Where 150 sits on the bell curve
This score is 50 points above the average of 100, or 3.33 standard deviations. The shaded part of the curve, everyone who scores lower, covers about 100.0% of people.
What an IQ of 150 means
150 is three and a third standard deviations above the mean, about 1 in 2,300 people. At this level most tests are near their ceiling, and a score depends heavily on which test was used.
The Very Superior range runs from 130 to 160 and beyond. Range names come from the Wechsler scales; they are labels for parts of the curve, not hard lines, so 149 and 151 reflect almost the same performance.
Whether 150 counts as a good IQ score depends on the comparison: against everyone, or against the people you study or work with.
How rare is an IQ of 150?
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: fewer than one
- In an office of 250: fewer than one
- In a town of 10,000: about 4.3
- In a city of 1 million: about 429
150 compared with nearby scores
| IQ | Percentile | Range | How rare |
|---|---|---|---|
| 140 | 99.62nd | Very Superior | 1 in 261 |
| 145 | 99.87th | Very Superior | 1 in 741 |
| 150 | 99.96th | Very Superior | 1 in 2,300 |
| 155 | 99.99th | Very Superior | 1 in 8,100 |
| 160 | 99.997th | Very Superior | 1 in 31,600 |
"How rare" counts people at that score or higher.
150 and the usual reference points
- 50 points above 100, the average by definition.
- 35 points above 115, one standard deviation above average (about the 84th percentile).
- 20 points above 130, two standard deviations above average and the usual Mensa line (top 2%).
- 5 points above 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 150 is best read as "probably between 145 and 155". Short 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 150 a good IQ score?
Yes. An IQ of 150 is in the Very Superior range (130 to 160) and higher than about 100.0% of people. About 1 in 2,300 people score 150 or higher.
What percentile is an IQ of 150?
An IQ of 150 is at about the 99.96th percentile. On the standard scale (mean 100, standard deviation 15) it is +3.33 standard deviations from the average.
How rare is an IQ of 150?
About 1 in 2,300 people score 150 or higher, which is 0.04% of the population.
Can an online test measure an IQ of 150?
Not reliably. Very few people score this high, so online tests have almost no data at that level. Our own test reports results up to 145 and shows higher results as 145+.
How accurate is an online IQ score of 150?
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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