Boy, 11, gets highest possible IQ score and beats geniuses such as Stephen Hawking and Einstein

A child genius has achieved the highest possible score on a Mensa test - placing him higher than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

Yusuf Shah, 11, managed to score a whopping 162, which is the maximum score for under-18s and puts him in the top percentile of people.

For context, Hawking is believed to have scored 160 and Einstein, who never officially took the test, is thought to have been around the same. This kid is putting them all to shame, here.

Yusuf, from Leeds, said his pals always comment on how smart he is and he wanted to test himself by taking an IQ test, which he absolutely smashed, in case you didn’t realise. Yusuf said: “Everyone at school thinks I am very smart and I have always wanted to know if I was in the top two per cent of the people who take the test.

"It feels special to have a certificate for me and about me.”

The youngster celebrated his good news with a trip to Nandos with his family - a fine choice.

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Yusuf, who is in year six, hopes to one day study mathematics at Oxford or Cambridge and said he loves to do things that stimulate his mind.

Back in January he started playing with Rubik’s cubes after seeing one at his friend's house.

Within a month, he was able to solve cubes of all difficulties with ease - and here I am, a fully grown adult, who still has to peel off the stickers.

As well as Rubix’s cubes, Yusuf enjoys doing sudoku puzzles to challenge his big brain.

His delighted mum Sana said: “I was so proud. He is the first person to take the Mensa test in the family.

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“I was actually a little concerned too – he has always gone into a hall full of kids to take tests.

“We thought he might be intimidated by the adults at the centre. But he did brilliantly.

I still tell him that, ‘Your dad is still smarter than you’.

“We take it all lightheartedly. Even if you are talented, you have to be the hardest worker.”

Dad Irfan said the family didn’t help Yusuf get ready for the test in any particular way and just carried on with what they had already been doing.

“It is a difficult test to prepare for,” he said. “We just did what we were already doing – nothing specific for the IQ test.”

Topics: UK News, Science, Stephen Hawking

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]