What is a good IQ score?
IQ scores are one of the most searched numbers on the internet, and one of the most misunderstood. Here is what the number means, what counts as average or high, and how to read a score from an online brain quiz.
How IQ scores are built
Modern IQ tests don’t measure a fixed amount of “brain power”. They compare your performance with a large reference group of people. Scores are scaled so that the average is 100 and the usual spread (the standard deviation) is 15 points. A score tells you where you sit compared with that group, not how much intelligence you have in absolute terms.
What the ranges mean
Because scores follow a bell curve around 100, most people land close to the middle:
- 85–115: about 68% of people. This is the average range.
- 70–130: about 95% of people.
- Above 115: about 16% of people. Often described as above average.
- Above 130: about 2% of people. Often described as very high.
So a “good” score depends on what you compare it with. Anything from 85 to 115 is perfectly normal, and a score above 115 is higher than most people’s.
Percentiles are easier to read
A percentile says what share of the reference group you scored higher than. A score of 100 is the 50th percentile: higher than half of people. A score of 115 is roughly the 84th percentile, and 130 is roughly the 98th. Ndovia IQ Brain Quiz shows a percentile next to your score for this reason.
Official IQ tests vs online quizzes
Official IQ tests, such as the Wechsler scales, are given in person by a trained psychologist, take an hour or more, and are scored against carefully collected national samples. An online quiz can’t do that. Your result also changes with sleep, stress, distractions and practice.
Ndovia IQ Brain Quiz is a brain-teaser game for entertainment. Its “Ndovia IQ” score uses the same 100-centred scale to make results easy to compare, but it is not a scientifically validated IQ test, and scores are not a measure of intelligence. Treat it as a fun way to challenge yourself and to see which kinds of puzzles you find easiest.
The six kinds of puzzle we use
Many reasoning tests mix several kinds of task. Ndovia uses six: spatial, logical, working memory, fluid reasoning, verbal and quantitative. You can read about each one, with example puzzles, in 6 types of reasoning puzzles.
Try it yourself: Ndovia IQ Brain Quiz is a free 24-question brain challenge across six domains, with a new mix of puzzles every time.
