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What Does a 100 IQ Mean?

A 100 IQ is in the average range. About 50 in 100 people score lower than 100. Clinical reports using the WISC-V or the traditional WAIS-IV wording would call 100 Average.

Percentile
50.00
How rare
Half score higher, half lower
WISC-V wording
Average
Traditional wording (WAIS-IV)
Average
Distance from 100
none
On an SD 16 test
about 100
On an SD 24 test
about 100
Our test's usual range here
88 to 112 (90%)
Where 100 sits on the IQ curveA bell curve with a marker at 100. The shaded area to the left is the share of people who score lower; 100 is at the 50th percentile.70100130100

What does a 100 IQ mean?

A score of 100 is exactly the average. Half of people score higher and half score lower.

100 sits in the middle of the 90 to 109 band, 10 points below the next band up. About 49 in 100 people score from 90 to 109, the average band that holds 100.

What percentile is an IQ of 100?

A score of 100 is at percentile 50.00. The percentile is the share of people with a lower score, not a mark out of 100. Five points higher, 105 is at the 63.06th percentile. Five points lower, 95 is at the 36.94th percentile.

How rare is an IQ of 100?

A score of 100 is common. About 50 percent of people score 100 or higher.

These figures come from the normal curve that IQ scales are built on. The IQ calculator works out any other score.

What would 100 be on other tests?

A 100 stays 100 on every scale. All IQ scales share the same average; only the spread around it differs.

Is 100 a good IQ score?

The scale does not grade the person behind a 100; it places one result among other people’s results. 100 is inside the average band, 90 to 109, where about half of all people score. What a 100 is useful for depends on the purpose, and a single online result is too rough for decisions about school, work or support. A 100 describes some kinds of reasoning on one test, on one day, and leaves out a great deal that matters, such as effort, knowledge and character.

Why is 100 the middle of the scale?

Test makers set the average at 100 on purpose. The average score of a test’s norming sample, a large group tested to set the scale, is defined as 100. Our average IQ guide explains more.

What does an online result of 100 mean?

An online result of 100 is an estimate. When our test shows 100, the estimated range next to it is usually about 88 to 112. That range for 100 is provisional: it comes from our scoring model and a simulation, not yet from real test takers. Our methodology shows how the range is made.

An unsupervised online 100 may also run a little high: a large review found a gap of about 3 IQ points. Taking the same kind of test again usually raises a score like 100 a little, mostly on the first retakes. Our guide are IQ tests accurate covers this in depth.

To see where your own result falls next to 100, take the free IQ test. It has 30 questions and shows an estimated range with every result.

Scores near 100

  • 98 IQ: 2 points lower, at the 44.7th percentile.
  • 99 IQ: 1 point lower, at the 47.34th percentile.
  • 101 IQ: 1 point higher, at the 52.66th percentile.
  • 102 IQ: 2 points higher, at the 55.3rd percentile.

Look up any score from 70 to 160, not only those near 100, in the score explorer.

FAQ

What percentile is 100 IQ?

A score of 100 is at the 50th percentile. Half of people score lower.

Is 100 IQ average?

Yes. 100 is inside the 90 to 109 band, where about half of all people score.

How many people have an IQ of 100?

On a whole-number scale, about 2.7 percent of people score exactly 100. Half of all people score 100 or higher.

Can an online test show 100?

Yes, as an estimate with a range: on our test a 100 usually comes with an estimated range of about 88 to 112.