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What Was Albert Einstein’s IQ?
How smart was Einstein, really?
We hear his name all the time, Einstein. Synonym for genius. The guy who “failed math” (he didn’t) and still ended up rewriting the laws of the universe.
But IQ isn’t just a number.
So in this article, we’re digging into how Einstein grew up, how he learned, how his brain worked, and what made him different.
Table of Contents
👶 Early Life
Einstein at the age of 3 in 1882. Source: Wikipedia
Einstein was born in 1879 in Germany.
His dad was an engineer, his mom a pianist. So yeah, the house had gadgets, books, music, all the brain fuel.
At 5, he got a compass and couldn’t stop thinking about how the needle moved. That one toy lowkey shaped modern physics
🔸 By 12, he taught himself algebra.
🔸 By 14, he finished calculus. No tutors. Just books and obsession.
He wasn’t “born” a genius. He built it through curiosity and deep work.
🧠 Teenage Years
Albert Einstein in 1893 (age 14). Source: Wikipedia
At 15, Einstein dipped from school in Germany. Hated the rote learning. Moved to Italy with his family. Wrote a science essay for fun about magnetic fields. Normal teenage stuff…
Failed the entrance exam to Swiss Federal Polytechnic at 16, crushed math and physics, flopped everything else. So they told him to finish high school first.
He did. Then got into the polytechnic, but by this time, he was already better at calculus than most teachers.
While other teens were out chasing girls, Einstein was solving the universe with a pencil.
🎓 College, Love, and Physics Obsession
Albert and Mileva Einstein, 1912. Source: Wikipedia
Einstein studied math and physics in Zürich. Not for the grades, he skipped a lot of classes. Just showed up for exams and aced them.
He met Mileva Marić there, a classmate and his future wife. They bonded over physics books and late-night theory debates. Real nerd love.
Even outside class, he kept studying. Obsessed with Maxwell’s equations, read extra stuff for fun. Basically lived in his own science bubble.
🧠 His Greatest Hits
In 1905, Einstein published five research papers in one year. Not blog posts, not tweets. Scientific papers that changed the world…
That year is now called his Annus Mirabilis - “miracle year.”
He published:
📄 The theory of special relativity
⚡ The photoelectric effect (won him the Nobel Prize)
🧮 A paper proving atoms exist
📦 Mass-energy equivalence: E = mc² (yes, that one)
And he was still working at a patent office.
Einstein didn’t just have a high IQ, he used it relentlessly. While most people were figuring out life, he was rewriting physics.
🤪 His Weird Habits
Einstein wasn’t your average genius. The dude had quirks.
🧦 No socks - He hated them. Said his big toe always poked through.
🎻 Played violin - Music helped him think.
🚶♂️ Walked everywhere - Even to Princeton. Over a mile, every day.
🛌 Slept 10+ hours a night - Plus naps.
And of course… He had a wild hairstyle and didn’t care what anyone thought.
He lived slow, thought deep, and didn’t chase status. No productivity hacks, no 5AM club. Just focus, curiosity, and daily walks.
Maybe we’ve got it all backwards…
🧠 So… What Was Einstein’s IQ?
Albert Einstein never officially took a modern IQ test. But based on historical records, expert analysis, and his work, most estimates place his IQ between 160 and 190.
That’s genius level. For reference:
🔹 100 = Average
🔹 130 = Gifted
🔹 160+ = Extremely rare
Some say it was closer to 160, others argue higher. But here’s the truth:
His impact matters more than the number.
E=mc², theory of relativity, quantum breakthroughs, he changed how we understand reality.
IQ score or not, he thought differently. That’s what made him Einstein.
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