IQ Test Scores: The Basics of IQ Score Interpretation
“What do you mean my child isn’t gifted — he got 99 on those tests! That’s nearly a perfect score, isn’t it?”
“The criteria you handed out says ‘a score in the 97th percentile or above.’ Peter got an IQ score of 97! That meets the requirement, doesn’t it?”
Comments like these are not unusual and indicate a complete misunderstanding of IQ test scores.
IQ stands for intelligence quotient. Supposedly, it is a score that tells one how “bright” a person is compared to other people. The average IQ is by definition 100; scores above 100 indicate a higher than average IQ and scores below 100 indicate a lower that average IQ. Theoretically, scores can range any amount below or above 100, but in practice they do not meaningfully go much below 50 or above 150.
Half of the population have IQ’s of between 90 and 110, while 25% have higher IQ’s and 25% have lower IQ’s:
Descriptive Classifications of Intelligence Quotients
IQ Description % of Population
130+ Very superior 2.2%
120-129 Superior 6.7%
110-119 High average 16.1%
90-109 Average 50%
80-89 Low average 16.1%
70-79 Borderline 6.7%
Below 70 Extremely low 2.2%
Apparently, the IQ gives a good indication of the occupational group that a person will end up in, though not of course the specific occupation. In their book, Know Your Child’s IQ, Glen Wilson and Diana Grylls outline occupations typical of various IQ levels:
140 Top Civil Servants; Professors and Research Scientists.
130 Physicians and Surgeons; Lawyers; Engineers (Civil and Mechanical)
120 School Teachers; Pharmacists; Accountants; Nurses; Stenographers; Managers.
110 Foremen; Clerks; Telephone Operators; Salesmen; Policemen; Electricians.
100+ Machine Operators; Shopkeepers; Butchers; Welders; Sheet Metal Workers.
100- Warehousemen; Carpenters; Cooks and Bakers; Small Farmers; Truck and Van Drivers.
90 Laborers; Gardeners; Upholsterers; Farmhands; Miners; Factory Packers and Sorters.
IQ Expressed in Percentiles
IQ is often expressed in percentiles, which is not the same as percentage scores, and a common reason for the misunderstanding of IQ test scores. Percentage refers to the number of items which a child answers correctly compared to the total number of items presented. If a child answers 25 questions correctly on a 50 question test he would earn a percentage score of 50. If he answers 40 questions on the same test his percentage score would be 80. Percentile, however, refers to the number of other test takers’ scores that an individual’s score equals or exceeds. If a child answered 25 questions and did better than 50% of the children taking the test he would score at the 50th percentile. However, if he answered 40 questions on the 50 item test and everyone else answered more than he did, he would fall at a very low percentile — even though he answered 80% of the questions correctly.
On most standardized tests, an IQ of 100 is at the 50th percentile. Most of our IQ tests are standardized with a mean score of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. What that means is that the following IQ scores will be roughly equivalent to the following percentiles:
IQ Percentile
65 01
70 02
75 05
80 09
85 16
90 25
95 37
100 50
105 63
110 75
115 84
120 91
125 95
130 98
135 99
An IQ of 120 therefore implies that the testee is brighter than about 91% of the population, while 130 puts a person ahead of 98% of people. A person with an IQ of 80 is brighter than only 9% of people, and only a few score less than 60.
Be Cautious!
It is necessary to be very cautious in using a descriptive classification of IQ’s. The IQ is, at best, a rough measure of academic intelligence. It certainly would be unscientific to say that an individual with an IQ of 110 is of high average intelligence, while an individual with an IQ of 109 is of only average intelligence. Such a strict classification of intellectual abilities would fail to take account of social elements such as home, school, and community. These elements are not adequately measured by present intelligence tests. Furthermore, it would not take account of the fact that an individual may vary in his test score from one test to another.
Measures of intelligence may be valuable — although the value is often overrated — but much harm can be done by persons who try to classify individuals strictly on the basis of such measures alone. No one should be either alarmed or discouraged if he finds that his IQ is not as high as he might have hoped. Remember that many elements besides IQ contribute to success and happiness.
This article was compiled by Susan du Plessis. Visit her website, www.audiblox2000.com
2006-07-07 01:47:32
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answer #1
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answered by Carol 3
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The average IQ is 100. 109 is above average but it is not genius. Depending on the test, genius level (in the top 2%) is in the 125-140 range.
So, depending on your definition of "good", 109 is good. 109 is likely better than half the people out there!
2006-07-07 01:32:40
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answer #2
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answered by PhatPat 2
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109 is a solidly average IQ. Most "normal" people test somewhere between 100 and 120. However, don't for a minute assume that an IQ test is all there is to intelligence. It is one measure, mostly of cognitive & logical reasoning ability. Research has shown that there are many kinds of intelligence and that an IQ test is one method of measuring part of a complex whole.
2006-07-07 01:19:37
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answer #3
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answered by zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 4
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it ok
mine is130
but does that mean i am more intelligent than u ?
may not be ! its not really the only way to judge ! it all depends
on the situation where n when u r to use ur grey cells !!!
2006-07-07 01:23:33
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answer #4
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answered by Moni P 3
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Yea, its pretty good, it means you are above average.
2006-07-07 01:16:20
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answer #5
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answered by john 6
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The answers in the question.
2006-07-07 01:20:22
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answer #6
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answered by Jack Barry 1
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I think it's about average.
2006-07-07 09:54:25
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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ye but my mum got higher. at least you got higher than milfgresdow
2006-07-07 01:17:56
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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hmm .. cud b btr
2006-07-13 15:22:18
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answer #9
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answered by RS 4
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