11-year-old scores higher than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking on IQ test (photos)

Arnav Sharma gained 162, the maximum possible score

It is two points higher than Einstein and Hawking's scores

The "genius" score is set at 140

An 11-year-old boy has scored higher in an IQ test than German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein and celebrated cosmologist Stephen Hawking.

Arnav Sharma, from Reading, UK but whose family is originally from India, scored an astonishing 162, the maximum possible score.

This is two points higher than Einstein and Hawking's scores.


Arnav Sharma scored higher on an IQ test than German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein and celebrated cosmologist Stephen Hawking Photo Source: india.com
Even more incredibly, he passed the famously difficult test a few weeks ago with zero preparation and without knowing what a typical test looks like, according to The Independent.

In an interview, Arnav said: “The Mensa test is quite hard and not many people pass it so do not expect to pass.” He said the interview took two-and-a-half hours.


Arnav with his mother and younger brother Photo Source: india.com
He added: “I had no preparation at all for the exam but I was not nervous. My family were surprised but they were also very happy when I told them about the result.”

Arnav's mother, Meesha Dhamija Sharma, said his grandmother was the first to notice his exceptional abilities during a visit to India. Arnav was just one-and-a-half years old at the time.


Arnav scored higher than Einstein (left) and Hawking (right) Photo Source: india.com
A spokesperson for Mensa, an organization that seeks to “identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity,” praised Arnav's achievement.

The spokesperson said: “It is a high mark which only a small percentage of people in the country [UK] will achieve."