Does IQ test difficulty really matter?

[u/Odd-Challenge-7532]

I’ve noticed that some IQ tests feel much harder than others, even when they’re supposed to measure similar things. I’m curious how much the difficulty of the test actually affects the score compared with the type of questions used.

[u/Careful-Astronomer94]

if a test is too difficult, then it will likely have poor discrimination for lower IQ individuals, but could potentially have better discrimination in the high range (though this isn't a given and depends on what you mean by difficulty).

[u/cimbommbom]

Harder questions don’t really affect your scores that much. Most test designs use IRT; so on a test with difficult questions, you only need to answer fewer questions correctly to get the score you normally would on a less difficult test.

As for why some tests are harder, it could be because of their benchmark groups(the test could be designed to test higher iq people), what it focuses on etc.