What Is a High IQ? High IQ Scores, Ranges and What They Mean

Updated 29 September 2026. About 12 minutes to read.

What is considered a high IQ?

IQ scores are built so that the average is 100 and one standard deviation is 15 points. Your score shows how you compare with people your own age. That makes "high" a question of how far above average a score sits:

• 110 to 119: above average. Higher than about 75 to 90% of people. A good score, but usually not described as high.
• 120 to 129: high. More than 1.3 standard deviations above average, higher than about 91 to 97% of people. The Wechsler scale calls this "Very High".
• 130 to 144: very high or gifted. Two or more standard deviations above average, the top 2.3%. The Wechsler scale calls this "Extremely High".
• 145 and above: exceptionally high. Three or more standard deviations above average, about 1 in 741 people or rarer.

So if someone asks "what is a high IQ score?", 120 is the most common answer, and 130 is the answer if they mean a score that stands out even among clever people. For how these bands fit into the full scale from 70 upwards, see our guide to what a good IQ score is.

High IQ chart: scores from 120 to 160

This chart shows every high IQ band in steps of five, with its percentile and how rare it is. The percentile tells you the share of people who score lower than you.

Each step of five points makes a score roughly two to four times rarer. That is why the difference between 120 and 145 is so large: about one person in every eleven scores 120 or more, but only one in every 741 reaches 145. For the percentile of any single score, use our IQ percentile calculator.

Is 120 a high IQ?

Yes. An IQ of 120 is higher than about 91% of people, so only about 1 in 11 people score as high or higher. On the fifth edition of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-5), 120 is the start of the "Very High" band. People with IQs around 120 usually find academic study and complex jobs manageable, and many work in professional roles. Read more in what an IQ of 120 means.

Is 130 a high IQ?

Yes, and it is the most widely recognised high IQ threshold. An IQ of 130 is two standard deviations above average, at about the 98th percentile. It is the usual cut-off for intellectual giftedness and matches the top 2% that Mensa uses for membership. Only about 1 in 44 people score 130 or above. Our full guide to what an IQ of 130 means covers this score in detail.

145 IQ: what does it mean?

An IQ of 145 is three standard deviations above average. It is higher than about 99.87% of people, so roughly 1 person in 741 scores 145 or above. In a town of 100,000 people, you would expect about 135 people at this level.

In the giftedness framework used by the researcher Miraca Gross, 145 is the start of the highly gifted range (145 to 159). You will sometimes read online that 145 is "genius" or "profoundly gifted", but that is not how psychologists use the terms. Profoundly gifted usually means 180 and above. Our guide to gifted IQ levels explains all five levels.

A score of 145 is also close to the entry level for some of the most selective high IQ societies. The Triple Nine Society, for example, asks for a score at the 99.9th percentile, which is about 146 on the standard scale. Mensa's top 2% level is far lower, at about 130.

High IQ societies and their entry levels

High IQ societies are clubs that accept members above a set percentile on an approved test. Because tests differ, they set their bar as a percentile rather than a single number.

Most societies accept a score from a supervised test given by a psychologist or from their own proctored test. Online tests, including ours, are a good way to get a rough idea first, but they are not accepted as proof. Mensa, for example, often quotes 130 or 132 depending on the test used.

Signs of a high IQ

People often search for the signs of a high IQ. There is no reliable checklist, and none of these traits proves a high score. Research on gifted people does, however, describe patterns that appear more often among high scorers:

• Learning quickly and needing fewer repetitions to understand something new.
• Strong pattern recognition, spotting rules and connections that others miss. Try our pattern recognition test to see how you do.
• A large vocabulary and an enjoyment of complex ideas.
• Intense curiosity and deep, long-lasting interests.
• Good working memory, holding several pieces of information in mind at once. Our number memory test measures one part of this.
• Preferring complexity, and sometimes growing bored with routine tasks.

Many people with these traits have average scores, and many high scorers do not match this list at all. A properly administered test is the only way to know your IQ.

Can your IQ be too high?

People sometimes wonder whether you can have "an IQ too high". There is no score that is harmful in itself, and on average higher IQ is linked with better outcomes. Large studies, including long-term Scottish and Swedish research led by Ian Deary and colleagues, have found that people with higher childhood IQs tend to have better health and live longer.

Very high scorers can, however, face some real challenges:

• Feeling out of step. In the 1940s the psychologist Leta Hollingworth, who studied children with IQs above 180, suggested that an IQ of about 125 to 155 was the "socially optimal" range. Children far above it, she found, often struggled to find peers who shared their interests.
• Boredom and under-challenge at school or work, which can look like poor motivation.
• Mental health questions. A 2018 survey of Mensa members by Ruth Karpinski and colleagues found higher reported rates of anxiety and mood disorders than the national average. The study relied on self-reports from society members, though, so it does not prove that high IQ causes these problems, and other studies have not found the same link.

The balanced view: a high IQ is an advantage, not a burden, but gifted people still benefit from the right challenge, support and understanding, just like everyone else.

What jobs do people with high IQs do?

Average IQ varies by occupation, and the highest averages appear in fields such as physics, mathematics, medicine, law and engineering. But every profession includes people across a wide range of scores, and plenty of people with high IQs choose jobs they simply enjoy. Our data-led guide to average IQ by profession ranks 150 jobs.

Can you raise your IQ?

A little, in some ways. A large 2018 analysis by Stuart Ritchie and Elliot Tucker-Drob found that each extra year of education raises IQ by about 1 to 5 points. Good sleep, nutrition and practice with the style of test questions can also help you perform closer to your real ability on the day.

Commercial brain training games, on the other hand, mostly make you better at the games themselves. A major 2016 review found little evidence that they raise general intelligence. Our brain games are a fun way to test memory, focus and reaction time, but we do not claim they will increase your IQ.

Frequently asked questions

IQScore tests and guides are for education and entertainment. They are not a clinical assessment. For a formal IQ assessment, please speak to a qualified psychologist.