Where 155 sits on the bell curve
This score is 55 points above the average of 100, or 3.67 standard deviations. The shaded part of the curve, everyone who scores lower, covers about 100.0% of people.
What an IQ of 155 means
155 sits in the upper half of the Very Superior range (130 to 160). It is 3.67 standard deviations above the mean of 100, so about 99.99 in 100 people score lower.
On the IQ score scale, 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 154 and 156 reflect almost the same performance.
Whether 155 counts as a good score depends on the comparison: against everyone, or against the people you study or work with.
How rare is an IQ of 155?
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 1.2
- In a city of 1 million: about 123
155 compared with nearby scores
| IQ | Percentile | Range | How rare |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
155 and the usual reference points
- 55 points above 100, the average by definition.
- 40 points above 115, one standard deviation above average (about the 84th percentile).
- 25 points above 130, two standard deviations above average and the usual Mensa line (top 2%).
- 10 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 155 is best read as "probably between 150 and 160". Online IQ 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 155 a good IQ score?
Yes. An IQ of 155 is in the Very Superior range (130 to 160) and higher than about 100.0% of people. About 1 in 8,100 people score 155 or higher.
What percentile is an IQ of 155?
An IQ of 155 is at about the 99.99th percentile. On the standard scale (mean 100, standard deviation 15) it is +3.67 standard deviations from the average.
How rare is an IQ of 155?
About 1 in 8,100 people score 155 or higher, which is 0.01% of the population.
Is 155 a genius IQ?
There is no agreed genius line. 155 is in the Very Superior range (130 and above) and higher than about 99.988 in 100 people. Above 145 so few people score that tests measure less precisely.
How accurate is an online IQ score of 155?
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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