Is a 140 IQ Good? What the Score Means

A 140 IQ is far above the average of 100. Only about 1 in 261 people score this high or higher. Clinical reports would call 140 Extremely High in WISC-V wording and Very Superior in the traditional WAIS-IV wording.

Percentile: 99.62
How rare: 1 in 261 score 140 or higher
WISC-V wording: Extremely High
Traditional wording (WAIS-IV): Very Superior
Distance from 100: 2.67 SD above
On an SD 16 test: about 143
On an SD 24 test: about 164
Our test's usual range here: 126 or higher (90%)

What does a 140 IQ mean?

A score of 140 is 2.67 standard deviations above the average of 100. On most IQ tests one standard deviation, the typical distance from the average, is 15 points, so 140 is 40 points away.

140 is 10 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 140.

What percentile is an IQ of 140?

A score of 140 is at the 99.62nd percentile. That percentile is the share of people who score lower than 140, not the share of questions right. Five points higher, 145 is at the 99.87th percentile. Five points lower, 135 is at the 99.02nd percentile. Across those ten points around 140, the percentile moves by 0.85.

How rare is an IQ of 140?

About 1 in 261 people score 140 or higher. In a town of 100,000 people, about 383 would score 140 or higher.

For every 100 people who score exactly 100, about 3 score exactly 140. These figures for 140 come from the normal curve that IQ scales are built on, and the IQ calculator works out any other score.

What would 140 be on other tests?

Not every test would print 140 for this position. Older Stanford-Binet forms and many school tests use a standard deviation of 16; there, the same position as 140 is about 143. On a scale with a standard deviation of 24, used by the Cattell test, it is about 164. 140, 143 and 164 all mean the same percentile.

Is 140 a good IQ score?

The scale does not grade the person behind a 140; it places one result among other people’s results. As a position, 140 is far above the average of 100. What a 140 is useful for depends on the purpose, and a single online result is too rough for decisions about school, work or support. A 140 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 140 enough for Mensa?

Only if the 140 comes from a supervised test that Mensa accepts. American Mensa accepts scores at or above the 98th percentile, and 140 is at the 99.62nd percentile. On the Wechsler scales the line is a full-scale IQ of 130, so 140 is 10 points above it. A 140 from an unsupervised internet test, ours included, is not accepted. Our Mensa IQ test guide explains the supervised routes to showing a 140.

Is 140 a genius IQ?

No test or psychology dictionary calls 140 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, 140 sits right on the edge. What a person with a 140 achieves depends on far more than a test number, as what IQ is considered genius explains.

What does an online result of 140 mean?

An online result of 140 is an estimate. When our test shows 140, the estimated range next to it usually reaches 145, the top of the scale our test reports, so it is shown as “126 or higher” or close to that. That range for 140 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 140 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 140 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 140, take the free IQ test. It has 30 questions and shows an estimated range with every result.

Scores near 140

138 IQ: 2 points lower, at the 99.44th percentile.
139 IQ: 1 point lower, at the 99.53rd percentile.
141 IQ: 1 point higher, at the 99.69th percentile.
142 IQ: 2 points higher, at the 99.74th percentile.

Look up any score from 70 to 160, not only those near 140, in the score explorer.

FAQ

What percentile is 140 IQ?

A score of 140 is at the 99.62nd percentile. That means about 99.62 percent of people score lower.

Is 140 IQ genius?

No test defines genius, so no test calls 140 genius. 140 is in the top band of the scale. Only about 1 in 261 people score this high or higher.

How many people have an IQ of 140?

On a whole-number scale, about 0.076 percent of people score exactly 140. About 1 in 261 people score 140 or higher.

Can an online test show 140?

Yes, as an estimate with a range: on our test a 140 usually comes with an estimated range shown as “126 or higher” or close to that.