What Does an IQ of 74 Mean?

An IQ of 74 is in the “Borderline” range. About 4.2% of people score lower and 95.8% score higher. It’s 1.73 standard deviations below the average of 100.

708510011513014574
Where an IQ of 74 sits on the bell curve (average 100, standard deviation 15)

IQ 74 in numbers

Classification
Borderline
Scores lower than 74
4.2%
How rare
1 in 24 people score this low or lower
Distance from average
-1.73 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 74 compare?

IQScores lowerClassification
640.82%Extremely low
691.9%Extremely low
744.2%Borderline
798.1%Borderline
8414.3%Low average

Frequently asked questions

Is an IQ of 74 good?

An IQ of 74 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 74?

An IQ of 74 is higher than about 4.2% of the population, and about 95.8% of people score higher.

How rare is an IQ of 74?

About 1 in 24 people score 74 or lower.