THE parents of a child genius with an IQ similar to Einstein’s have said she is “perfectly ordinary”.

Ophelia Spracklen, 12, scored a stunning 157 on her Mensa test – only three points lower than Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

The Burford School pupil who lives with her parents in Northmoor said she was shocked to find out she had scored 57 points above the adult average.

She said: “The school suggested I did the test after looking at my school work but when I did it I found it so hard, it was practically impossible.

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“After I finished I really didn’t think I had done well at all and I didn’t even expect to pass. So when I found out I had a high IQ I was stunned because I just didn’t expect it.”

More than 121,000 people worldwide are members of Mensa, an elite society that boasts some of the smartest brains on the planet.

Its tests gauge Intelligence Quotient, or IQ, using problem-solving tests. The average score is taken to be 100, and a score below this means your intelligence is below average.

Ophelia’s results put her into the genius category of 145 to 159.

Her mother Virginia said she was just as surprised as her daughter when Mensa returned her score.

She said: “At first my husband William and I were just shocked that the school had put her forward for a Mensa test.

“Then when the test results came back we were blown away because she did so unbelievably well. My husband and I are not academics – but would like to think we’re not daft either – so it’s amazing that our only child is technically a genius.

“She’s not one of those children who just sit in their room reading or studying all day. She is really just a very ordinary young girl who likes to spend her time outside, mainly with her horse.”

Chief executive of Mensa John Stevenage said Ophelia’s score put her in the top one per cent of the population.

He said: “A growing number of schools use our supervised test to help identify bright youngsters such as Ophelia.

“We are delighted to welcome them into Mensa, where they can discover a whole community of like-minded young people with whom to develop interests and share experiences.”