The IQ score of 276 is deceptively high. The score of 276 is a radically high score unless you understand how this score is calculated. The score of 276 is actually 210. Why then does he promote a score of 276? Well obviously because it sounds a lot higher. The truth is that his score of 276 is exactly the same as 210. These two scores are merely two different metrics that actually represent the same score. The score of 210 is based on a standard deviation (SD) of 15 while the score of 276 is based on an SD of 24. Therefore, 276 is not higher than 210 in this case but is simply calculated with a different scale. If that is difficult to understand let’s use an illustration. Imagine that your friend is visiting you and gets to your house quickly. You ask him how did you get here so quickly? He says, “I was doing 160.” You might respond, “You cannot do 160 mph you will get arrested!” “Oh no I wasn’t doing 160 mph. I was doing 160 kph.” While yes both speeds are fast 160 kph is the same as 100 mph. That is all that is happening with the IQ score. The 276 is based on a score as if it was kilometers however, the common way to measure IQ is on an SD of 15 which means that the number everyone should look at is 210 and not 276. Therefore, comparing 276 to most people’s IQ is like comparing miles per hour with kilometers per hour. If the majority measure in miles then measuring in kilometers without telling everyone is deceptive.

Marylin vos Savant has a higher IQ score that was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. In 1985 Marylin vos Savant was recognized as the official world record holder with an IQ score of 230. She held this record from 1985 until 1989 when Guinness retired the category. If you consider Marylin’s score as an official world record then she should be considered as the record holder today. You may ask though was her score inflated using such metrics as Kim though? The short answer is no. However, the two are not perfectly comparable. The reason is that Marylin’s score was not based on the same type of test Kim. Therefore, her score wasn’t calculated using a SD scale at all. The point however still stands that her official score was rated at 230 while Kim’s official score equals 210. This is especially notable on the gigasociety.net website where Kim’s score is said to be 276. Gigasociety.net shows a list of the top ten IQ geniuses with Kim at the top with a 276. However, none of the below scores were calculated with inflated scores. That is not to claim that they all used the exact same tests or metrics but it is to say that Kim’s use of an SD of 24 is very unusual and never should be compared to those whose scores were based on an SD 15.

Gigasociety.net seems to be intentionally deceptive regarding their list of top ten highest IQs ever. Let me demonstrate what I mean. The site does explain that Kim’s score is 210 with an SD 15 and 276 with an SD 24. However, this highlights the issue with their list. Evangelos Katsioulis who has an IQ score of 198 listed on the gigasociety.net website. That is because his score is given using an SD of 15. The true difference between Kim and Evangelos is only 12 points with Kim at 210 and Evangelos at 198 with an SD 15 scale. The idea that there is a legitimate disparity between Kim and Evangelos of more than 80 points is nothing more than a fairytale. If Evangelos was ranked based on a completely different scale than Kim then why is Kim at the top at all? No one else on the list is using an SD of 24 for their score and while it is true that not all have taken the same tests the standard by which one judges IQ is closer to an SD 15. Kim’s brute score is only 210 even according to Giga Society’s own website. It is clear then that they used the SD of 24 to inflate Kim’s score making it seem more impressive while also showing two others that technically have higher IQ scores than Kim. Therefore, Marlyin and Terrence Tao both out rank Kim even according to Giga’s own site. Marylin vos Savant and Terence Tao are both alive and well today in 2025 and should be at the top of that list according to Giga Society’s page. Placing Kim at the top of the list while knowing that they are using different scales to rate the others is dishonest and manipulative.

One last comment is simply that there is no uniformity concerning IQ tests and scores. This is the reason that Guinness discontinued the category. They did not believe that there was an objective way to measure IQ and was not enough academic science to show one way to manage all IQ scores. This however does not justify deliberately using different scales to assert that your score is higher than others or to achieve a record.

Kim’s big IQ test was seriously flawed. There are far too many questions and concerns to accept Kim’s score as he claims. The first concern is the conflict of interest between Dr. Kirk Raymond Butt and Kim. Both Dr. Butt and Kim were a part of gigasociety.net and USIA which is Kim’s organization. Dr. Butt was the editor at USIA under Kim. If that was not enough Dr. Butt and Kim wrote a book together for high IQ tests. For these reasons it is impossible to say that there isn’t a legitimate reason to be suspicious. Kim and these many situations are a classic example or illustration of credential laundering, which is where people inside of a group or circle are all giving each other credentials to make themselves seem validated independently while in reality they all have mutual interest and connections.

The other issue is with the test itself. It is said that the exam only had a sample size of 32 persons. A sample size of 32 is far too small to properly evaluate if the test is accurate and good. This no doubt will increase the margin for error. For this reason it is difficult to consider this test to be authoritative and compelling when there is not standard or norm for it. Successfully scoring perfectly on a test that has such a low sample size will give you no indication of brilliance without a larger pool. Perhaps Mr. Kim did score perfectly on this test. What it mean if he did? Not much I would say. Without a larger pool how can one tell if his score is unique or if it would be passed just as well by many others? The info is simply not compelling. Secondly, it is difficult to take the test as an objective measure when it is given by someone that you have closely worked with and written a book with. The likelihood of Kim having unique insights for the test are bound to be higher than others who had never known Dr. Butt beforehand.

One part of this narrative that does not make sense about Kim is the inconsistency in the story concerning Kim and his IQ. One should expect that if Kim is the smartest man that has ever lived there would be something close to a consensus. There has been quite the opposite reaction from others. Others have reported that Kim’s scores have been lacking and not impressive. Keep in mind that Kim has been a part of IQ societies since 2019. He is not brand new to the scene. This alone sounds a little strange at first, since I have never heard of a genius being discovered in their mid-thirties. It is the testimonies of others that stand in strong opposition to Kim being the obvious record holder. For example Eunjoo Lee who was familiar with Kim from Mensa Korea has said that he cannot say what Kim’s IQ scores were but that they were not impressive by Mensa standards. Eunjoo is not alone in criticizing Kim. Paul Cooijmans has said that Kim originally sought to be a part of GigaSociety.com but did not score high enough to be accepted. It was only after this that the other gigasociety.net was started and Kim became a member of that one instead. Both of these comments along with another Brazilian high-IQ expert Hindenburg Melao Jr, has also said that Kim’s history with high IQ societies is not particularly flattering. The ones who have praised Kim for his high IQ and given him awards including his ultimate high score were already in league with Kim. Those on the outside have not sung the same story concerning Kim.

There is no external evidence of Kim’s intelligence. While some have said that IQ is not everything there is still an expectation that if you are the more intelligent human in all of human history this would be manifested in some sort of way. However, there has not been any clear sign of intelligence. His claim to fame is his IQ score. This is quite unusual when compared to many other geniuses. Great examples are some of the names that have been mentioned such as Terence Tao and Marylin vos Savant. They were both recognized for their brilliance from early ages. Not only that but their careers have been evidence all along. Marylin is famous for explaining the Monty Hall problem. At the time all of the mathematicians came out against her saying that she was clearly mistaken. However, in the end it is well established that her explanation was correct and it was the rest of the world that was wrong. Terence Tao as well has accomplished many great things. He earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University at 20 years old and because a full professor at UCLA by 24. One only needs to look him up on YouTube and listen to his lectures or interviews to see genius before them. There are many other names that could be used but the point is that Kim doesn’t demonstrate any of these characteristics nor accomplishments.

Kim has championed his beliefs in God and the Bible yet no new or interesting arguments have been made by him. When he is challenged intellectually online he only blocks anyone who opposes him. There has been no examples of logical abilities regarding arguments. In some cases, he seems to make logical fallacies which would be particularly strange for the world’s more intelligent man. He has not producing any academic papers and is not recognized for anything in particular in the way of accomplishments. Some have come to believe that he is a memory champion because he has been recognized by the World Memory Championships but they were simply recognizing his score from Dr. Butt. They were not independently verifying anything and not awarding him for any memory competition. However, one does not need to look any further than YouTube to see an exhibition of his memory skills. Kim goes on a Korean show for a memory challenge where he is to memorize several facts from 24 other girls. What is shown is nothing short of embarrassing. He did get some answers correct however he missed time and time again. As an exhibition where he is to show off his incredible intellect it was nothing short of disappointing. He has not shown any external ability, but merely proclaimed it on paper and online.