What is the IQ of Sheldon Cooper on the U.S. TV show "The Big Bang Theory"?

Sheldon Cooper is a character played by Jim Parsons on CBS's "The Big Bang Theory". He has an IQ of 187 and several advanced degrees. Nonetheless, he often has major trouble with social interactions with other people. Jim Parsons is an actor; he is not a real scientist which is Sheldon's job. In "The Big Bang Theory", Sheldon occasionally brags about his IQ which is very high (187), and his best friend Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) has a whooping 173. It's clear Sheldon does not think his friend Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) is truly smart enough because he is mere engineer.

During the series, it was noted that Sheldon was a child prodigy with an eidetic memory from Galveston, Texas. He began college at the age of eleven, and earned a PhD at age sixteen. He is a theoretical physicist researching quantum mechanics and string theory. Despite his IQ of 187, he finds many routine aspects of social situations difficult to grasp. He is a guy determined to have his own way. He continually boasts of his intelligence and has an extremely ritualized way of living. Notwithstanding his many quirks, he begins a relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), and they eventually marry.