Is a 130 IQ Good? What the Score Means
A 130 IQ is far above the average of 100. About 98 in 100 people score lower than 130. Clinical reports would call 130 Extremely High in WISC-V wording and Very Superior in the traditional WAIS-IV wording.
- Percentile
- 97.72
- How rare
- 1 in 44 score 130 or higher
- WISC-V wording
- Extremely High
- Traditional wording (WAIS-IV)
- Very Superior
- Distance from 100
- 2 SD above
- On an SD 16 test
- about 132
- On an SD 24 test
- about 148
- Our test's usual range here
- 117 to 143 (90%)
What does a 130 IQ mean?
A score of 130 is two standard deviations above the average of 100. On most IQ tests one standard deviation, the typical distance from the average, is 15 points, so 130 is 30 points away.
130 is the first score of the top band, which starts at 130 and has no upper end. About 2.5 in 100 people score anywhere in the top band that holds 130.
What percentile is an IQ of 130?
A score of 130 is at the 97.72nd percentile. That percentile is the share of people who score lower than 130, not the share of questions right. Five points higher, 135 is at the 99.02nd percentile. Five points lower, 125 is at the 95.22nd percentile. Across those ten points around 130, the percentile moves by 3.80.
How rare is an IQ of 130?
About 1 in 44 people score 130 or higher. In a town of 100,000 people, about 2,300 would score 130 or higher.
For every 100 people who score exactly 100, about 14 score exactly 130. These figures for 130 come from the normal curve that IQ scales are built on, and the IQ calculator works out any other score.
What would 130 be on other tests?
Not every test would print 130 for this position. Older Stanford-Binet forms and many school tests use a standard deviation of 16; there, the same position as 130 is about 132. On a scale with a standard deviation of 24, used by the Cattell test, it is about 148. 130, 132 and 148 all mean the same percentile.
Is 130 a good IQ score?
The scale does not grade the person behind a 130; it places one result among other people’s results. As a position, 130 is far above the average of 100. What a 130 is useful for depends on the purpose, and a single online result is too rough for decisions about school, work or support. A 130 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 130 enough for Mensa?
Only if the 130 comes from a supervised test that Mensa accepts. American Mensa accepts scores at or above the 98th percentile, and 130 is at the 97.72nd percentile. On the Wechsler scales the line is a full-scale IQ of 130, so 130 is exactly on it. A 130 from an unsupervised internet test, ours included, is not accepted. Our Mensa IQ test guide explains the supervised routes to showing a 130.
Is 130 a genius IQ?
No test or psychology dictionary calls 130 a genius score, or defines one at all. The often quoted 140 goes back to a long-term study that selected children scoring above 140; by that line, 130 is 10 points short of it. What a person with a 130 achieves depends on far more than a test number, as what IQ is considered genius explains.
What does an online result of 130 mean?
An online result of 130 is an estimate. When our test shows 130, the estimated range next to it is usually about 117 to 143. That range for 130 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 130 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 130 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 130, take the free IQ test. It has 30 questions and shows an estimated range with every result.
Scores near 130
- 128 IQ: 2 points lower, at the 96.9th percentile.
- 129 IQ: 1 point lower, at the 97.34th percentile.
- 131 IQ: 1 point higher, at the 98.06th percentile.
- 132 IQ: 2 points higher, at the 98.36th percentile.
Look up any score from 70 to 160, not only those near 130, in the score explorer.
FAQ
What percentile is 130 IQ?
A score of 130 is at the 97.72nd percentile. That means about 97.72 percent of people score lower.
Is 130 IQ genius?
No test defines genius, so no test calls 130 genius. 130 is in the top band of the scale. About 98 in 100 people score lower than 130.
How many people have an IQ of 130?
On a whole-number scale, about 0.4 percent of people score exactly 130. About 1 in 44 people score 130 or higher.
Can an online test show 130?
Yes, as an estimate with a range: on our test a 130 usually comes with an estimated range of about 117 to 143.