Your IQ score and your IQ percentile are two ways of expressing the same result. While the IQ score tells you your position on the standardized scale, the percentile rank tells you what percentage of the population you outperform. Both are essential to interpreting what your results actually mean.
What Is an IQ Percentile?
A percentile indicates the percentage of the reference population that scored at or below your level. A percentile of 84 means you scored higher than 84% of the comparison group — placing you in the top 16%.
Percentiles are the raw output of IQ score calculation. The standardized IQ number (e.g., 115) is derived from the percentile using the formula: IQ = 100 + 15 × Φ⁻¹(percentile).
IQ Score to Percentile Conversion Table
| IQ Score | Percentile | Classification | Rarity (1 in X) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 145 | 99.87th | Exceptionally Gifted | 1 in 741 |
| 140 | 99.62nd | Very Superior | 1 in 261 |
| 135 | 99.0th | Very Superior | 1 in 100 |
| 130 | 97.7th | Very Superior | 1 in 44 |
| 125 | 95.2nd | Superior | 1 in 21 |
| 120 | 91.1st | Superior | 1 in 11 |
| 115 | 84.1st | High Average | 1 in 6 |
| 110 | 75.0th | High Average | 1 in 4 |
| 105 | 63.1st | Average | — |
| 100 | 50.0th | Average | — |
| 95 | 37.1st | Average | — |
| 90 | 25.0th | Average | — |
| 85 | 15.9th | Low Average | — |
| 80 | 9.1st | Low Average | — |
| 75 | 4.8th | Below Average | — |
| 70 | 2.3rd | Below Average | — |
Why Percentiles Matter More Than Raw Scores
The percentile rank is in many ways more informative than the IQ number itself. It directly answers the question: "How does my performance compare to other people?"
For example, the difference between IQ 100 and IQ 115 (15 points) and between IQ 130 and IQ 145 (also 15 points) are both "one standard deviation" numerically — but they represent very different populations. Moving from the 50th to 84th percentile is much more common than moving from the 97.7th to 99.9th percentile, even though both jumps are 15 IQ points.
IQ Percentile by Classification
Here is how IQ classifications map to percentile ranges:
- Average (90–109): 25th to 75th percentile
- High Average (110–119): 75th to 91st percentile
- Superior (120–129): 91st to 97th percentile
- Very Superior (130+): 97.7th percentile and above
How to Find Your IQ Percentile
The fastest way to find your IQ percentile is to take a validated IQ test. IQ Metrica reports both your standardized IQ score and your exact percentile rank as part of your certificate. Alternatively, for a known IQ score, use the table above or calculate using the standard normal distribution function.
Find Out Your IQ Score
Take our MENSA-standard test and receive a certified IQ score, percentile ranking, and cognitive domain breakdown in under 60 seconds.
Start Your IQ Test — €3.90