Scores
The IQ Scale Explained: Every Score Range
On this page
- What is the IQ scale?
- How are IQ scores spread?
- IQ score ranges and labels
- IQ chart: scores, percentiles and rarity
- What does each IQ band mean?
- What counts as a high or low IQ score?
- Do all IQ tests use the same scale?
- How precise is a single IQ score?
- What does the IQ scale not tell you?
- Look up any score
- FAQ
The IQ scale is a way of ranking reasoning scores around an average of 100. On most tests, one standard deviation is 15 points. Scores from 90 to 109 are average, and scores of 130 and up are the top band. Every label depends on which system the test uses.
What is the IQ scale?
The IQ scale is a standard score scale with an average of 100. It does not count right answers. It shows how far a result sits from the average of a comparison group.
That comparison group is the test’s norming sample. A norming sample is a large group of people who took the test first to set its scale. Their average becomes 100. In Wechsler’s method, a person who scores at the mean of their age group gets exactly 100.
The spread is set by the standard deviation. A standard deviation (SD) is the typical distance from the average. On most modern tests it is 15 points. Some tests use 16, and a few older ones use 24.
This kind of score is called a deviation IQ. It replaced the old ratio IQ, which divided mental age by real age. Our IQ calculator shows both formulas.
How are IQ scores spread?
IQ scores follow a bell curve: most people score near 100, and fewer people score far from it. The curve is the same shape on both sides. That is why 85 and 115 are equally common.
- 130 and above: Extremely High (WISC-V wording), Very Superior (traditional wording), 2.5% of people
- 120 to 129: Very High (WISC-V wording), Superior (traditional wording), 7.2% of people
- 110 to 119: High Average (WISC-V wording), High Average (traditional wording), 16.6% of people
- 90 to 109: Average (WISC-V wording), Average (traditional wording), 49.5% of people
- 80 to 89: Low Average (WISC-V wording), Low Average (traditional wording), 15.6% of people
- 70 to 79: Very Low (WISC-V wording), Borderline (traditional wording), 6.5% of people
- 69 and below: Extremely Low (WISC-V wording), Extremely Low (traditional wording), 2.1% of people
Here is how the shares work out on an SD 15 test:
- About 68.3% of people score within one SD of the average, from 85 to 115.
- About 95.4% score within two SDs, from 70 to 130.
- About 99.7% score within three SDs, from 55 to 145.
So the middle is crowded and the ends are thin. A few points near 100 pass many people. The same few points near 145 pass very few. For example, 115 is at the 84.13th percentile. Going 15 more points, to 130, only moves you to at the 97.72nd percentile.
The average IQ guide explains why the middle stays at 100 over time.
IQ score ranges and labels
IQ score ranges are grouped into seven bands, and each band has a label. The table shows two label systems: the WISC-V wording and the older traditional wording used in WAIS-IV reports.
| Score range | WISC-V wording | Traditional wording (WAIS-IV) | Share of people |
|---|---|---|---|
| 130 and above | Extremely High | Very Superior | 2.5% |
| 120 to 129 | Very High | Superior | 7.2% |
| 110 to 119 | High Average | High Average | 16.6% |
| 90 to 109 | Average | Average | 49.5% |
| 80 to 89 | Low Average | Low Average | 15.6% |
| 70 to 79 | Very Low | Borderline | 6.5% |
| 69 and below | Extremely Low | Extremely Low | 2.1% |
The shares are computed from the normal curve for whole-number scores.
A few things stand out. The two systems agree in the middle: both say Average for 90 to 109. They also agree on High Average and Low Average. They differ at the ends.
Newer tests do not all use the WISC-V words either. Reports for the WAIS-5, for example, call some scores in the 110s “Above average”. So a label only makes sense next to the name of its system.
Why do label systems differ?
Label systems differ because publishers have changed the words over time, and different tests use different wording. The Pearson materials we read show the WISC-V words and the older traditional words side by side. Reports for the WAIS-5 use other words again.
We do not know the publisher’s full reasoning, because we have not read it in a primary source. So we do not guess. What matters for you is simple: two labels can describe the same score.
For example, a 125 is Very High in WISC-V wording and Superior in the traditional wording. The rank among people is the same either way. Its percentile is 95.22.
This is why every label on this site names its system. A label without its system can mislead.
IQ chart: scores, percentiles and rarity
This IQ chart gives the percentile and rarity for common scores on an SD 15 test. Every number is computed from the normal curve, the same way as our calculator.
| IQ score | Percentile | How rare |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 2.28 | 1 in 44 score this low or lower |
| 80 | 9.12 | 1 in 11 score this low or lower |
| 85 | 15.87 | 1 in 6 score this low or lower |
| 90 | 25.25 | 1 in 4 score this low or lower |
| 100 | 50.00 | half score higher, half lower |
| 110 | 74.75 | 1 in 4 score this high or higher |
| 115 | 84.13 | 1 in 6 score this high or higher |
| 120 | 90.88 | 1 in 11 score this high or higher |
| 125 | 95.22 | 1 in 21 score this high or higher |
| 130 | 97.72 | 1 in 44 score this high or higher |
| 135 | 99.02 | 1 in 102 score this high or higher |
| 140 | 99.62 | 1 in 261 score this high or higher |
| 145 | 99.87 | 1 in 741 score this high or higher |
| 150 | 99.96 | 1 in 2,300 score this high or higher |
| 160 | above 99.99 | 1 in 32,000 score this high or higher |
Read the chart from the middle out. Near 100, five points move you past many people. Near 150, five points move you past very few, but the rarity climbs fast. Rarity above 1,000 is rounded to two significant figures, because no test is precise enough for more.
What does each IQ band mean?
Each IQ band is a range of scores that share a label. Here is what each band means in plain words, from the top down.
130 and above. This is the top band, Extremely High in WISC-V wording. About 2.5% of people score here. It includes Mensa’s line of 130 on Wechsler tests.
120 to 129. Very High in WISC-V wording, Superior in the traditional wording. About 7.2% of people score here. It is clearly above most scores.
110 to 119. Both systems call it High Average. About 16.6% of people score here. The middle of this band, 115, is one standard deviation above the average.
90 to 109. The average band, where about 49.5% of people score. Both systems call it Average. It is the most common place to land.
80 to 89. Both systems call it Low Average. About 15.6% of people score here. The middle of this band, 85, is one standard deviation below the average.
70 to 79. Very Low in WISC-V wording and Borderline in the traditional wording. About 6.5% of people score here. A score here is not a diagnosis.
69 and below. Both systems call it Extremely Low. About 2.1% of people score here. Any diagnosis needs a full professional assessment, as the next sections explain.
What counts as a high or low IQ score?
The scale has no official “good” score. It places a result among other people’s results: at the middle, above it or below it. Where a line falls depends on the purpose. A school program for gifted students, a research study and Mensa all set their own lines, and each score from 70 to 160 has its own page, for example what a 115 IQ means.
What is a high IQ score?
A high IQ score usually means 130 or more, the top band in both label systems. About 1 in 44 people score that high. Scores from 120 to 129 are also clearly above most people.
The line of 130 matters in practice. Mensa accepts scores at or above the 98th percentile, which is about two standard deviations above the mean, rounded off. On Wechsler tests that is a full-scale IQ of 130. The Mensa IQ test page lists the accepted tests.
Above 145, scores get hard to measure. Every test has a ceiling. The WISC-V full-scale score, for example, runs from 40 to 160. Our page on genius IQ explains the popular cutoffs. The highest IQ score page covers test ceilings.
What is a low IQ score?
A low IQ score usually means a score below 80, under the low average band. Scores from 70 to 79 are uncommon, and scores below 70 are rarer still. A score is a fact about one test on one day. It is not a judgment of a person.
A low score alone is not a diagnosis. Intellectual disability is defined by limits in two areas, not one. The first is reasoning, where a score around 70, or as high as 75, counts as a significant limit. The second is adaptive behavior. Both must begin before age 22.
Adaptive behavior means the skills of everyday life. They fall into three groups: conceptual, social and practical skills. Conceptual skills include language, reading, money, time and number concepts. Practical skills include personal care, work skills, travel, routines and safety. These skills can also be measured with standardized tests.
So a professional looks at much more than one number. If you need an assessment for school, work or support, a psychologist can give a full test. The guide to IQ tests for kids explains the route for children.
An online score in this range deserves extra care. Online tests are estimates, and our own test shows a wide range around every result.
Do all IQ tests use the same scale?
No. All modern IQ tests put the average at 100, but they do not all use the same standard deviation. Most use 15. Older Stanford-Binet forms and many school tests use 16. The Cattell test and the old Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices use 24.
The same rank therefore gets a different number on each scale:
| SD 15 | SD 16 | SD 24 |
|---|---|---|
| 115 | 116 | 124 |
| 130 | 132 | 148 |
| 145 | 148 | 172 |
This explains many confusing claims. A “148” on one test can be the same result as a “130” on another. Always ask which scale a score uses before you compare it.
Why do IQ tests need new norms?
IQ tests need new norms because raw scores on intelligence tests have risen over time in many countries. This rise is called the Flynn effect. It has run at roughly 9 points per 30 years, more for reasoning puzzles than for knowledge.
If a test kept its old norms, the average person today would score above 100. New norms reset the middle to 100 again. That is why a score always belongs to one test and one norm set.
The trend is not the same everywhere. In Norwegian military data, the rise, its turning point and a later fall all appeared within families. The researchers read this as a sign of environmental causes. The average IQ guide covers this in more depth.
How precise is a single IQ score?
No single IQ score is exact, even on the best clinical tests. Every test has a standard error of measurement. That is the typical amount a person’s score would move if they were tested again and again.
Clinical reports show this openly. In one publisher’s sample report, a full-scale IQ of 111 comes with a 95% range of 106 to 116. Its standard error of measurement is 3.00 points.
Online tests are less precise. On our own test, a result of 100 usually comes with a 90% range of about 88 to 112. Unsupervised online tests also run a little high on average, by about 3 points in a large review. Our methodology shows how our range is made. The guide are IQ tests accurate covers the wider question.
What does the IQ scale not tell you?
The IQ scale ranks performance on one set of tasks; it does not describe a whole person. A full-scale IQ is a summary of several parts. A modern adult test, for example, covers five areas: verbal comprehension, visual spatial skills, fluid reasoning, working memory and processing speed.
Two people with the same full-scale score can have very different profiles across those areas. Clinical reports list the parts as well as the total.
Different puzzles also draw on different skills. Research on matrix puzzles found that higher scorers mainly differ in finding abstract rules and in holding many steps in mind at once. Our page on IQ test questions shows each kind of puzzle with worked answers.
Look up any score
Move the slider or type a score from 70 to 160 to see its percentile, band and rarity, and the same position on scales with a wider spread.
Any whole score from 70 to 160. Arrow keys on the slider move one point.
- Percentile
- 84.13
- Band
- Above average
- People scoring lower
- about 84 in 100
- How rare
- about 1 in 6 at or above
- Same position, SD 16
- 116
- Same position, SD 24
- 124
Every score page, by band
70 to 79: Very Low (WISC-V), Borderline (traditional)
80 to 89: Low Average (WISC-V), Low Average (traditional)
90 to 109: Average (WISC-V), Average (traditional)
110 to 119: High Average (WISC-V), High Average (traditional)
120 to 129: Very High (WISC-V), Superior (traditional)
130 and up: Extremely High (WISC-V), Very Superior (traditional)
To find where you are yourself, you need a score from a test with norms. You can take our free IQ test in one sitting. It shows your estimate, a 90% range and a percentile. For a formal assessment, the page on what an IQ test costs explains the options.
FAQ
What is a normal IQ range?
A normal IQ range is 90 to 109, the average band in both label systems. About 49.5% of people score in it. A wider view, 85 to 115, covers about two in three people.
Is 120 a high IQ?
Yes. A 120 is at the 90.88th percentile, well above the average band. It is Very High in WISC-V wording.
Is 130 a high IQ?
Yes. A 130 is at the 97.72nd percentile, the start of the top band. Read what a 130 IQ means for its full profile.
What is the lowest IQ score?
There is no fixed lowest score on the IQ scale itself. Each test has a floor, the lowest score it can report. That floor is set by the test, not by the scale.
Can IQ scores be above 160?
In theory the scale has no top, but every test does. Short online tests stop much lower than clinical ones. Mensa’s supervisory psychologist calls claims of 180 or 200, for people who died before tests existed, not credible.
What IQ range counts as gifted?
There is no single gifted range. Many programs use the top 10 percent as a guide. On an SD 15 test, the top 10 percent starts at about 119.2. Each school or program sets its own rule, so check with them.
Does the IQ scale work the same for children and adults?
No. IQ compares you with people of your own age, so the same scale applies at every age. A 115 at age 12 and a 115 at age 40 both mean one standard deviation above people of that age. The calculator works the same way for any age.
Is 100 IQ average?
Yes. 100 is the exact middle of the scale by design. Half of people score higher and half score lower. See what a 100 IQ means.