A 12 year old contestant on the latest series of 'Child Genius' became a sensation overnight for answering all questions correctly. Rahul stunned the audience and quizmaster Richard Osman by answering questions such as “What is the scientific name for apricot?” With an IQ of 162, which is believed to be higher than the likes of Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, he qualifies for Mensa- the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world.
“I always wanted to do the best, and I'll do that no matter what the cost. I think I'm a genius. I'm good at mental maths, general knowledge and I find it quite easy to memorise stuff,” Rahul said, “Most kids want immediate gratification but I also want long-term gratification. If I couldn't play maybe my Xbox now, I'll be really happy now, but I might be sad later on because I haven't revised for my test.”
20 contestants on the show, aged eight to 12 will be short-listed among a string of tests over the course of a week. Rahul achieved full marks in a spelling test- successfully attempting words like garrulous, accouchement, and hyponatraemia. He answered 14 out of 15 questions correctly in a timed memory round. Even though he narrowly lost out in a maths round, he remains exempt from elimination due to his high score.
Rahul's father, Minesh and mother Komal said their son was in the game to win and their role was to encourage him. “We are here to win. There's no two ways about that. We're all achievers,” Minesh said.
