The bigger problem here is that effective intelligence is a function of both fluid and crystallized intelligence. You’re not really smartest when fluid intelligence peaks, in terms of real world.problems. You’re smartest in terms of juggling pieces of information. But understanding which problems to solve and what concepts to use in solving them is a matter of crystalized intelligence—specifically, knowledge of the problems and relevant concepts. You could achieve that by 26 but you’d have to start young and study like a monk. I’m not sure where tests of crystallized intelligence put it’s peak but it would be specific to topic and hours of dedicated study.
It’s true that it peaks at different ages.
The bigger problem here is that effective intelligence is a function of both fluid and crystallized intelligence. You’re not really smartest when fluid intelligence peaks, in terms of real world.problems. You’re smartest in terms of juggling pieces of information. But understanding which problems to solve and what concepts to use in solving them is a matter of crystalized intelligence—specifically, knowledge of the problems and relevant concepts. You could achieve that by 26 but you’d have to start young and study like a monk. I’m not sure where tests of crystallized intelligence put it’s peak but it would be specific to topic and hours of dedicated study.