An 11-year-old schoolboy has achieved a higher IQ score than two of the world’s most famous geniuses.
Yusuf Shah’s friends in Leeds are always telling him he is very smart, but he wanted to find out for himself by taking the Mensa test.
He scored 162 – the maximum IQ for under-18s, putting him in the top one percent of all people.
Stephen Hawking is said to have scored 160 and Albert Einstein, who although never officially took the test, is believed to have got the same.
Yusuf celebrated his special achievement with a meal at Nando’s with his parents and brothers.
He said: ‘I have always wanted to know if I was in the top two percent of people who take the test.
‘It feels special to have a certificate for me and about me.’
Yusuf Shah with his brothers, Zaki and Khalid, mum Sana and father Irfan When he is not studying, the maths whiz enjoys sudokus and solving Rubik’s cubes.
He started playing with the iconic cubes in January and it only took him one month before he could solve them with ease.
His delighted mum Sana said: ‘I was so proud. He is the first person to take the Mensa test in the family.
‘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 light-heartedly.
‘Even if you are talented, you have to be the hardest worker.’
Yusuf’s eight-year-old brother Khalid is also hoping to take the Mensa test when he’s older.