CBC just finished its live telecast of Test the Nation, its hyped-up “event” of IQ-test-type questions.

My reactions to it are mixed. On the one hand, the questions themselves are complex, even for a genius like me. The crazy computer graphics are eye-catching, and they’ve collected some interesting people in their studio.

On the other hand, there are many drawbacks, some of which started weeks ago. Besides that, the show seemed awkward. Wendy Mesley (who I hate to put down because I actually really like her – even though she agreed to marry me but never called like she said she would) was forcing herself to grin throughout the entire two hours, making her seem fake and almost creepy. That and she (or the producers — probably both) screwed up quite a few times with answers and timing.

What got me most was that one of the questions even has an error in it (and I’m not the only one to notice). Question 41 dealt with algebra. If 2 < x < 6 and 4 < y < 6, what is the maximum value of x + y? It’s a simple enough question, but it leaves out an important part: The assumption that both x and y are integers. Without that, the maximum value is just less than 12. With it, the answer is 10. Since 11 is given as a selection and marked as wrong, I think the CBC owes an apology to some of us.

As for the guest test-takers, the CBC found out for us that (surprise!) surgeons are smart, and tattoo artists not so much.

Oh, and according to the test, I have an IQ of 132, which puts me well into the 90th percentile. While I’m flattered, I’m afraid that’s a bit of an overestimation.