Schoolboy aged 11 ‘who’s cleverer than Stephen Hawking’
Kevin joins Mensa after scoring 162 in IQ test
HE was one of the brightest theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein, and amazed scientists and the public alike with his study of black holes, gravity and space.
However, while Stephen Hawking was undoubtedly an incredibly intelligent man, he wasn’t as smart as this talented 11-year-old.
Kevin Sweeney, from Lochgelly, Fife, has been granted membership of Mensa after answering every question correctly in an exam.
While Kevin only took the Mensa test in July, he’s been eagerly waiting to attempt it for around three years after learning of his parents Eddie and Laura Sweeney’s own experience.
Mrs Sweeney said: ‘It’s a really random story. A few years ago, Eddie and I, we were having a wee argument about who was cleverer, and we decided we would go and do a Mensa test.
‘So that’s when Kevin became aware of
‘He was exceptional when he was four’
what a Mensa test was and he was really interested in it.
‘Neither of us got invited to join Mensa but he’s always asked if he could do it. He was eight at the time.’
Mrs Sweeney travelled with her son to the exam venue a month ago, at The Quaker Meeting House, Edinburgh.
Although Kevin was the youngest person in the room, he achieved an IQ score of 162 – the average mark is between 85 and 115.
The schoolboy has since been welcomed into Mensa’s supportive peer group and will have access to its special events.
Kevin, who is autistic, has shown remarkable talent in a wide variety of skills from a young age.
Mrs Sweeney said: ‘When the result came through it was good to see him get so excited about something because he doesn’t always show it.
‘He was exceptional when he was four or five.
‘He used to do things like watch a programme over and over again and then change the subtitles to a different language. Another thing when he was really young, before people were leaving the house, he’d have to hear their engines – it was really important to him.
‘He was recognising different car engine sounds.
‘That didn’t come to be noticeable until we were out. And he was like “Mum you better get out the way because there’s a Volkswagen Sharan coming”.
‘I turned around and saw that it was a Volkswagen!’
The Lochgelly West Primary School student will soon be getting ready to take his first academic exams before heading to high school.
Mrs Sweeney added: ‘Kevin’s into everything.
‘He wants to be on the stage, he wants to be the clever one, he wants to be the kind one.
‘He’s so good at everything – he’s really sociable as well.
‘We’re over the moon for him. We knew he was clever but now we’ve got proof!
‘You register online and just turn up. But because Kevin’s so young I had to chaperone him and was with him the whole way through.
‘They’ll often stop and go through little examples of how to answer the questions. And the guy who was running it said, “Yes Kevin, we know you know all the answers, but we’ll let somebody else have a shot”.’
There are more than 120,000 Mensa members across the world of all ages. Currently, the youngest member of British Mensa is three years old, while the oldest is 102.