IQ Scale and Score Chart
What every IQ score from 70 to 160 means: the ranges, the labels, the percentiles and how rare each one is, on one page.
By the MyIQTest team · Reviewed November 2026
The short answer: the IQ scale sets the average at 100 and counts in steps of 15 points, one standard deviation each. Half of all people score 90–109, about two thirds score 85–115, and only about 2% score 130 or higher.
- 100 average IQ, by design
- 68% of people score 85–115
- 95% of people score 70–130
- 2% score 130+ (the Mensa range)
IQ percentile calculator
Type a score to see its percentile, label and rarity, or switch to percentile to find the matching score.
84th percentile
High average · 1 in 6 score higher · 115 on the standard scale
In a room of 100 people, someone with an IQ of 115 would be smarter than 84 of them.
- Outscored: 84
- Would score higher: 16
Need charts, cut-offs and the formula? Open the full IQ percentile calculator.
IQ classification chart
These are the bands used on MyIQTest. They follow the labels used by the Wechsler adult scale, the most widely used adult IQ test.
| IQ range | Classification | Share of people |
|---|---|---|
| 130+ | Very superior | |
| 120–129 | Superior | |
| 110–119 | High average | |
| 90–109 | Average | |
| 80–89 | Low average | |
| Below 80 | Below average |
The IQ scale in a room of 100 people
Put 100 random people in a room and this is how their IQs would spread out.
- Very superior (130+): 2
- Superior (120–129): 7
- High average (110–119): 16
- Average (90–109): 50
- Low average (80–89): 16
- Below average (Below 80): 9
IQ percentile chart
The percentile is the share of people who score lower. Rarity is how many people you would need to meet to find one who scores higher.
| IQ score | Percentile | Score higher | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | <1 | More than half | Extremely low |
| 60 | <1 | More than half | Extremely low |
| 65 | <1 | More than half | Extremely low |
| 70 | 2 | More than half | Below average |
| 75 | 5 | More than half | Below average |
| 80 | 9 | More than half | Low average |
| 85 | 16 | More than half | Low average |
| 90 | 25 | More than half | Average |
| 95 | 37 | More than half | Average |
| 100 | 50 | 1 in 2 | Average |
| 105 | 63 | 1 in 3 | Average |
| 110 | 75 | 1 in 4 | High average |
| 115 | 84 | 1 in 6 | High average |
| 120 | 91 | 1 in 11 | Superior |
| 125 | 95 | 1 in 21 | Superior |
| 130 | 98 | 1 in 44 | Very superior |
| 135 | 99.0 | 1 in 102 | Very superior |
| 140 | 99.6 | 1 in 261 | Very superior |
| 145 | 99.9 | 1 in 741 | Very superior |
| 150 | 99.96 | 1 in 2,330 | Very superior |
| 155 | 99.99 | 1 in 8,140 | Very superior |
| 160 | 99.99 | 1 in 31,600 | Very superior |
Most looked-up scores
Every IQ range explained
Very superior
Scores of 130 and above put you in roughly the top 2% of the population. This is the range high-IQ societies such as Mensa recruit from, and the point where most tests start to lose precision because so few people score here.
Superior
Scores from 120 to 129 are well above average, higher than roughly 91–97% of people. People in this range usually find abstract reasoning, new material and complex problems come quickly.
High average
Scores from 110 to 119 are above average, higher than roughly 75–90% of people. This is a comfortable range for university study and analytical work.
Average
Scores from 90 to 109 are the middle of the scale, where half of all people land. An average score means your reasoning is typical for your age: not a ceiling, just the center of the curve.
Low average
Scores from 80 to 89 sit just below the middle of the scale. Plenty of people score here on a given day, and tiredness, distraction or unfamiliar question styles can easily pull a result down into this range.
Below average
Scores below 80 are below the typical range on this test. Online results at this level are often affected by distraction, rushing or language, so treat them with caution and retake the test in a quiet moment.
Every score from 70 to 160
Show the percentile and rarity for every score
| IQ | Percentile | Score higher | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 2 | More than half | Below average |
| 71 | 3 | More than half | Below average |
| 72 | 3 | More than half | Below average |
| 73 | 4 | More than half | Below average |
| 74 | 4 | More than half | Below average |
| 75 | 5 | More than half | Below average |
| 76 | 5 | More than half | Below average |
| 77 | 6 | More than half | Below average |
| 78 | 7 | More than half | Below average |
| 79 | 8 | More than half | Below average |
| 80 | 9 | More than half | Low average |
| 81 | 10 | More than half | Low average |
| 82 | 12 | More than half | Low average |
| 83 | 13 | More than half | Low average |
| 84 | 14 | More than half | Low average |
| 85 | 16 | More than half | Low average |
| 86 | 18 | More than half | Low average |
| 87 | 19 | More than half | Low average |
| 88 | 21 | More than half | Low average |
| 89 | 23 | More than half | Low average |
| 90 | 25 | More than half | Average |
| 91 | 27 | More than half | Average |
| 92 | 30 | More than half | Average |
| 93 | 32 | More than half | Average |
| 94 | 34 | More than half | Average |
| 95 | 37 | More than half | Average |
| 96 | 39 | More than half | Average |
| 97 | 42 | More than half | Average |
| 98 | 45 | More than half | Average |
| 99 | 47 | More than half | Average |
| 100 | 50 | 1 in 2 | Average |
| 101 | 53 | 1 in 2 | Average |
| 102 | 55 | 1 in 2 | Average |
| 103 | 58 | 1 in 2 | Average |
| 104 | 61 | 1 in 3 | Average |
| 105 | 63 | 1 in 3 | Average |
| 106 | 66 | 1 in 3 | Average |
| 107 | 68 | 1 in 3 | Average |
| 108 | 70 | 1 in 3 | Average |
| 109 | 73 | 1 in 4 | Average |
| 110 | 75 | 1 in 4 | High average |
| 111 | 77 | 1 in 4 | High average |
| 112 | 79 | 1 in 5 | High average |
| 113 | 81 | 1 in 5 | High average |
| 114 | 82 | 1 in 6 | High average |
| 115 | 84 | 1 in 6 | High average |
| 116 | 86 | 1 in 7 | High average |
| 117 | 87 | 1 in 8 | High average |
| 118 | 88 | 1 in 9 | High average |
| 119 | 90 | 1 in 10 | High average |
| 120 | 91 | 1 in 11 | Superior |
| 121 | 92 | 1 in 12 | Superior |
| 122 | 93 | 1 in 14 | Superior |
| 123 | 94 | 1 in 16 | Superior |
| 124 | 95 | 1 in 18 | Superior |
| 125 | 95 | 1 in 21 | Superior |
| 126 | 96 | 1 in 24 | Superior |
| 127 | 96 | 1 in 28 | Superior |
| 128 | 97 | 1 in 32 | Superior |
| 129 | 97 | 1 in 38 | Superior |
| 130 | 98 | 1 in 44 | Very superior |
| 131 | 98 | 1 in 52 | Very superior |
| 132 | 98 | 1 in 61 | Very superior |
| 133 | 99 | 1 in 72 | Very superior |
| 134 | 99 | 1 in 85 | Very superior |
| 135 | 99.0 | 1 in 102 | Very superior |
| 136 | 99.2 | 1 in 122 | Very superior |
| 137 | 99.3 | 1 in 147 | Very superior |
| 138 | 99.4 | 1 in 177 | Very superior |
| 139 | 99.5 | 1 in 215 | Very superior |
| 140 | 99.6 | 1 in 261 | Very superior |
| 141 | 99.7 | 1 in 319 | Very superior |
| 142 | 99.7 | 1 in 391 | Very superior |
| 143 | 99.8 | 1 in 482 | Very superior |
| 144 | 99.8 | 1 in 596 | Very superior |
| 145 | 99.9 | 1 in 741 | Very superior |
| 146 | 99.9 | 1 in 924 | Very superior |
| 147 | 99.91 | 1 in 1,160 | Very superior |
| 148 | 99.93 | 1 in 1,460 | Very superior |
| 149 | 99.95 | 1 in 1,840 | Very superior |
| 150 | 99.96 | 1 in 2,330 | Very superior |
| 151 | 99.97 | 1 in 2,970 | Very superior |
| 152 | 99.97 | 1 in 3,790 | Very superior |
| 153 | 99.98 | 1 in 4,870 | Very superior |
| 154 | 99.98 | 1 in 6,280 | Very superior |
| 155 | 99.99 | 1 in 8,140 | Very superior |
| 156 | 99.99 | 1 in 10,600 | Very superior |
| 157 | 99.99 | 1 in 13,800 | Very superior |
| 158 | 99.99 | 1 in 18,100 | Very superior |
| 159 | 99.99 | 1 in 23,900 | Very superior |
| 160 | 99.99 | 1 in 31,600 | Very superior |
What is a normal IQ range?
The normal range is usually given as 85 to 115: one standard deviation either side of the mean, which covers about 68% of people. A stricter definition is the “average” band of 90 to 109, where half of all people land. Widen it to two standard deviations, 70 to 130, and you include about 95% of the population.
What is a good IQ score?
“Good” depends on what you compare against. Anything 100 or above beats at least half of people. A score of 110 or more is above average and higher than about 75% of people; 120 beats about 91%; and 130 beats about 98%.
High, genius and low IQ scores
High IQ
Scores of 120 or more are well above average and reached by about 1 person in 11. 130+ is the top 2%.
“Genius” IQ
An informal label dating back to Terman’s 1916 classification. About 1 person in 260 scores above 140.
Below-average IQ
About 9% of people. Online results this low are often caused by rushing or distraction; retake in a quiet moment.
Very low IQ
About 2% of people. Online results this low are usually caused by rushing, distraction or language; retake in a quiet moment.
Same percentile, different number: IQ scales compared
A score only means something next to its scale. Most modern tests use a standard deviation of 15, but some older tests use 16 and the Cattell scale uses 24. Here is the same position on all three:
| Percentile | SD 15 (standard) | SD 16 | SD 24 (Cattell) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50th (average) | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 75th | 110 | 111 | 116 |
| 84th (+1 SD) | 115 | 116 | 124 |
| 90th | 119 | 121 | 131 |
| 95th | 125 | 126 | 139 |
| 98th (Mensa) | 131 | 133 | 149 |
| 99th | 135 | 137 | 156 |
| 99.9th | 146 | 149 | 174 |
So a “Cattell 148” and a “Wechsler 130” describe the same rare result: the top 2%.
What IQ tests actually measure
An IQ score summarizes performance across several kinds of thinking. The Wechsler adult scale, for example, combines four index scores:
Verbal comprehension
Vocabulary, general knowledge and reasoning with words.
Perceptual reasoning
Solving visual and spatial problems, like the pattern puzzles in our test.
Working memory
Holding information in mind while you use it, such as repeating digits backwards.
Processing speed
How quickly and accurately you handle simple visual tasks.
These abilities are correlated: people who do well on one tend to do well on the others. Psychologists call that shared factor g, for general intelligence, a pattern Charles Spearman first described in 1904. Researchers also split abilities into fluid reasoning (solving new problems) and crystallized knowledge (what you have learned), which change differently with age.
Where the IQ scale came from
The first IQ was a ratio: mental age divided by real age, times 100, proposed by William Stern and popularized by Lewis Terman’s Stanford-Binet in 1916. It worked tolerably for children but not for adults, whose “mental age” stops rising. In 1939 David Wechsler replaced it with the deviation IQ, which places you on a bell curve of people your age with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Every modern test uses that idea, which is why the charts on this page work the same way for a teenager and a retiree.
IQ classification systems compared
The bands are conventions, not cliffs, and each test publisher draws them a little differently.
Wechsler (WAIS-IV)
The most widely used adult IQ test. MyIQTest uses these labels.
- 130+
- Very superior
- 120–129
- Superior
- 110–119
- High average
- 90–109
- Average
- 80–89
- Low average
- 70–79
- Borderline
- 69 and below
- Extremely low
Stanford-Binet 5
Shown from 80 up. It splits the top end into two gifted levels.
- 145–160
- Very gifted or highly advanced
- 130–144
- Gifted or very advanced
- 120–129
- Superior
- 110–119
- High average
- 90–109
- Average
- 80–89
- Low average
Terman, 1916 (historical)
The original Stanford-Binet labels, shown from 90 up. The labels below that are no longer used and are now considered offensive.
- Above 140
- Near genius or genius
- 120–140
- Very superior intelligence
- 110–120
- Superior intelligence
- 90–110
- Normal or average intelligence
What one IQ score can and can’t tell you
Use the scale to
- See how a score compares with the population
- Understand how rare a result is
- Decide whether a formal assessment is worth it
- Notice how practice, time of day or distraction change your results
Don’t use it to
- Replace a clinical or diagnostic assessment
- Make school, hiring or legal decisions
- Compare scores from different scales without converting
- Read meaning into a difference of 2 or 3 points
How to place your own score on the scale
- Check the scale. Find out whether your test used an SD of 15, 16 or 24, and convert with the calculator above.
- Find the band and percentile in the charts on this page.
- Think in ranges. Even professional IQ tests report a confidence band of roughly ±5 points; short online tests are less precise.
- Read what the number means on its score page, which shows rarity, nearby scores and equivalents on other scales.
IQ scale FAQ
What is a good IQ score?
Anything from 90 to 109 is average, which is where half of all people score. A score of 110 or more is above average, 120 or more is superior, and 130 or more puts you in roughly the top 2%.
What is the normal IQ range?
About 68% of people score between 85 and 115, one standard deviation either side of the average of 100. About 95% score between 70 and 130.
What IQ is considered genius?
There is no official genius cut-off. Lewis Terman’s 1916 classification called scores above 140 “near genius or genius”, and 140 is still the number most people mean. Only about 1 person in 260 scores above it.
What IQ is the 95th, 98th or 99th percentile?
On the standard scale (SD 15), the 95th percentile is an IQ of about 125, the 98th is about 131 and the 99th is about 135.
How high does the IQ scale go?
The main professional IQ tests, the Wechsler adult scale and the Stanford-Binet 5, report full-scale scores up to 160. Beyond that, scores come from special high-range tests or from estimates, and become unreliable.
Is the IQ scale linear?
The points are evenly spaced, but rarity is not. Going from 100 to 115 moves you from the 50th to the 84th percentile, while going from 130 to 145 only moves you from the 98th to the 99.9th, even though both are 15 points.
Is the IQ scale different for children and adults?
The scale is the same, but each person is compared only with people their own age. A typical 8-year-old and a typical 40-year-old both score around 100.
Do all IQ tests use the same scale?
Most modern tests, including the Wechsler scales and the Stanford-Binet 5, use a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Some older tests use 16 and the Cattell scale uses 24, so the same ability produces a bigger number. Always check the scale before comparing scores.
Where do you land on the scale?
Take the free 30-question IQ test. Score, percentile and answers, instantly.
Take the free IQ test