Where 117 sits on the bell curve
This score is 17 points above the average of 100, or 1.13 standard deviations. The shaded part of the curve, everyone who scores lower, covers about 87.1% of people.
What an IQ of 117 means
117 sits in the upper half of the High Average range (110 to 119). It is 1.13 standard deviations above the mean of 100, so about 87 in 100 people score lower.
On the IQ score scale, the High Average range runs from 110 to 119. Range names come from the Wechsler scales; they are labels for parts of the curve, not hard lines, so 116 and 118 reflect almost the same performance.
Whether 117 counts as a high IQ depends on the comparison: against everyone, or against the people you study or work with.
How rare is an IQ of 117?
If scores follow the standard bell curve, this is how many people you would expect to reach this score or higher:
- In a class of 30: about 3.9
- In an office of 250: about 32
- In a town of 10,000: about 1,285
- In a city of 1 million: about 128,537
117 compared with nearby scores
| IQ | Percentile | Range | How rare |
|---|---|---|---|
| 107 | 68th | Average | 1 in 3 |
| 112 | 79th | High Average | 1 in 4.7 |
| 117 | 87th | High Average | 1 in 7.8 |
| 122 | 93rd | Superior | 1 in 14 |
| 127 | 96th | Superior | 1 in 28 |
"How rare" counts people at that score or higher.
117 and the usual reference points
- 17 points above 100, the average by definition.
- 2 points above 115, one standard deviation above average (about the 84th percentile).
- 13 points below 130, two standard deviations above average and the usual Mensa line (top 2%).
- 28 points below 145, three standard deviations above average (about 1 in 741).
How much to trust a single score
No test measures IQ exactly. Clinical tests such as the Wechsler scales report a confidence interval of roughly 5 points either side, so a measured 117 is best read as "probably between 112 and 122". Unsupervised online tests carry wider ranges, which is why our free test shows a 90% range next to every result.
Scores also move between sittings. Tiredness, stress and practice with the puzzle types can each shift a result by a few points, so the range name tells you more than the exact number.
Frequently asked questions
Is 117 a good IQ score?
Yes. An IQ of 117 is in the High Average range (110 to 119) and higher than about 87% of people. About 1 in 7.8 people score 117 or higher.
What percentile is an IQ of 117?
An IQ of 117 is at about the 87th percentile. On the standard scale (mean 100, standard deviation 15) it is +1.13 standard deviations from the average.
How rare is an IQ of 117?
About 1 in 7.8 people score 117 or higher, which is 12.9% of the population.
Is 117 above average?
Yes. It is above the Average range (90 to 109) and higher than about 87 in 100 people. About 1 in 7.8 people score 117 or higher.
How accurate is an online IQ score of 117?
Treat it as a range, not an exact number. Clinical tests report a confidence interval of roughly 5 points either side, and short online tests have wider ranges, so read any single result as a band rather than an exact point.
Nearby IQ scores
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