IQ Percentile Calculator
The IQ percentile calculator lets you find out what percentage of people score lower than you in the IQ test scales. IQ, a measure of fluid intelligence, is known to be the best predictor of academic and occupational success, especially in cognitively demanding disciplines, which is why finding your IQ can help you when making decisions about your career.
In the text below you’ll find explanations of a few terms (percentile and IQ meaning), an interpretations of the results, an IQ levels classification, and some IQ charts. We’ll also discuss the subject of average IQ score, common IQ test scales, and IQ distribution.
What does IQ mean?
Psychologists divide human intelligence into crystallized and fluid intelligence. Crystallized intelligence refers to acquired knowledge and skills. Fluid intelligence means a general cognitive ability, ability to learn new things, reason, recognize patterns, and draw inferences.
IQ is a score obtained from tests invented to measure fluid intelligence. IQ stands for Intelligence Quotient. It's called this way because it used to equal the mental age (based on the test score) divided by chronological age and multiplied by 100.
Nowadays, it is no longer a quotient, although the name remains. The so-called deviation IQ used by most tests is determined by comparing scores to the average performance of the representative group in the person's age range. Raw test scores are converted to standard scores where the average IQ is 100 and the standard deviation is usually 15.
IQ distribution
Intelligence follows the normal distribution, which means its has a bell curve shape. Most people have a near-average IQ score (around 100). The more extreme the result, the fewer the amount of people that scoring them. In simple words, this means there are a lot of "normies", a few geniuses, and a few intellectually disabled people in a standard population.
If we apply the empirical rule to IQ distribution, we can say that 68% of people have an IQ between 85 and 115; 95% - between 70 and 130; and 99.7% - between 55 and 145.
Find out more about the terms mentioned in our tools:
IQ percentile
The percentile of a score is the percentage of people who score equal to or below the score. For example, an IQ score of 70 is in the 2nd percentile (for SD = 15), which means that only 2% of people score 70 or lower. IQ 125 is at the 95th percentile - 95% of people have an IQ equal to or less than 125. This means 5% of the population score higher.
Knowing your IQ percentile lets you determine how you stack up against the rest of the population (read: whether you've got the brain it takes to become the second Einstein).
How to use the IQ percentile calculator?
First, you need to take a reliable (standardized) IQ test. The majority of those you find online don't qualify. The most commonly used IQ test is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). Other widely used tests include:
- Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale;
- Cattell Culture Fair Intelligence Test;
- Universal Nonverbal Intelligence;
- Differential Ability Scales; and
- Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities.
Once you have the test result:
- Input your score in the IQ percentile calculator.
- Check what the standard deviation for the IQ test you took is. The default of the IQ percentile calculator is 15 (as in the Wechsler and SB5 tests). In the advanced mode, you can change it to 16.
- The calculator will display the percentile for your score and the explanation. You'll also see a distribution chart - scores below yours are displayed in dark blue, scores above - in light blue. IQ scores are displayed on the X axis. The Y axis denotes the percentage of population that have that IQ. For example, you can read from the chart that around 2.7% of population has an IQ of 100.
Note that the IQ scale ranges may differ depending on the test type. The chart doesn't account for test type, so any score out of the test range is not reliable.
IQ percentile chart
If you're wondering what IQ distribution looks like and what is a high IQ, have a look at the IQ percentile chart:
IQ score | IQ percentile |
|---|---|
20 | 0.000004 |
30 | 0.0002 |
40 | 0.003 |
50 | 0.04 |
60 | 0.4 |
70 | 2 |
80 | 9 |
90 | 25 |
100 | 50 |
110 | 75 |
120 | 91 |
130 | 98 |
140 | 99.6 |
150 | 99.96 |
160 | 99.997 |
170 | 99.99985 |
180 | 99.999996 |
The values were calculated for standard deviation of 15.
IQ levels classification tables - what is a high IQ?
Once you know your score, you may want to have a look at the IQ charts and compare different IQ levels. It will help you determine IQ meaning, average IQ score ("normal" IQ), and answer the question "What is a high IQ?".
Current Wechsler (WAIS–IV, WPPSI–IV) IQ classification
IQ Range ("deviation IQ") | IQ Classification |
|---|---|
130 and above | Very Superior |
120-129 | Superior |
110-119 | High Average |
90-109 | Average |
80-89 | Low Average |
70-79 | Borderline |
69 and below | Extremely Low |
- after Groth-Marnat 2009
Stanford–Binet Fifth Edition (SB5) classification
IQ Range ("deviation IQ") | IQ Classification |
|---|---|
144+ | Very gifted or highly advanced |
130-144 | Gifted or very advanced |
120-129 | Superior |
110-119 | High average |
90-109 | Average |
80-89 | Low average |
70-79 | Borderline impaired or delayed |
55-69 | Mildly impaired or delayed |
40-54 | Moderately impaired or delayed |
Woodcock–Johnson R
IQ Score | WJ III Classification |
|---|---|
131 and above | Very superior |
121 to 130 | Superior |
111 to 120 | High Average |
90 to 110 | Average |
80 to 89 | Low Average |
70 to 79 | Low |
69 and below | Very Low |
DAS-II 2007 GCA classification
General Conceptual Ability | Classification |
|---|---|
≥ 130 | Very high |
120-129 | High |
110-119 | Above average |
90-109 | Average |
80-89 | Below average |
70-79 | Low |
≤ 69 | Very low |
Sources
We used the following literature to build this calculator:
-
Dumont, Ron; Willis, John O.; Elliot, Colin D. (2009). Essentials of DAS-II® Assessment. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-470-22520-2.
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Groth-Marnat, Gary (2009). Handbook of Psychological Assessment (Fifth ed.). Hoboken (NJ): Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-08358-1.
-
Hunt, Earl. “Expertise, talent, and social encouragement.” The Cambridge handbook of expertise and expert performance (2006).
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Hunter, John E. "Cognitive ability, cognitive aptitudes, job knowledge, and job performance." Journal of vocational behavior 29.3 (1986): 340-362
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Hunter, John E, Frank L Schmidt, and Michael K Judiesch. "Individual differences in output variability as a function of job complexity." Journal of Applied Psychology 75.1 (1990): 28.
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Kaufman, Alan S. (2009). IQ Testing 101. New York: Springer Publishing. pp. 151–153. ISBN 978-0-8261-0629-2.
-
Urbina, Susana (2011). "Chapter 2: Tests of Intelligence". In Sternberg, Robert J.; Kaufman, Scott Barry (eds.). The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 20–38. ISBN 978-0-521-73911-5.
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Weiss, Lawrence G.; Saklofske, Donald H.; Prifitera, Aurelio; Holdnack, James A., eds. (2006). WISC-IV Advanced Clinical Interpretation. Practical Resources for the Mental Health Professional. Burlington (MA): Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-088763-7.
FAQ
What is the upper 2% IQ?
The top 2% IQ corresponds to IQ scores above 130. In terms of percentiles, this means that the 98th percentile of IQ distribution lies around the score of 130.
How rare is a 150 IQ?
The IQ level of 150 corresponds to the 99.96th percentile. That is, only 0.04% of people, that is, 4 people in 10 000, have IQs greater than 150.
What IQ is 99th percentile?
The IQ level corresponding to the 99th percentile is 135. It means that 99% of people have IQs at most 135, and only 1% of people have IQs greater than 135.
How do I find my IQ percentile?
To find your IQ percentile, you need to:
- Determine your IQ with a reliable IQ test. (Most of the free online tests are not reliable.)
- Use a reliable IQ percentile chart or an online IQ percentile calculator to discover your IQ percentile.
- Recall that the IQ percentile is the percentage of people with an IQ not exceeding your IQ.
- For instance, if your IQ percentile is 85, this means that only 15% of the population has higher IQs than you!
What is the difference between percentage and percentile?
Percentage gives us a value represented out of 100, while percentile shows the position of a specific value in a sample set.
For example, if you scored 85% on your math exam, your score would be 17 out of 20. On the other hand, if you are in the 85th percentile, it means your scores are higher than 85% of the class.