What's the Average IQ?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow IQ Is CalculatedHow Intelligence Is MeasuredDrawbacksControversies Over IQ ScoresWhat Does It Mean to Have an Average IQ?

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

How IQ Is Calculated

How Intelligence Is Measured

Drawbacks

Controversies Over IQ Scores

What Does It Mean to Have an Average IQ?

Test publishers use different scoring systems in their IQ (intelligence quotient) tests but, generally, the average (ormean) score is set at 100 with a standard deviation of 15 so that scores conform to a normal distribution curve.

A low IQ score is anything 70 and below. A low score and other indicators might suggest that a person has an intellectual disability. Anything over 140 is considered agenius IQ score.For context, while there is no evidence that he was ever tested, Albert Einstein had a estimated score of around 160.

While tests may vary, theaverage IQ on many tests is 100, and 68% of scores lie between 85 and 115.

What Does IQ Mean?IQ tests measure mental ability and provide a score to show how a person’s results compare to others in their age group. IQ encompasses a range of mental abilities, including verbal reasoning, visual abilities, spatial awareness, processing speed, and pattern recognition.

What Does IQ Mean?

IQ tests measure mental ability and provide a score to show how a person’s results compare to others in their age group. IQ encompasses a range of mental abilities, including verbal reasoning, visual abilities, spatial awareness, processing speed, and pattern recognition.

Because the median score is 100, experts can quickly assess individual test scores against the median to determine where these scores fall on the normal distribution. This means 50% of the scores fall above and below the median. In the case of IQ scores, boththe mean and median scoreis 100. Classification systems can vary from one publisher to the next although many do tend to follow a fairly similar rating system.

For example, on The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Stanford-Binet test, scores that fall between 90 and 109 are considered average IQ scores. On these same tests, scores that fall between 110 and 119 are considered high average IQ scores. Scores between 80 and 89 are classified as low average.

So in most cases, if you receive an IQ score of around 100, then you have what is considered an average IQ. Don’t worry—you are in good company. Most people score within one standard deviation of this average.

How to Find the Mean, Median, and Mode

Intelligence tests are designed to measurecrystallized and fluid intelligence. Crystallized intelligence involves your knowledge and skills you have acquired throughout your life while fluid intelligence is your ability to reason, problem-solve and make sense of abstract information.

Fluid intelligence is considered independent of learning and tends to decline in later adulthood. Crystallized intelligence, on the other hand, is directly related to learning and experience and tends to increase as people grow older.

Scores on these subtests are then combined to form an overall IQ score. A few of the most common IQ tests in use today include:

It is important to note that while people often talk about average, low and genius IQs, there is no single IQ test.

Many tests are in use today, including the Stanford-Binet, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities. Each type of test measures, scores, and interprets performance differently.

Although an IQ score can predict things such as academic success, experts caution that it is not necessarily a guarantee of life success. Sometimes people with very high IQs do not fare well in life, while those with average IQs may thrive.

Ever since the inception of the very first tests of intelligence, both academics and armchair psychologists have debated differences in intelligence, including possible connections between IQ and race.

In addition to connections between race and IQ, people have also attempted to connect IQ disparities to other factors such as sex differences and nationality.

One important factor to also note is that overall, IQ scores have been rising worldwide, a phenomenon known as the Flynn effect.

Race and IQ Scores

During the 1920s, the US Army utilized IQ testing on recruits and found that different populations showed group differences in average IQ scores. Such findings helped fuel the eugenics movement and those who supported racial segregation.

The 1994 bookThe Bell Curverekindled the argument and controversy, as the book promoted the notion that racial group differences in average IQ scores were largely the result of genetics. Critics suggest that such group differences are more accurately a product of environmental variables.

However, research has found that while genetics play a role in determining intelligence, environmental factors also play an important role. Some factors linked to group differences in average IQ scores include education, health and nutrition, socioeconomic status, testing bias, and minority status.

Discrimination and systemic bias may also play a role in these differences, including educational and healthcare disparities. It is also important to consider biases that may be inherent in the tests themselves.

Nationality Differences in Average IQ Scores

Sex Differences in Average IQ Scores

Over the years, some researchers have argued that either males or females held an advantage in terms of IQ while others have argued that there are no significant differences between men and women.

One study found that while there was no average difference in IQ scores between men and women, there tended to be more variability in IQ scores among men.

While some limited generalizations can be made in relation to your average IQ score, keep the following in mind:

The Takeaway

Don’t stress out if you’re not a “genius”—the vast majority of people aren’t geniuses either. Instead, most people are somewhere within a 15-point range of the average IQ score.

Just as having a high IQ doesn’t ensure success, having an average or low IQ doesn’t ensure failure or mediocrity. Even if you have what is considered a low IQ, you may be smart in many other ways and have many other talents and abilities that aren’t reflected on a single test. Other factors such as hard work,resilience, perseverance, and overallattitudeare important pieces of the puzzle.

Are High IQ People More Successful?

Important ConsiderationsOn many tests, a score of 100 is considered the average IQ.Sixty-eight percent of scores fall within one standard deviation of the mean (that is, between 85 and 115). That means that nearly 70% of all people score within plus or minus 15 points of the average score.Ninety-five percent of scores fall within two standard deviations (between 70 and 130). Outliers beyond those points represent only a small portion of the population, which means that only a small percentage of people have a verylow IQ(below 70) or a very high IQ (above 130).Scores below 70 may represent the presence of some sort of developmental or learning disability while scores over 130 may indicate giftedness.

Important Considerations

On many tests, a score of 100 is considered the average IQ.Sixty-eight percent of scores fall within one standard deviation of the mean (that is, between 85 and 115). That means that nearly 70% of all people score within plus or minus 15 points of the average score.Ninety-five percent of scores fall within two standard deviations (between 70 and 130). Outliers beyond those points represent only a small portion of the population, which means that only a small percentage of people have a verylow IQ(below 70) or a very high IQ (above 130).Scores below 70 may represent the presence of some sort of developmental or learning disability while scores over 130 may indicate giftedness.

8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Trahan LH, Stuebing KK, Fletcher JM, Hiscock M.The Flynn effect: a meta-analysis.Psychol Bull. 2014;140(5):1332-60. doi:10.1037/a0037173Wegenschimmel B, Leiss U, Veigl M, et al.Do we still need IQ-scores? Misleading interpretations of neurocognitive outcome in pediatric patients with medulloblastoma: a retrospective study. J Neurooncol. 2017;135(2):361-369.doi: 10.1007/s11060-017-2582-xLynn R, Vanhanen T, Stuart M. IQ and the Wealth of Nations. Greenwood Publishing Group; 2002.Mackintosh NJ. IQ and Human Intelligence. Oxford University Press; 2011.Richardson K.What IQ Tests Test.Theory & Psychology. 2002;12(3):283-314. doi:10.1177/0959354302012003012.Gardner H. Taking a multiple intelligences (MI) perspective.Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2017;40. doi:10.1017/s0140525x16001631.Ramsden, S., Richardson, F. M., Josse, G., Thomas, M. S. C., Ellis, C., Shakeshaft, C., Seghier, M. L., & Price, C. J. (2011).Verbal and Non-Verbal Intelligence Changes in the Teenage Brain.Nature.2009; 479:113-116. doi:10.1038/nature10514Weismann-Arcache, C. and Tordjman, S. “Relationship Between Depression and High Intellectual Potential.“Depress Treat Res.2012; article 567376. DOI: 10.1155/2012/567376.Additional ReadingErratum: Borderud SP, Li Y, Burkhalter JE, Sheffer CE and Ostroff JS.Electronic cigarette use among patients with cancer: characteristics of electronic cigarette users and their smoking cessation outcomes.Cancer. 2015;121(5):800. doi:10.1002/per.634Halpern, DF, et al.The Science of Sex Differences in Science and Mathematics.Psychol Sci Public Interest. 2007;8(1): 1-51. doi:10.1111/j.1529-1006.2007.00032.xJohnson, W, Carothers, A, & Deary, IJ.Sex differences in variablity in general intelligence: a new look at the old question.Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2008;3(6):518-531. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00096.xRamsden S, Richardson FM, Josse G, et al.Verbal and non-verbal intelligence changes in the teenage brain.Nature. 2011;479(7371):113-6. doi:10.1038/nature10514Schaffer, DR & Kipp, K.Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; 2010.

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Trahan LH, Stuebing KK, Fletcher JM, Hiscock M.The Flynn effect: a meta-analysis.Psychol Bull. 2014;140(5):1332-60. doi:10.1037/a0037173Wegenschimmel B, Leiss U, Veigl M, et al.Do we still need IQ-scores? Misleading interpretations of neurocognitive outcome in pediatric patients with medulloblastoma: a retrospective study. J Neurooncol. 2017;135(2):361-369.doi: 10.1007/s11060-017-2582-xLynn R, Vanhanen T, Stuart M. IQ and the Wealth of Nations. Greenwood Publishing Group; 2002.Mackintosh NJ. IQ and Human Intelligence. Oxford University Press; 2011.Richardson K.What IQ Tests Test.Theory & Psychology. 2002;12(3):283-314. doi:10.1177/0959354302012003012.Gardner H. Taking a multiple intelligences (MI) perspective.Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2017;40. doi:10.1017/s0140525x16001631.Ramsden, S., Richardson, F. M., Josse, G., Thomas, M. S. C., Ellis, C., Shakeshaft, C., Seghier, M. L., & Price, C. J. (2011).Verbal and Non-Verbal Intelligence Changes in the Teenage Brain.Nature.2009; 479:113-116. doi:10.1038/nature10514Weismann-Arcache, C. and Tordjman, S. “Relationship Between Depression and High Intellectual Potential.“Depress Treat Res.2012; article 567376. DOI: 10.1155/2012/567376.Additional ReadingErratum: Borderud SP, Li Y, Burkhalter JE, Sheffer CE and Ostroff JS.Electronic cigarette use among patients with cancer: characteristics of electronic cigarette users and their smoking cessation outcomes.Cancer. 2015;121(5):800. doi:10.1002/per.634Halpern, DF, et al.The Science of Sex Differences in Science and Mathematics.Psychol Sci Public Interest. 2007;8(1): 1-51. doi:10.1111/j.1529-1006.2007.00032.xJohnson, W, Carothers, A, & Deary, IJ.Sex differences in variablity in general intelligence: a new look at the old question.Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2008;3(6):518-531. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00096.xRamsden S, Richardson FM, Josse G, et al.Verbal and non-verbal intelligence changes in the teenage brain.Nature. 2011;479(7371):113-6. doi:10.1038/nature10514Schaffer, DR & Kipp, K.Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; 2010.

Trahan LH, Stuebing KK, Fletcher JM, Hiscock M.The Flynn effect: a meta-analysis.Psychol Bull. 2014;140(5):1332-60. doi:10.1037/a0037173Wegenschimmel B, Leiss U, Veigl M, et al.Do we still need IQ-scores? Misleading interpretations of neurocognitive outcome in pediatric patients with medulloblastoma: a retrospective study. J Neurooncol. 2017;135(2):361-369.doi: 10.1007/s11060-017-2582-xLynn R, Vanhanen T, Stuart M. IQ and the Wealth of Nations. Greenwood Publishing Group; 2002.Mackintosh NJ. IQ and Human Intelligence. Oxford University Press; 2011.Richardson K.What IQ Tests Test.Theory & Psychology. 2002;12(3):283-314. doi:10.1177/0959354302012003012.Gardner H. Taking a multiple intelligences (MI) perspective.Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2017;40. doi:10.1017/s0140525x16001631.Ramsden, S., Richardson, F. M., Josse, G., Thomas, M. S. C., Ellis, C., Shakeshaft, C., Seghier, M. L., & Price, C. J. (2011).Verbal and Non-Verbal Intelligence Changes in the Teenage Brain.Nature.2009; 479:113-116. doi:10.1038/nature10514Weismann-Arcache, C. and Tordjman, S. “Relationship Between Depression and High Intellectual Potential.“Depress Treat Res.2012; article 567376. DOI: 10.1155/2012/567376.

Trahan LH, Stuebing KK, Fletcher JM, Hiscock M.The Flynn effect: a meta-analysis.Psychol Bull. 2014;140(5):1332-60. doi:10.1037/a0037173

Wegenschimmel B, Leiss U, Veigl M, et al.Do we still need IQ-scores? Misleading interpretations of neurocognitive outcome in pediatric patients with medulloblastoma: a retrospective study. J Neurooncol. 2017;135(2):361-369.

doi: 10.1007/s11060-017-2582-x

Lynn R, Vanhanen T, Stuart M. IQ and the Wealth of Nations. Greenwood Publishing Group; 2002.

Mackintosh NJ. IQ and Human Intelligence. Oxford University Press; 2011.

Richardson K.What IQ Tests Test.Theory & Psychology. 2002;12(3):283-314. doi:10.1177/0959354302012003012.

Gardner H. Taking a multiple intelligences (MI) perspective.Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2017;40. doi:10.1017/s0140525x16001631.

Ramsden, S., Richardson, F. M., Josse, G., Thomas, M. S. C., Ellis, C., Shakeshaft, C., Seghier, M. L., & Price, C. J. (2011).Verbal and Non-Verbal Intelligence Changes in the Teenage Brain.Nature.2009; 479:113-116. doi:10.1038/nature10514

Weismann-Arcache, C. and Tordjman, S. “Relationship Between Depression and High Intellectual Potential.“Depress Treat Res.2012; article 567376. DOI: 10.1155/2012/567376.

Erratum: Borderud SP, Li Y, Burkhalter JE, Sheffer CE and Ostroff JS.Electronic cigarette use among patients with cancer: characteristics of electronic cigarette users and their smoking cessation outcomes.Cancer. 2015;121(5):800. doi:10.1002/per.634Halpern, DF, et al.The Science of Sex Differences in Science and Mathematics.Psychol Sci Public Interest. 2007;8(1): 1-51. doi:10.1111/j.1529-1006.2007.00032.xJohnson, W, Carothers, A, & Deary, IJ.Sex differences in variablity in general intelligence: a new look at the old question.Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2008;3(6):518-531. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00096.xRamsden S, Richardson FM, Josse G, et al.Verbal and non-verbal intelligence changes in the teenage brain.Nature. 2011;479(7371):113-6. doi:10.1038/nature10514Schaffer, DR & Kipp, K.Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; 2010.

Halpern, DF, et al.The Science of Sex Differences in Science and Mathematics.Psychol Sci Public Interest. 2007;8(1): 1-51. doi:10.1111/j.1529-1006.2007.00032.x

Johnson, W, Carothers, A, & Deary, IJ.Sex differences in variablity in general intelligence: a new look at the old question.Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2008;3(6):518-531. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00096.x

Ramsden S, Richardson FM, Josse G, et al.Verbal and non-verbal intelligence changes in the teenage brain.Nature. 2011;479(7371):113-6. doi:10.1038/nature10514

Schaffer, DR & Kipp, K.Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; 2010.

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What Does IQ Mean?#

Race and IQ Scores#

Nationality Differences in Average IQ Scores#

Sex Differences in Average IQ Scores#

The Takeaway#

Important Considerations#