IQ Percentile Chart: What Your Score Ranks Against
An IQ percentile chart shows what share of people score at or below a given IQ. Most modern IQ tests set the average at 100 with a standard deviation of 15, so an IQ of 100 is the 50th percentile, 115 is about the 84th, and 130 is about the 98th. In plain words: a 130 means you scored higher than roughly 98 out of 100 people your age.
Knowing your rank is nice, but it doesn't tell you which thinking skill to work on, and IQ Tester finds that weak spot in two minutes. Find my weak spots
IQ percentile chart (70-160)
These numbers come straight from the bell curve math (mean 100, standard deviation 15), which is how most major tests are scaled. Percentiles are rounded.
| IQ score | Percentile (approx.) | Roughly 1 in... scores this high or higher |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 2nd | Most people |
| 75 | 5th | Most people |
| 80 | 9th | Most people |
| 85 | 16th | Most people |
| 90 | 25th | Most people |
| 95 | 37th | Most people |
| 100 | 50th | 2 |
| 105 | 63rd | 3 |
| 110 | 75th | 4 |
| 115 | 84th | 6 |
| 120 | 91st | 11 |
| 125 | 95th | 21 |
| 130 | 97.7th | 44 |
| 135 | 99th | 100 |
| 140 | 99.6th | 260 |
| 145 | 99.87th | 740 |
| 150 | 99.96th | 2,300 |
| 160 | 99.997th | 31,000 |
Quick read of this iq scale chart by percentile:
- 85 to 115 is where about two-thirds of people land. That's the "average" band.
- 115 to 130 is above average.
- 130+ is the top 2 or 3 percent.
Some tests use a standard deviation of 16 or 24 instead of 15, which shifts the numbers. If a site doesn't say which scale it uses, the iq percentile score it gives you is hard to compare.
Percentile vs percentage: the difference
This trips up a lot of people, so let's clear it up.
A percentage is how many questions you got right. 80% on a quiz means you got 80 out of 100.
A percentile is how you ranked against other people. 80th percentile means you scored higher than about 80% of the comparison group.
So an "iq percentage chart" isn't really a thing. IQ is never "the percent you got right." It's a ranking, turned into a number on a scale centered at 100.
Example: you get 60% of the questions right on a really hard test. If most people your age only got 40%, you could still land in the 90th percentile. Your raw score looks meh. Your percentile looks great.
How rare is 110, 120, 130, 140?
The questions everyone actually searches.
Is 110 IQ good?
Yes. An IQ of 110 is around the 75th percentile, so higher than about three in four people. Solidly above average.
What percentile is 120 IQ?
About the 91st percentile. Roughly one in 11 people score 120 or higher.
What percentile is 130 IQ?
About the 98th percentile. Roughly one in 44 people. This is the usual cutoff people mean when they say "gifted," though schools and programs set their own rules.
How rare is 140 IQ?
About the 99.6th percentile, or roughly one in 260 people. Above this, scores get less reliable, because tests have fewer really hard questions to separate people at the very top.
Does age change your percentile?
Here's the important bit for an iq percentile chart by age: IQ is already age-adjusted. Your score compares you to people your own age, not to everyone.
So a 15-year-old with a 115 and a 40-year-old with a 115 are at the same percentile, each within their own age group. That's why iq percentiles by age look the same on paper. The raw ability behind them is different (a typical 15-year-old solves different problems than a typical 9-year-old), but the ranking within each group is what the number shows.
Two age things worth knowing:
- Teen scores can move more. Your brain is still developing, and scores in childhood and the teen years are less stable than adult scores.
- Norms get old. Average performance on IQ tests rose over the 20th century (the Flynn effect), which is why tests are re-normed from time to time. An old test can make you look better than a current one would.
Why online scores run high
Took a free test and got 138? Maybe. But be a little skeptical. Online scores often run high because:
- No real norm group. Many sites never tested a large, representative sample, so their "percentile" is made up from the math, not real people.
- Flattering is good for business. A high score gets shared. Sharing brings traffic.
- Easy questions. Short tests with simple items can't separate people well.
- Untimed or retaken. Real tests are timed and taken once.
So an iq percentile calculator online can show you where a number sits on the bell curve, but it can't make the number itself accurate. Only a properly normed test, usually given by a psychologist, can do that.
This is the part that's hard to do alone: even with a percentile, you're left guessing what to actually practice. IQ Tester skips the flattering number and shows you which skill, like patterns, memory or verbal logic, is pulling you down, then gives you a short drill for it each day. Find my weak spots
Turn your percentile into a plan
A percentile is a snapshot. Here's how to make it useful:
- Break it down. Which question types slowed you down? Patterns, number series, word problems, memory?
- Pick one. The weakest one, not the one you like.
- Drill it a few minutes a day. Daily beats weekly, especially during exam season, whether that's finals (US), GCSEs or A-levels (UK), or grade 12 exams (Canada).
- Track the trend. Your practice score on that skill should creep up over a couple of weeks.
Want to see how IQ lines up against school tests? Read IQ vs SAT score. Want something lighter? Here's which zodiac sign is the smartest, ranked for fun.
Check your weak spot, not just your IQ percentile chart rank
An IQ percentile chart tells you where you stand. IQ Tester tells you what to do next: a two-minute check that finds your weakest reasoning skill, then a short daily drill and a score that shows progress. The check-in is free, no account needed to try it, and any unlock price is shown before you pay.
FAQ
What does IQ percentile mean?
An IQ percentile is the share of people your age who scored at or below you. If you're in the 84th percentile, you scored higher than about 84 out of 100 people in that group.
What is the average IQ score?
Most tests set the average IQ score at 100, which is the 50th percentile. About two-thirds of people score between 85 and 115.
Is an IQ percentile chart by age different for teens?
Not on paper, because IQ scores are already compared within your age group. The same score means the same percentile at 15 or 40, though teen scores tend to be less stable over time.
How accurate is an online IQ percentile calculator?
The math that turns a score into a percentile is fine. The problem is the score itself, since many online tests aren't properly normed and run high. Treat the result as a rough estimate.
Is IQ percentile vs percentage the same thing?
No. A percentage is how many questions you got right. A percentile is how you ranked against other people, and IQ is always based on ranking.