What Does an IQ of 117 Mean?
Key facts about IQ 117
- 117 is around the average score typically measured for university graduates in developed countries.
- In a random group of 100 people, someone scoring 117 would typically out-score about 87 of them.
- Roughly 1.0 billion people worldwide would score 117 or higher — and about 7.1 billion would score below it.
IQ 117 in depth
An IQ score of 117 is in the high-average band (110–119) — clearly above the population mean, though short of the top decile threshold. Roughly one person in four scores above 110, so this is elevated but not rare territory.
In everyday terms, this range typically shows up as picking up new abstract material a bit faster than most peers, being comfortable with layered instructions, and doing well in academically standard environments without heroic effort. It is the most common band among university graduates.
The practical ceiling at this level is essentially absent: research on professional achievement finds people in the high-average range fully represented in medicine, law, engineering, and research. Above roughly this band, additional IQ points correlate with outcomes far more weakly than motivation and opportunity do.
What this range tends to look like day to day
- New systems and abstract frameworks are absorbed comfortably quickly
- Standard academic paths feel demanding but not overwhelming
- Verbal, spatial, or numerical strengths may sit noticeably higher than this composite
- Performance gains now come mostly from depth of practice, not raw speed
A score of 117 sits in what studies of workplace performance often call the "sweet spot" band: high enough that cognitive screening is passed everywhere, common enough that plenty of colleagues share it. Nothing in the research suggests a meaningful career or academic door is closed at this level.
IQ 117 on other test scales
Different tests use different standard deviations, so the “same” performance produces different numbers. A 117 on an SD-15 test (Wechsler-style, and this site) corresponds to:
| Scale | Used by | Equivalent score |
|---|---|---|
| SD 15 | Wechsler (WAIS/WISC), most modern tests, this site | 117 |
| SD 16 | Older Stanford–Binet forms | 118 |
| SD 24 | Cattell (used by some high-IQ societies) | 127 |
| Percentile | All scales | 87th |
Where 117 sits among all classifications
| Range | Classification | Share of population |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 69 | Extremely Low | 2.1% |
| 70–79 | Borderline | 6.5% |
| 80–89 | Low Average | 15.6% |
| 90–109 | Average | 49.5% |
| 110–119 | High Average ← IQ 117 | 16.6% |
| 120–129 | Superior | 7.2% |
| 130–144 | Very Superior (Gifted) | 2.3% |
| 145–159 | Highly Gifted | 0.1% |
| 160+ | Exceptionally Gifted | <0.1% |
How reliable is a score of 117?
Any single IQ score has a measurement error of roughly ±5 points, and scores from unsupervised online tests vary more than professionally administered ones. Treat this number as the middle of a range, not a fixed property of your brain.
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Start the Free IQ TestIQ 117 — common questions
Is an IQ of 117 good?
An IQ of 117 is above average — comfortably inside the range where about half the population scores. At this level, outcomes are driven by skills, habits and opportunity far more than by a few IQ points.
What percentile is an IQ of 117?
On a standard scale with mean 100 and SD 15, an IQ of 117 is at the 87th percentile (z-score 1.13). That means about 87% of people score below it.
How rare is an IQ of 117?
About 1 person in 8 scores 117 or higher. Worldwide, that is on the order of 1,041 million people.
What jobs can someone with an IQ of 117 do?
Almost anything — occupational research finds wide IQ ranges inside every profession. This score is inside the range of the majority of the workforce, including many demanding occupations. A single IQ score is a weak career oracle; interests and accumulated skill dominate.
Can I raise an IQ of 117?
Measured scores move with test familiarity, sleep, stress and effort — often by 5–10 points — so a first online attempt frequently understates ability. Underlying fluid intelligence, however, is stable in adulthood: "brain training" apps have repeatedly failed to raise it. What reliably grows is domain skill and knowledge, which is what actually drives most real-world performance.