Where 80 sits on the bell curve
This score is 20 points below the average of 100, or 1.33 standard deviations. The shaded part of the curve, everyone who scores lower, covers about 9.1% of people.
What an IQ of 80 means
80 sits at the start of the Low Average range (80 to 89). It is 1.33 standard deviations below the mean of 100, so about 9 in 100 people score lower.
The Low Average range runs from 80 to 89. Range names come from the Wechsler scales; they are labels for parts of the curve, not hard lines, so 79 and 81 reflect almost the same performance.
Whether 80 counts as a good IQ score depends on the comparison: against everyone, or against the people you study or work with.
How common is an IQ of 80 or lower?
If scores follow the standard bell curve, this is how many people you would expect to score this low or lower:
- In a class of 30: about 2.7
- In an office of 250: about 23
- In a town of 10,000: about 912
- In a city of 1 million: about 91,211
80 compared with nearby scores
| IQ | Percentile | Range | How rare |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 2nd | Borderline | 1 in 1 |
| 75 | 5th | Borderline | 1 in 1 |
| 80 | 9th | Low Average | 1 in 1 |
| 85 | 16th | Low Average | 1 in 1.2 |
| 90 | 25th | Average | 1 in 1.3 |
"How rare" counts people at that score or higher.
80 and the usual reference points
- 20 points below 100, the average by definition.
- 35 points below 115, one standard deviation above average (about the 84th percentile).
- 50 points below 130, two standard deviations above average and the usual Mensa line (top 2%).
- 65 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 80 is best read as "probably between 75 and 85". 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 80 a good IQ score?
An IQ of 80 is in the Low Average range (80 to 89) and higher than about 9% of people. About 1 in 11 people score 80 or lower.
What percentile is an IQ of 80?
An IQ of 80 is at about the 9th percentile. On the standard scale (mean 100, standard deviation 15) it is -1.33 standard deviations from the average.
How common is an IQ of 80?
About 1 in 11 people score 80 or lower.
Is 80 a low IQ?
It is below the Average range (90 to 109) and inside the Low Average range, higher than about 9 in 100 people. Many people score here. A single online score has a margin of error of several points and says nothing about knowledge, skills or effort.
How accurate is an online IQ score of 80?
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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