Is studying for an IQ test basically cheating on it?

Yes.           

IQ tests don't measure knowledge.  They measure your ability to reason/think.

You can't study for a real IQ test. It's not based on what you know. It's based on your potential for learning. 

No. You can't study for it. IQ tests measure things like problem solving, reasoning, and detection, not rote memory. As someone here correctly pointed out, intelligence isn't about knowledge.

Yes. Then she gives the ring back to you and leaves till you ever, ever understand her and she's right.

You've never actually taken an IQ test, have you? Don't conflate knowledge and intelligence, they are not the same.

IQ tests are about your cognitive thinking and logical skills, not your knowledge of trivia.

You cannot study for a real IQ test. A real IQ measures your skills and innovative thinking over the course of the years. Most " IQ " tests are memory tests ["have you seen / done this situation/problem before"(?)] and tests of your general level of knowledge [who is Jane Eyre, who wrote A Christmas Carol and how did it end, pizza A vs pizza B for size and cost, etc etc].

You can't study for a real IQ test. It's not based on what you know. It's based on your potential for learning. 

I'm ok with it.  It's not as if you already have the test questions.