IQ Score Chart: Ranges, Percentiles & What They Mean
IQ scores follow a normal distribution with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. This chart shows every classification band — and every score from 55 to 200 links to a full interpretation page with percentile, rarity, scale conversions and research context.
The classification bands
| IQ Range | Classification | Percentile (at range start) | Share of population |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≤ 69 | Extremely Low | — | 2.1% |
| 70–79 | Borderline | 2nd | 6.5% |
| 80–89 | Low Average | 9th | 15.6% |
| 90–109 | Average | 25th | 49.5% |
| 110–119 | High Average | 75th | 16.6% |
| 120–129 | Superior | 91st | 7.2% |
| 130–144 | Very Superior (Gifted) | 98th | 2.3% |
| 145–159 | Highly Gifted | 99.9th | 0.1% |
| 160+ | Exceptionally Gifted | 99.99th | <0.1% |
Percentiles and rarity for common scores
Percentile = the share of people scoring below that number. Rarity = how many people you would need to gather to expect one score that high (or low, for scores under 100).
| IQ score | Percentile | Top / Bottom | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| IQ 70 | 2nd | bottom 2% | 1 in 44 |
| IQ 80 | 9th | bottom 9% | 1 in 11 |
| IQ 85 | 16th | bottom 16% | 1 in 6 |
| IQ 90 | 25th | bottom 25% | 1 in 4 |
| IQ 95 | 37th | bottom 37% | 1 in 3 |
| IQ 100 | 50th | top 50% | 1 in 2 |
| IQ 105 | 63rd | top 37% | 1 in 3 |
| IQ 110 | 75th | top 25% | 1 in 4 |
| IQ 115 | 84th | top 16% | 1 in 6 |
| IQ 120 | 91st | top 9% | 1 in 11 |
| IQ 125 | 95th | top 5% | 1 in 21 |
| IQ 130 | 98th | top 2% | 1 in 44 |
| IQ 135 | 99th | top 1% | 1 in 102 |
| IQ 140 | 99.6th | top 0.4% | 1 in 261 |
| IQ 145 | 99.9th | top 0.1% | 1 in 741 |
| IQ 150 | 99.9+th | top 0.04% | 1 in 2,330 |
| IQ 160 | 99.99th | top 0.00% | 1 in 31,560 |
How to read the chart
Three things keep an IQ chart honest. First, bands, not points: any single score carries roughly ±5 points of measurement error, so "IQ 128" and "IQ 132" are not meaningfully different results. Second, percentiles beat raw numbers: "top 2%" transfers cleanly between tests, while "130" depends on the test's standard deviation. Third, the extremes are soft: below 70 and above 145, tests have few calibration data points and error bars widen substantially.
Want to know where you fall? Our free 35-question test gives you an instant estimate, and the percentile calculator converts any score you already have.
Every score, explained
A dedicated interpretation page for each score:
Exceptionally Gifted (160+)
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Start the Free IQ TestFrequently asked questions
What is a normal IQ score?
By construction, the average is 100 and about half of all people score between 90 and 109 — the "Average" band. Roughly 68% of the population falls between 85 and 115 (within one standard deviation of the mean).
What IQ score is considered gifted?
130 and above is the most widely used gifted threshold — about the top 2% of the population. School gifted programs typically use this cutoff, and Mensa's top-2% requirement corresponds to roughly 131–132 on an SD-15 scale.
What is the highest possible IQ score?
Mainstream modern tests report ceilings around 160 (some extended norms go a little higher). Famous figures like "IQ 200+" come from childhood ratio calculations, extrapolations or folklore — not from any properly normed modern test. That is why our own test caps its estimate at 145.
Are IQ classifications the same on every test?
The labels differ slightly between publishers (e.g., Wechsler's "Very Superior" vs Stanford-Binet's "Gifted"), but the underlying math is shared: mean 100, and bands drawn at one, two and three standard deviations. Tests with a different SD (16 or 24) produce different-looking numbers for the same percentile — see the conversion table on each score page.