What Does an IQ of 120 Mean?
An IQ of 120 is in the “Superior” range. It’s higher than about 90.9% of people, so roughly 1 in 11 people score 120 or higher. That’s 1.33 standard deviations above the average of 100.
What else is worth knowing about an IQ of 120?
120 is the start of the “superior” range, roughly the top 9%. Some school programmes for gifted students use a cut-off near this level, while stricter definitions of giftedness start at 130.
IQ 120 in numbers
- Classification
- Superior
- Scores lower than 120
- 90.9%
- How rare
- 1 in 11 people score this high or higher
- Distance from average
- +1.33 standard deviations
- Mensa level (top 2%)
- No, Mensa usually needs about 130+
What the “Superior” range means
Scores from 120 to 129 are superior. About 7% of people are in this range. It usually means very strong reasoning: complex material comes easily, and so does learning new skills.
How does IQ 120 compare?
Frequently asked questions
Is an IQ of 120 good?
Yes. An IQ of 120 is above average: higher than about 90.9% of people.
What percentile is an IQ of 120?
An IQ of 120 is higher than about 90.9% of the population, and about 9.1% of people score higher.
How rare is an IQ of 120?
About 1 in 11 people score 120 or higher.