IQ score chart: what is a good IQ score?
Most modern IQ tests are scaled so that the average score is 100 and the standard deviation is 15. That means scores follow a bell curve, with most people close to 100 and few people at the very low or very high ends.
IQ score ranges
| IQ score | Commonly used label | Roughly how many people |
|---|---|---|
| 130 and above | Very superior | About 2% |
| 120 to 129 | Superior | About 7% |
| 110 to 119 | High average | About 16% |
| 90 to 109 | Average | About 50% |
| 80 to 89 | Low average | About 16% |
| 70 to 79 | Borderline | About 7% |
| Below 70 | Extremely low | About 2% |
Percentages are approximate and based on the normal distribution. Label names vary slightly between test publishers.
What is a good IQ score?
Any score from 90 to 109 is average, and about two thirds of people score between 85 and 115. A score above 115 is above average, and a score above 130 puts you in roughly the top 2%. A "good" score depends on what you want to compare it to, and a single number says little about your skills, creativity or potential.
Why online scores can differ
- Different tests use different scales (some use a standard deviation of 15, others 16 or 24).
- Short tests have more measurement error than long supervised tests.
- Practice, sleep, stress and distractions affect the result on the day.
For an official score, ask a licensed psychologist. To try our pattern-reasoning test, see how it works or learn about Raven's Progressive Matrices.