pavandeep

1. Walk around with a really big textbook about some obscure subject. I did this recently (by accident) and found it worked. The textbook I was carrying was called “Financial Reporting and Analysis” and it was hardcover, big and over a thousand pages long. Remember, you have to be in the right environment. Don’t carry around a book on Quantum Physics around a group of physicists.


2. Get the New York Times Crossword puzzle book (the Sunday edition is the hardest, therefore the best) and rip out a page to carry with you. Do the hard parts of the crossword puzzle at home using the answers in the back. Keep the unfinished puzzle in your bag/pocket/purse and pull it out when you want to show off. Announce that you’re doing the crossword puzzle in a subtle way. For example, you could say “Well since I have a few minutes I can finish off the crossword puzzle I started this morning during breakfast”. You want to emphasize that you’ve spent very little time on the puzzle, and that you expect to finish it up soon. Make sure it’s done in pen. Make it seem like you’re thinking about the clues, and finish the crossword puzzle using the few remaining answers you’ve memorized.


3. If a group of people are discussing something, and they all agree on the issue, take the opposite stand. Use words like “conspiracy, brainwash, propaganda, etc. It’s really important that you only try this around people of similar intelligence. Do not attempt to fool smart people because they’ll see right through you.

I'll try to think of some more ways to seem smart. I think points 1 and 2 will work for almost anyone, but only do them once or twice.