What Does a 96 IQ Mean?
A 96 IQ is in the average range. About 39 in 100 people score lower than 96. Clinical reports using the WISC-V or the traditional WAIS-IV wording would call 96 Average.
- Percentile
- 39.49
- How rare
- 1 in 3 score 96 or lower
- WISC-V wording
- Average
- Traditional wording (WAIS-IV)
- Average
- Distance from 100
- 0.27 SD below
- On an SD 16 test
- about 96
- On an SD 24 test
- about 94
- Our test's usual range here
- 84 to 108 (90%)
What does a 96 IQ mean?
A score of 96 is 0.27 standard deviations below the average of 100. On most IQ tests one standard deviation, the typical distance from the average, is 15 points, so 96 is 4 points away.
96 sits near the bottom of the 90 to 109 band, 14 points below the next band up. About 49 in 100 people score from 90 to 109, the average band that holds 96.
What percentile is an IQ of 96?
A score of 96 is at the 39.49th percentile. That percentile is the share of people who score lower than 96, not the share of questions right. Five points higher, 101 is at the 52.66th percentile. Five points lower, 91 is at the 27.43rd percentile. Across those ten points around 96, the percentile moves by 25.23.
How rare is an IQ of 96?
A score of 96 is common. About 39 percent of people score 96 or lower.
For every 100 people who score exactly 100, about 97 score exactly 96. These figures for 96 come from the normal curve that IQ scales are built on, and the IQ calculator works out any other score.
What would 96 be on other tests?
Not every test would print 96 for this position. Older Stanford-Binet forms and many school tests use a standard deviation of 16; there, the same position as 96 is about 96. On a scale with a standard deviation of 24, used by the Cattell test, it is about 94. 96, 96 and 94 all mean the same percentile.
Is 96 a good IQ score?
The scale does not grade the person behind a 96; it places one result among other people’s results. 96 is inside the average band, 90 to 109, where about half of all people score. What a 96 is useful for depends on the purpose, and a single online result is too rough for decisions about school, work or support. A 96 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.
How close is 96 to the average?
96 is 4 points below the exact middle, 100. That gap is 0.27 of a standard deviation, which is small. Our average IQ guide explains why the middle stays at 100.
What does an online result of 96 mean?
An online result of 96 is an estimate. When our test shows 96, the estimated range next to it is usually about 84 to 108. That range for 96 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 96 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 96 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 96, take the free IQ test. It has 30 questions and shows an estimated range with every result.
Scores near 96
- 94 IQ: 2 points lower, at the 34.46th percentile.
- 95 IQ: 1 point lower, at the 36.94th percentile.
- 97 IQ: 1 point higher, at the 42.07th percentile.
- 98 IQ: 2 points higher, at the 44.7th percentile.
Look up any score from 70 to 160, not only those near 96, in the score explorer.
FAQ
What percentile is 96 IQ?
A score of 96 is at the 39.49th percentile. That means about 39.49 percent of people score lower.
Is 96 IQ average?
Yes. 96 is inside the 90 to 109 band, where about half of all people score.
How many people have an IQ of 96?
On a whole-number scale, about 2.6 percent of people score exactly 96. About 1 in 3 people score 96 or lower.
Can an online test show 96?
Yes, as an estimate with a range: on our test a 96 usually comes with an estimated range of about 84 to 108.