After taking an IQ test what does the number you get mean?

There are many creative descriptions of IQ and the meaning of the number. My psycology "Tests and Measures" professor explained it in a way that is probably most accurate. Q: "What does an IQ test measure? A: "IQ" Q: "What is IQ?" A: "What an IQ test measures." That's the moderately entertaining answer to the question. A more detailed answer can take quite an explanation. One description suggests that an IQ is calculated by the following formula: [(Mental age)/(chronological age)] * 100 The currently used IQ tests give scores in different areas, such as verbal, numeric transcription, spatial and any identifiable and measurable ability that they want to measure. The idea is to have enough questions and of different levels of difficulty that just about everyone will be unable to answer EVERY question correctly. By comparing the number of correct answers to a cross section of the population the test creators can project where someone fits on the continuum. By comparing scores to the scores that the testers have already collected, they will be able to determine which "percentile" or standard deviation the individual fits on. The Standard deviation corresponds to an IQ score, giving perhaps a little more meaning to the results of an IQ test. But I personally prefer my professors original answer.