The IQ Score Chart: Ranges, Bands, and Percentiles

Last updated: September 2026 · Percentiles are approximate and describe the standard bell-curve scale (mean 100, SD 15).

You just got a score — 107, 128, 93. What does the number actually mean? This guide is the translator. Below is the standard chart used with the modern deviation-IQ scale, with each band explained in plain English.

How the scale works

Modern IQ tests are scored on a bell curve (normal distribution) with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation (SD) of 15. That means most people cluster near the middle, and scores get rarer as you move toward the extremes. It also means every score doubles as a percentile rank:

• 100 is dead average — by definition, the middle of the population.
• 115 is one standard deviation above the mean — better than about 84% of people.
• 130 is two standard deviations above — better than about 98% of people.
• 145 is three standard deviations above — better than about 99.9% of people.

The same works in reverse: 85 is better than about 16%, 70 about 2%. This clustering is sometimes called the 68-95-99.7 rule: about 68% of scores fall within one standard deviation of the mean (85–115), about 95% within two (70–130), and about 99.7% within three (55–145). Scores outside that range are genuinely rare — which is why extreme claims ("my IQ is 180") deserve extreme skepticism. Read our What Is IQ, Really? guide for why a score is a statistical rank, not a measurement of "brain amount."

The score bands

These bands are the standard descriptive labels. The percentiles are rough — different norming samples nudge them a little — but they are close enough to be useful.

145+ — Very high (roughly top 0.1%)

Three standard deviations above the mean or more. This is genuine rarity — about one person in a thousand. Professional tests become less precise up here because so few people in the norming sample score this high.

130–144 — High (roughly top 2%)

This is the band that qualifies for high-IQ societies: Mensa requires the top 2%, which works out to about 130 on this scale. Read more in our Mensa IQ score guide.

115–129 — Above average (roughly top 16%)

One to two standard deviations above the mean. Clearly above the middle of the pack, and a range where complex cognitive work tends to come naturally.

85–114 — Average (the middle ~68%)

This is where about two-thirds of all people land. If your score is in this band, you are in the majority — completely normal, with plenty of company.

70–84 — Below average (roughly bottom 16%)

One to two standard deviations below the mean. A mirror image of the 115–129 band: simply the lower half of the normal range of human variation.

55–69 — Low (roughly bottom 2%)

Two standard deviations or more below the mean. Scores down here on a properly administered clinical test can indicate intellectual disability, which is a clinical diagnosis made by professionals with much more than a single test score — it also requires assessment of everyday functioning.

Bands are descriptive, not destiny

Three caveats belong on every score chart:

• Margin of error. A single test score is an estimate, not an exact measurement. Professional tests report a confidence interval — typically a few points in either direction. A 112 and a 117 on two different days are effectively the same result.
• Different tests, different scales. Some older or specialized tests use a different standard deviation (16 or even 24). A 140 on one scale is not the same percentile as a 140 on another. Always check which scale a number is on.
• The band is not the person. Two people with identical scores can have wildly different strengths, because a single number hides the profile underneath — one may be a verbal star, the other a spatial star. And the number says nothing about character, creativity, or effort.

What can change a score

Scores are not carved in stone. Several ordinary factors can move a score by a few points:

• Practice effects. Retake the same test and you will usually score a little higher — familiarity, not a smarter brain.
• Sleep and mood. A bad night or a stressed morning measurably drags scores down.
• Test conditions. Distractions, time pressure, and an unfamiliar format all cost points.
• Age. Children's scores are compared against age peers, which is why IQ testing for kids works a little differently from adult testing.

This is also why professional psychologists limit how often a test can be retaken: a practiced score stops being a fair measurement. The details are in How IQ Tests Actually Work.

Where does your score land?

If you took the IQ Challenge quiz, you already have a percentile estimate — compare it to the bands above. And remember the bottom line from our IQ explainer: a score is a statistical rank of one slice of cognition. Useful information. Not an identity.

Keep exploring: take the free IQ quiz, read what IQ really is, see what score Mensa requires, or learn about IQ testing for kids.

For entertainment only — this guide is for fun and general information, not a clinical or professional assessment.

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