Good, high and very high: where the lines fall
No test publisher defines "good". The labels below are how the official bands translate into everyday words:
- 110 to 119, high average. Ahead of 75% to 90% of people. A solidly good score.
- 120 to 129, superior ("very high" on the newest Wechsler tests). Ahead of about 91% to 97%. Most people would call this high.
- 130 and above, very superior ("extremely high"). The top 2.3%, the usual cut-off for gifted programmes and close to the 98th percentile Mensa requires.
- 145 and above. About 1 in 740. Rare enough that short tests cannot measure it reliably.
Pages such as IQ 120 and IQ 130 give the percentile and band for each score.
| Band | IQ range | Share of adults |
|---|---|---|
| Very superior | 130 and above | 2.3% |
| Superior | 120–129 | 6.8% |
| High average | 110–119 | 16.1% |
| Average | 90–109 | 49.5% |
| Low average | 80–89 | 16.1% |
| Borderline | 70–79 | 6.8% |
| Extremely low | Below 70 | 2.3% |
What is a good IQ score for adults
The same numbers apply at every adult age, because IQ tests compare you with people your own age. A 60-year-old with 115 and a 25-year-old with 115 are both one standard deviation above their peers, even though the 25-year-old will usually have answered more fluid-reasoning items correctly. That is why a fair adult test needs your age, and why a result on a test without age norms should be read with care.
For most purposes in adult life, from university to skilled professional work, a score in the 110 to 125 range is usually more than enough. Studies of occupations have reported average IQs of roughly 110 to 120 for many professional jobs, with wide spreads inside each one, so plenty of successful professionals score below those averages.
What IQ is considered smart
There is no official threshold for "smart", but most people mean above average, which on the IQ scale starts at 110 and becomes clear above 115, the top 16%. "Gifted" usually means 130 and above. "Genius" is not a band on any modern test; see what IQ is considered genius for why.
Context also changes what counts as smart. Among a class of medical students a 120 is unremarkable; in the general population it beats nine people in ten. When people ask whether their score is good, the useful question is usually "good compared with whom", and the IQ scale answers it against everyone of your age, not against a selected group.
A high score means you find abstract problems easier and learn new material faster than most. It does not mean you will be better at everything: expertise, persistence and judgement come from elsewhere.
Scores between bands: 94, 121 and other odd numbers
A single test score carries a measurement error of a few points. The standard error of measurement on a full clinical test is about 2 to 3 points, and on a short online test closer to 4 or 5. Allowing about two standard errors either side, a measured 121 is best read as "somewhere around 115 to 127", and wider on a short test, across the line between high average and superior. A measured 94 sits inside the average band and is not meaningfully different from 100.
This is why serious tests report a confidence interval alongside the number, and why moving from 118 to 122 between two attempts is not a real change.
What a high score predicts, and what it does not
- Higher IQ is associated with better school results, more years of education and, more weakly, higher income and job performance.
- The links are statistical. At the individual level, effort, health, personality and opportunity often matter as much or more.
- Above roughly 120, research on creativity and achievement finds diminishing returns from extra IQ points, although this "threshold" finding is still debated.
- Scores on one day can differ from another by several points. If a high score matters to you, take a second well-normed test and look at the overlap.
A good score is also not the same as a useful one. If you need a result for a formal purpose, such as a gifted assessment, an educational adjustment or a clinical question, only a test given by a psychologist counts. For personal interest, a well-built online test such as our IQ test shows your band for free and the exact score with its confidence interval in the full report; the Mensa-format test is modelled on the format of the matrix tests used for admission and is a fair check if 130 is the line you care about.
Sources
Wechsler, D. WAIS-IV Technical and Interpretive Manual. Pearson, 2008.
Deary, I. J. Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2020.
Schmidt, F. L. and Hunter, J. E. "The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology". Psychological Bulletin, 1998.
Frequently asked questions
What is a high IQ?
Most psychologists would call 120 or more high, which is the top 9% or so. 130 and above, the top 2.3%, is very high and is the usual threshold for giftedness.
What is considered a high IQ?
Scores of 120 to 129 are labelled superior or very high, and 130 and above very superior or extremely high. In everyday speech anything above about 115 is considered high.
What is a good IQ score?
Anything above 110 is above average and a good score. 90 to 109 is average and perfectly normal; half of all adults score in that range.
What is a good IQ score for adults?
The same as for any age group: 110 and above is above average for your age. Adult tests are age-normed, so a 70-year-old and a 30-year-old with 115 are equally far above their peers.
What IQ is considered smart?
There is no official cut-off, but above 115, the top 16%, is what most people mean. Above 130 is usually described as gifted.
What is a good IQ range?
110 to 129 covers the high average and superior bands, about 23% of adults. Anything from 90 upwards is within or above the normal range.
Is 94 a good IQ level?
94 is in the average band (90 to 109) and around the 35th percentile. Given a margin of error of several points, it is not meaningfully different from 100.
Is an IQ of 121 considered high?
Yes. 121 is just inside the superior or very high band (120 to 129) and around the 92nd percentile. Allowing for measurement error, it sits at the border of high average and superior.