IQ scores
What an IQ of 140 means
An IQ of 140 is at the 99.6 percentile on the standard scale. About 1 person in 261 scores this high or higher. It falls in the range usually labelled very high.
IQ 140 at a glance
| Percentile | 99.6 |
| Rarity | 1 in 261 (this high or higher) |
| Range | Very high (about 2 in 100 of people) |
| Distance from average | 2.67 standard deviations above |
| Same result on SD 16 | 143 |
| Same result on SD 24 (Cattell) | 164 |
What it tells you
A score of 140 is at or above the threshold most high-IQ societies and gifted programmes use, which is the 98th percentile (about 131 on this scale). Those organisations require a supervised test; an online result does not count.
At this end of the scale, short tests are at their least precise. There are few very hard items, so two people with quite different abilities can earn the same score. A supervised test with a higher ceiling separates them better.
How sure can you be of a score of 140?
That depends on the test. On a long, supervised assessment the margin of error is a few points. On a short online test it is around ten, so a reported 140 means a true score probably somewhere between 129 and 151. That span runs from the 97 to the 99.97 percentile.
Scores also depend on the scale. If your 140 came from a test using a standard deviation of 16 or 24, it is not the same as 140 here; the percentile calculator converts between them.
Nearby scores
- IQ 135: 99.0 percentile.
- IQ 145: 99.9 percentile.
- The full IQ scale, with every range.