What is Considered a High IQ?

Is 130 a high IQ? We explain the normal distribution and why 120 or 130 are considered above average. See where you fall on the standard deviation chart.

Dr. Russell T. WarneChief Scientist

IQ tests are scored so that the average on the scale is 100, with a standard deviation (a measure of how spread out scores are) of 15. When graphed, IQ scores form a normal distribution, which is pictured below. As the graph shows, most people have an IQ near 100. (68% of people have an IQ between 85 and 115.) The further away from 100 a score is, the fewer people score at that level.

One thing to notice about this distribution of scores is that there are no sharp breaks. Rather, the curve gently slopes downward from its peak at 100. That means that there is no score where it is obvious to define a clear division between “great,” “good,” and “bad” scores. Moreover, whether a score is “good” often depends on what it will be used for. A score of 90 is good for a person aiming to graduate from high school; it is not good for a person who is trying to become a surgeon.

For almost all life outcomes, higher IQs are better than lower IQs, and there is no known point in the IQ range where this isn’t true. So, even if an IQ is “good enough” for a particular job or task, having a higher IQ is even better.

Watch “Human Intelligence vs. AI: What Really Defines ‘Smart’?” with Gilles Gignac on the Riot IQ YouTube channel to place high IQ scores in the broader context of intelligence.