What Does an IQ of 70 Mean?
An IQ of 70 is in the “Borderline” range. About 2.3% of people score lower and 97.7% score higher. It’s 2 standard deviations below the average of 100.
What else is worth knowing about an IQ of 70?
70 is two standard deviations below the mean, so only about 2% of people score lower. Clinicians have long treated a score around 70 as one sign, among several, when assessing intellectual disability. A diagnosis also depends on how someone manages everyday life, and it is never made from an online test.
IQ 70 in numbers
- Classification
- Borderline
- Scores lower than 70
- 2.3%
- How rare
- 1 in 44 people score this low or lower
- Distance from average
- -2 standard deviations
- Mensa level (top 2%)
- No, Mensa usually needs about 130+
What the “Borderline” range means
Scores from 70 to 79 are called borderline. About 7% of people are in this range. An online test can easily be off by several points, so a single low score shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
How does IQ 70 compare?
Frequently asked questions
Is an IQ of 70 good?
An IQ of 70 is below average, but online tests are only estimates. Tiredness or distraction can lower a score by several points.
What percentile is an IQ of 70?
An IQ of 70 is higher than about 2.3% of the population, and about 97.7% of people score higher.
How rare is an IQ of 70?
About 1 in 44 people score 70 or lower.