What Is a Good IQ Score? A Plain-English Guide

If you've ever finished an IQ test and stared at the number wondering "wait… is that good?", you're in good company. IQ scores only make sense once you know what the scale is built on. The good news: it's simpler than it looks.

The average IQ is 100 — on purpose

IQ isn't measured in some absolute unit like centimetres. Instead, scores are designed so that the average person lands at 100. The scale uses a "standard deviation" of 15, which is just a fancy way of describing how spread out the scores are. Because of that design, most people cluster near the middle and very few sit at the extremes.

In practice, about two-thirds of everyone scores between 85 and 115. So if you land anywhere in that band, you're squarely in the normal range — right where the majority of people are.

The IQ classification scale

Here's the standard way psychologists group IQ scores. Think of these as broad neighbourhoods, not hard walls:

• 130 and above — Very Superior (roughly the top 2%, often called the "gifted" range)
• 120–129 — Superior (top 10% of test-takers)
• 110–119 — High Average (comfortably above typical)
• 90–109 — Average (where most people land)
• Below 90 — Developing (plenty of room to grow with practice)

So what's a "good" score?

Honestly? Anything above 100 means you scored better than the average person. But if you want a cleaner benchmark: a score of 110+ puts you ahead of roughly 75% of people, and 120+ puts you in the top 10%. A score of 130 or higher is the threshold most high-IQ societies use for membership.

The single most useful number isn't your IQ — it's your percentile. It tells you exactly how many people you scored higher than.

That's why The Cognitive Metrics reports your global percentile alongside your score. "You scored higher than 88% of test-takers" is a lot more meaningful than a bare number floating in space.

What a good score is NOT

A quick reality check. Your IQ score is a snapshot of certain reasoning skills on a certain day — it is not a verdict on your worth, creativity, work ethic or future success. Some of the most accomplished people on the planet have unremarkable test scores, and plenty of high scorers never do much with it. Treat the number as a starting line, not a finish line.

Find out where you land

The fastest way to answer "what's a good IQ score for me?" is to take a properly calibrated test and get your percentile. Our 30-question assessment measures five cognitive domains and gives you an exact score, your global ranking and a breakdown of your strengths — in about 25 minutes.