking an IQ Test

A person taking a test

Your final IQ score will largely depend on how well you perform on the IQ test. Even if you are highly intelligent, the wrong approach, anxiety, or bad time management can result in a lower score than you might have expected.

Therefore, it’s important to develop a few strategies for taking an IQ test to ensure the highest score possible.

Here are some tried-and-true tips:

• Read the instructions carefully. Even if you feel like you know what you’re supposed to do, instructions can contain valuable information and help you start the test more confidently.
• Manage your time. If you struggle with a question, move on and return to it later. IQ tests have time limits, so you must pace yourself and think strategically.
• Use the process of elimination. Not sure what the correct answer is? Examine all options in multiple-choice questions—the solution might become obvious once you eliminate the answers that don’t fit.
• Stay calm. You won’t be able to think clearly if you panic, so take a deep breath and focus on what you know instead of worrying about the questions you can’t solve immediately.

Take this free test to get accurate results

Discover your IQ score by taking our online IQ test and embark on your self-development journey today!

Start the test now

Final Thoughts

Although there’s some debate on whether IQ can increase in adults, it certainly doesn’t hurt if we try. In fact, employing the techniques we described can only benefit your cognition as well as your physical and mental health.

So, take up a new hobby, change your habits, and start working on your personal development. You might be surprised at the result you achieve on your next IQ test!

Also Read:

Can Low-IQ Parents Have a High-IQ Child?

Does Reading Increase IQ in Adults?

How to Increase Brain Power: 15 Ways to Boost Your Brain Health