Is a 139 IQ Good? What the Score Means

A 139 IQ is far above the average of 100. Only about 1 in 215 people score this high or higher. Clinical reports would call 139 Extremely High in WISC-V wording and Very Superior in the traditional WAIS-IV wording.

Percentile: 99.53
How rare: 1 in 215 score 139 or higher
WISC-V wording: Extremely High
Traditional wording (WAIS-IV): Very Superior
Distance from 100: 2.60 SD above
On an SD 16 test: about 142
On an SD 24 test: about 162
Our test's usual range here: 125 or higher (90%)

What does a 139 IQ mean?

A score of 139 is 2.60 standard deviations above the average of 100. On most IQ tests one standard deviation, the typical distance from the average, is 15 points, so 139 is 39 points away.

139 is 9 points above the start of the top band, which begins at 130 and has no upper end. About 2.5 in 100 people score anywhere in the top band that holds 139.

What percentile is an IQ of 139?

A score of 139 is at the 99.53rd percentile. That percentile is the share of people who score lower than 139, not the share of questions right. Five points higher, 144 is at the 99.83rd percentile. Five points lower, 134 is at the 98.83rd percentile. Across those ten points around 139, the percentile moves by 1.00.

How rare is an IQ of 139?

About 1 in 215 people score 139 or higher. In a town of 100,000 people, about 466 would score 139 or higher.

For every 100 people who score exactly 100, about 3 score exactly 139. These figures for 139 come from the normal curve that IQ scales are built on, and the IQ calculator works out any other score.

What would 139 be on other tests?

Not every test would print 139 for this position. Older Stanford-Binet forms and many school tests use a standard deviation of 16; there, the same position as 139 is about 142. On a scale with a standard deviation of 24, used by the Cattell test, it is about 162. 139, 142 and 162 all mean the same percentile.

Is 139 a good IQ score?

The scale does not grade the person behind a 139; it places one result among other people’s results. As a position, 139 is far above the average of 100. What a 139 is useful for depends on the purpose, and a single online result is too rough for decisions about school, work or support. A 139 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 139 enough for Mensa?

Only if the 139 comes from a supervised test that Mensa accepts. American Mensa accepts scores at or above the 98th percentile, and 139 is at the 99.53rd percentile. On the Wechsler scales the line is a full-scale IQ of 130, so 139 is 9 points above it. A 139 from an unsupervised internet test, ours included, is not accepted. Our Mensa IQ test guide explains the supervised routes to showing a 139.

Is 139 a genius IQ?

No test or psychology dictionary calls 139 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, 139 is 1 point short of it. What a person with a 139 achieves depends on far more than a test number, as what IQ is considered genius explains.

What does an online result of 139 mean?

An online result of 139 is an estimate. When our test shows 139, the estimated range next to it usually reaches 145, the top of the scale our test reports, so it is shown as “125 or higher” or close to that. That range for 139 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 139 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 139 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 139, take the free IQ test. It has 30 questions and shows an estimated range with every result.

Scores near 139

137 IQ: 2 points lower, at the 99.32nd percentile.
138 IQ: 1 point lower, at the 99.44th percentile.
140 IQ: 1 point higher, at the 99.62nd percentile.
141 IQ: 2 points higher, at the 99.69th percentile.

Look up any score from 70 to 160, not only those near 139, in the score explorer.

FAQ

What percentile is 139 IQ?

A score of 139 is at the 99.53rd percentile. That means about 99.53 percent of people score lower.

Is 139 IQ genius?

No test defines genius, so no test calls 139 genius. 139 is in the top band of the scale. Only about 1 in 215 people score this high or higher.

How many people have an IQ of 139?

On a whole-number scale, about 0.091 percent of people score exactly 139. About 1 in 215 people score 139 or higher.

Can an online test show 139?

Yes, as an estimate with a range: on our test a 139 usually comes with an estimated range shown as “125 or higher” or close to that.