IQ 100: meaning, percentile and rarity
An IQ of 100 sits in the average range on the standard scale (mean 100, standard deviation 15). 50% of the reference population scores below this level, and 50% scores above it.
Want your own score and percentile? Take the free 40-question test.
Take the IQ test- Percentile rank
- 50% of people score below IQ 100, and 50% score above it.
- Rarity
- IQ 100 is the middle of the scale: about half of people score below it and half above it.
- Distance from the mean
- IQ 100 is exactly the mean of the scale.
50% of people score below IQ 100, and 50% score above it.
What range does IQ 100 fall into?
An IQ of 100 sits in the average range.
This is the center of the scale: around half of all people score in the broader average region (90 to 109), and scores near 100 are the most common in the population.
How rare is IQ 100?
IQ 100 is the middle of the scale: about half of people score below it and half above it.
Frequently asked questions
- Is an IQ of 100 a good score?
- An IQ of 100 sits in the average range, with about 50% of a normal population scoring below it. Whether that counts as good depends on what the score is used for — and no single online result should be treated as a definitive measure of ability.
- How rare is an IQ of 100?
- IQ 100 is the center of the scale: roughly half of people score below it and half above it.
- What percentile is an IQ of 100?
- 50% of the reference population scores below IQ 100. That is its percentile rank — a position on a scale from 0 to 100, not the share of questions answered correctly.
This page describes the theoretical normal distribution (mean 100, standard deviation 15) for educational purposes. It is not a clinical assessment or a diagnosis.