What Is a Good IQ Score? A Clear, Beginner-Friendly Guide

What counts as a good IQ score?

On the standard IQ scale — built so the average is 100 with a standard deviation of 15 — a 'good' score generally means anything comfortably above the average range of 90 to 109. The higher above 100 you go, the rarer and more impressive the score, but the steps are not evenly spaced: rarity grows fast toward the edges of the scale.

The clearest way to judge a score is its percentile — the share of people you scored higher than. A score is 'good' largely in the sense that it sits above most people's. Here is how the main classification bands line up:

For the complete reference — every band, its percentile and its share of the population — see the full IQ score chart.

Average IQ: 90 to 109

The average IQ is exactly 100 — not by accident, but because tests are standardized so the typical person scores 100. The 'average' band runs from about 90 to 109 and contains roughly half of all people. A score in this range is not a 'bad' result: it means your measured reasoning is in line with most people's, and everyday study, work and problem-solving are well within reach.

In real terms, someone with an IQ of 100 or 105 handles the same jobs, courses and decisions as almost everyone around them. Within this band a few points rarely make a visible difference — interest, effort and experience matter far more. (See what the average really means for the full picture.)

Above-average and high IQ: 110 to 129

Scores from 110 to 119 are called High Average, and 120 to 129 Superior. This is where an advantage over the typical person becomes more consistently visible — abstract and academic material tends to come faster. About one in six people score in the 110s, and only about one in ten reach the 120s.

A score like an IQ of 120 places you in roughly the top tenth of the population — a clear, useful edge, though still some way below the gifted line. In practice, people in this range often find formal learning a little easier and gravitate toward analytical work, but the score describes tendencies, not any individual's outcome.

Gifted IQ: 130 and above

An IQ of 130 is the conventional 'gifted' threshold — roughly the top 2% of people, and the level around which high-IQ societies such as Mensa set their entry bar. Reaching an IQ of 130 is genuinely uncommon and reflects strong abstract reasoning.

'Gifted' describes measured reasoning, not guaranteed achievement. Plenty of accomplished people score below it, and a high score still depends on focus, opportunity and persistence to turn into results.

Genius IQ: 140 and above

There is no official score at which someone becomes a 'genius', but the label is usually attached to scores around 140 or 145 and above. These are extraordinarily rare — an IQ of 140 is reached by well under 1% of people, and scores get dramatically rarer from there.

See our full guide to genius IQ for where 140, 145 and 160 sit on the scale, just how rare each is, and why the eye-popping figures attached to historical figures should be treated with caution. At these extremes, even good tests measure ability least precisely.

Why percentile is the clearest measure

Because IQ follows a bell curve, every score maps to a fixed percentile — the percentage of people who score at or below it. The 50th percentile is an IQ of 100; the 84th is 115; the 98th is 130. Percentile answers the plain question a raw number doesn't: out of 100 people, how many would you expect to outscore?

Notice how the gaps stretch at the top: the jump from 130 to 145 is the same 15 points as 100 to 115, but it moves you from about the 98th to the 99.9th percentile — from roughly 1 in 50 people to 1 in 1,000. That is why a few points matter far more near the extremes than near the middle.

So, is your IQ score good?

The honest answer is that 'good' depends on what you want from the number. Above 110 is above average; above 130 is high. But 100 is healthy and normal, and any score is only ever a snapshot of one kind of reasoning under test conditions. For help reading your own result, see what your IQ score means.

IQ also measures a narrow slice of the mind. It says little about creativity, emotional intelligence, motivation, practical skill or character — all of which shape real-world success at least as much as a test score. A 'good' IQ is a useful advantage, not a verdict on a person.