Where 118 sits on the bell curve
This score is 18 points above the average of 100, or 1.20 standard deviations. The shaded part of the curve, everyone who scores lower, covers about 88.5% of people.
What an IQ of 118 means
118 sits in the upper half of the High Average range (110 to 119). It is 1.20 standard deviations above the mean of 100, so about 88 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 117 and 119 reflect almost the same performance.
Whether 118 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 118?
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 3.5
- In an office of 250: about 29
- In a town of 10,000: about 1,151
- In a city of 1 million: about 115,070
118 compared with nearby scores
| IQ | Percentile | Range | How rare |
|---|---|---|---|
| 108 | 70th | Average | 1 in 3.4 |
| 113 | 81st | High Average | 1 in 5.2 |
| 118 | 88th | High Average | 1 in 8.7 |
| 123 | 94th | Superior | 1 in 16 |
| 128 | 97th | Superior | 1 in 32 |
"How rare" counts people at that score or higher.
118 and the usual reference points
- 18 points above 100, the average by definition.
- 3 points above 115, one standard deviation above average (about the 84th percentile).
- 12 points below 130, two standard deviations above average and the usual Mensa line (top 2%).
- 27 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 118 is best read as "probably between 113 and 123". 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 118 a good IQ score?
Yes. An IQ of 118 is in the High Average range (110 to 119) and higher than about 88% of people. About 1 in 8.7 people score 118 or higher.
What percentile is an IQ of 118?
An IQ of 118 is at about the 88th percentile. On the standard scale (mean 100, standard deviation 15) it is +1.20 standard deviations from the average.
How rare is an IQ of 118?
About 1 in 8.7 people score 118 or higher, which is 11.5% of the population.
Is 118 above average?
Yes. It is above the Average range (90 to 109) and higher than about 88 in 100 people. About 1 in 8.7 people score 118 or higher.
How accurate is an online IQ score of 118?
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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