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Is a 123 IQ Good? What the Score Means

A 123 IQ is well above the average of 100. About 94 in 100 people score lower than 123. Clinical reports would call 123 Very High in WISC-V wording and Superior in the traditional WAIS-IV wording.

Percentile
93.74
How rare
1 in 16 score 123 or higher
WISC-V wording
Very High
Traditional wording (WAIS-IV)
Superior
Distance from 100
1.53 SD above
On an SD 16 test
about 125
On an SD 24 test
about 137
Our test's usual range here
111 to 135 (90%)
Where 123 sits on the IQ curveA bell curve with a marker at 123. The shaded area to the left is the share of people who score lower; 123 is at the 93.74th percentile.70100130123

What does a 123 IQ mean?

A score of 123 is 1.53 standard deviations above the average of 100. On most IQ tests one standard deviation, the typical distance from the average, is 15 points, so 123 is 23 points away.

123 sits near the bottom of the 120 to 129 band, 7 points below the next band up. About 7 in 100 people score from 120 to 129, the second highest band, which holds 123.

What percentile is an IQ of 123?

A score of 123 is at the 93.74th percentile. That percentile is the share of people who score lower than 123, not the share of questions right. Five points higher, 128 is at the 96.9th percentile. Five points lower, 118 is at the 88.49th percentile. Across those ten points around 123, the percentile moves by 8.41.

How rare is an IQ of 123?

About 1 in 16 people score 123 or higher. In a town of 100,000 people, about 6,300 would score 123 or higher.

For every 100 people who score exactly 100, about 31 score exactly 123. These figures for 123 come from the normal curve that IQ scales are built on, and the IQ calculator works out any other score.

What would 123 be on other tests?

Not every test would print 123 for this position. Older Stanford-Binet forms and many school tests use a standard deviation of 16; there, the same position as 123 is about 125. On a scale with a standard deviation of 24, used by the Cattell test, it is about 137. 123, 125 and 137 all mean the same percentile.

Is 123 a good IQ score?

The scale does not grade the person behind a 123; it places one result among other people’s results. As a position, 123 is well above the average of 100. What a 123 is useful for depends on the purpose, and a single online result is too rough for decisions about school, work or support. A 123 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.

Is a score of 123 gifted?

There is no single gifted cutoff that a 123 either meets or misses; each school or program sets its own rule. Many programs use the top 10 percent as a guide, and a 123 is in the top 6.26 percent of people, inside that guide. A child’s 123 counts for a program only when it comes from a supervised test given by a psychologist or the school. Our guide for parents explains how that works.

What does an online result of 123 mean?

An online result of 123 is an estimate. When our test shows 123, the estimated range next to it is usually about 111 to 135. That range for 123 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 123 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 123 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 123, take the free IQ test. It has 30 questions and shows an estimated range with every result.

Scores near 123

  • 121 IQ: 2 points lower, at the 91.92nd percentile.
  • 122 IQ: 1 point lower, at the 92.88th percentile.
  • 124 IQ: 1 point higher, at the 94.52nd percentile.
  • 125 IQ: 2 points higher, at the 95.22nd percentile.

Look up any score from 70 to 160, not only those near 123, in the score explorer.

FAQ

What percentile is 123 IQ?

A score of 123 is at the 93.74th percentile. That means about 93.74 percent of people score lower.

Is 123 IQ gifted?

Whether 123 counts as gifted depends on the program. Many use the top 10 percent as a guide, and 123 is in the top 6.3 percent.

How many people have an IQ of 123?

On a whole-number scale, about 0.8 percent of people score exactly 123. About 1 in 16 people score 123 or higher.

Can an online test show 123?

Yes, as an estimate with a range: on our test a 123 usually comes with an estimated range of about 111 to 135.