IQ Levels Chart: Every Band from Low to Genius Explained

Here's the short answer: an IQ levels chart sorts intelligence quotient scores (IQ — a score that ranks reasoning ability against the general population) into labelled bands, from "extremely low" up through "average" to "genius" or "very gifted." Most charts run from around 55 to 145+ and are built around a mean of 100. Below, you'll find the full chart plus what each band really means — and why the labels are looser than they look.

The full IQ levels chart

This is the classification most psychologists and test publishers use as a reference point, adapted from tools like the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and older Stanford-Binet norms. Labels vary slightly between publishers, but the bands and percentages are consistent.

IQ Range	Classification	Approx. % of Population
Below 70	Extremely low	~2.2%
70–79	Borderline	~6.7%
80–89	Low average	~16.1%
90–109	Average	~50%
110–119	High average	~16.1%
120–129	Superior	~6.7%
130–144	Very superior / gifted	~2.1%
145 and above	Genius / very gifted	<0.1%

Notice that "average" isn't a single number — it's a whole band spanning 90 to 109. That surprises a lot of people who assume only 100 exactly counts as average. In reality, half the population falls somewhere in that 20-point stretch.

Why these specific numbers? The bell curve, explained

IQ scores are built to follow a bell curve (a normal distribution — a symmetrical pattern where most people cluster near the middle and fewer appear at the extremes). The mean, or average, is fixed at 100. From there, scores spread out using something called standard deviation (SD — a unit of measurement showing how far a score sits from the average, based on how scores typically spread out in the population).

On most modern tests, one standard deviation equals 15 points. That single fact explains the whole chart:

• 100 is the mean.
• 85–115 covers one SD in either direction — about 68% of people land here.
• 70–130 covers two SDs — about 95% of people land here.
• Below 70 or above 130 is two SDs out, which is why those bands are comparatively rare.

If you want the mechanics behind that number 100 and how it's calculated year after year across different tests, our deep-dive on the average IQ walks through it step by step.

What do the individual bands actually mean?

Extremely low (below 70) and borderline (70–79)

Scores this low can reflect significant difficulty with abstract reasoning, problem-solving, or processing speed compared to peers. It's worth saying clearly: a single test score in this range is not a diagnosis. Intellectual disability, learning differences, test anxiety, language barriers, or an off day can all pull a score down. Any concern in this territory belongs in the hands of a qualified psychologist doing a full clinical assessment — not a single online quiz.

Low average (80–89)

People here often do fine in daily life and work but may find certain academic or abstract tasks more effortful than the "average" majority. This band is common and not a cause for concern on its own.

Average (90–109)

Half of humanity sits in this 20-point range. It's the largest single band on the chart by far, which is exactly what you'd expect from a bell curve — the middle is where the crowd is. If you're curious about what counts as solid versus exceptional within and around this zone, our guide to what makes a good IQ score breaks it down further.

High average (110–119)

This band often correlates with strong performance in school and skilled work, though it's far from rare — roughly one in six people scores here.

Superior (120–129)

Scores in this range are associated with strong academic and professional outcomes on average, though IQ is only one ingredient among many — motivation, opportunity, and domain-specific skill matter enormously too.

Very superior / gifted (130–144)

This is the threshold many gifted-education programs use as a cutoff. Only about 2% of people score this high, which is why "gifted" identification usually involves more than a single test — schools typically combine IQ scores with teacher observation, academic performance, and sometimes a second assessment.

Genius / very gifted (145+)

Here's a common misconception worth clearing up: there's no official, universally agreed "genius" cutoff. Some sources use 140, others 145 or even 160. The label is more cultural shorthand than a strict clinical category — it signals extreme rarity (under 1 in 1,000) rather than a precise, fixed boundary. Historical figures often described as "genius-level" were rarely tested under standardized modern conditions anyway, so treat those popular claims with a healthy pinch of skepticism.

A few nuances the chart doesn't show

Percentile isn't the same as the raw score. A percentile (the percentage of people a given score outperforms) tells you standing, not the score itself. An IQ of 115 puts you around the 84th percentile — meaning you scored higher than about 84% of people — but the number 115 and the number 84 aren't interchangeable, they just describe the same result two different ways.

Age matters. IQ tests are age-normed, meaning your raw answers are compared only against people your own age group, not everyone alive. A 9-year-old and a 40-year-old with the same IQ score performed very differently in raw terms — the scoring accounts for that.

Different tests, slightly different charts. WAIS, Stanford-Binet, and Raven's Progressive Matrices all use a mean of 100 but don't produce identical numbers for the same person. A score of 128 on one test might come out as 124 or 131 on another. The classification chart is a useful map, not a GPS-precise reading.

One test session is a snapshot, not a verdict. Sleep, stress, familiarity with the question format, and even mood can shift a score by several points. That's part of why responsible platforms — iqmetria included — frame results as orientative rather than definitive.

If you want the full picture of how the scale is constructed, including where 55 and 145+ come from as rough boundaries, the IQ scale explained is the natural next read after this chart.

Key takeaways

• IQ levels charts label bands from below 70 ("extremely low") to 145+ ("genius" or "very gifted"), built around a mean of 100.
• The classification follows a bell curve: 68% of people fall within 85–115, and 95% fall within 70–130.
• "Average" is a 20-point range (90–109), not a single number — and it's where half the population lands.
• Gifted and genius labels aren't standardized across sources; treat exact cutoffs as rough conventions, not hard science.
• Any score in the "extremely low" range deserves a proper clinical evaluation, not a single test result.

Curious where your own score lands? iqmetria's test gives you a fast, orientative read on your standing — a fun and useful data point for self-knowledge, not a medical or clinical diagnosis of anything.