ZVar wrote:And remember, even if she had higher than average IQ (was that mentioned, I don't remember?) it didn't help her is some situations.
She almost flunked out of Saganami on her super poor math skills.
It took, I believe, Mike and Raoul Courvosier to tutor he so she just barely squeaked by.
Take it from someone who has a borderline-genius IQ and still never managed to learn calculus - IQ has very little to do with how good you are at learning things. Particularly maths. It can make some things easier - I was reading at a 12th-grade level by the time I was 11, and not through any effort on my part - but that still didn't mean I could get through
The Two Towers at 12 when I got bored of figuring out how many times Tolkien could describe the same tree, or that I could get through
Crime and Punishment at 17 when I got bored of its.... everything. I suspect Honor's innate ability to discipline herself, put in the work, and apply what she's learned has far more to do with her academic and professional success than her IQ ever did. Which is why my best friend is on his way to his 2nd Master's degree whereas I've only just got my Bachelor's, despite his IQ being "merely" above average.
ETA: I also don't think her mods have anything to do with her tactical gifts. Unless RFC hasn't told us something about Lester Tourville, he is arguably her equal in terms of innate tactical gifts, and he's a normal (though highly intelligent) human.