What Does an IQ of 156 Mean?

An IQ of 156 is in the “Very superior” range. It’s higher than about 99.9905% of people, so roughly 1 in 10,581 people score 156 or higher. That’s 3.73 standard deviations above the average of 100.

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Where an IQ of 156 sits on the bell curve (average 100, standard deviation 15)

IQ 156 in numbers

Classification
Very superior
Scores lower than 156
99.9905%
How rare
1 in 10,581 people score this high or higher
Distance from average
+3.73 standard deviations
Mensa level (top 2%)
Yes, above the usual cut-off of about 130

What the “Very superior” range means

Scores of 130 and above are called very superior or gifted. Only about 2% of people score this high. People in this range usually solve abstract problems quickly and spot patterns others miss. Many high-IQ societies, including Mensa, start here.

How does IQ 156 compare?

IQScores lowerClassification
14699.89%Very superior
15199.966%Very superior
15699.9905%Very superior

Frequently asked questions

Is an IQ of 156 good?

Yes. An IQ of 156 is above average: higher than about 99.9905% of people.

What percentile is an IQ of 156?

An IQ of 156 is higher than about 99.9905% of the population, and about 0.0095% of people score higher.

How rare is an IQ of 156?

About 1 in 10,581 people score 156 or higher.