IQ score chart: what your IQ means
IQ scores are set so the average is 100. Here is what each range means, how common it is, and how to read the result of any IQ test.
About 68% of people score between 85 and 115, and about 95% between 70 and 130.
IQ score ranges
| IQ | Classification | Share of people |
|---|---|---|
| 130+ | Very superior | about 2% |
| 120–129 | Superior | about 7% |
| 110–119 | High average | about 16% |
| 90–109 | Average | about 50% |
| 80–89 | Low average | about 16% |
| 70–79 | Borderline | about 7% |
| < 70 | Below average | about 2% |
How IQ scores work
An IQ score is not a count of correct answers. It compares your performance with a large reference group. Most modern tests set the average at 100 and the standard deviation at 15 points.
That makes the score a position on a bell curve: 115 is one standard deviation above average (higher than about 84% of people), 130 is two standard deviations above (about 98%).
Percentile vs IQ
The percentile tells you the share of people who score lower than you. It is often easier to understand than the IQ number itself: a percentile of 75 means you did better than three people out of four.
Near the middle of the curve a few IQ points change the percentile a lot; at the extremes, they change it very little.
Why every score has a range
No test measures ability perfectly. A score is an estimate with a margin of error, which depends on the number of questions and how well they fit your level.
That's why IQ Test Coach shows a 90% range next to your score: there's a 90% chance your true score on this kind of test lies inside it. Longer and adaptive tests give narrower ranges.
- Quick test (10 questions): a wide range — a rough first estimate.
- Full test (40 questions): a much narrower range.
- Adaptive test: stops once the range is narrow enough.
Online tests vs professional assessments
Clinical IQ tests such as the WAIS or the Stanford–Binet are given one-to-one by a trained psychologist and include many subtests. An online test measures a narrower set of reasoning skills under less controlled conditions.
Use an online result as a good indication and a starting point for practice — not for a diagnosis, a school placement or a legal decision.
Find out where you are on the curve