How high is an IQ of 110?
Yes. An IQ of 110 is in the high average range, clearly above the middle of the population. The newest adult test, the WAIS-5, describes scores like this as above average.
Where 110 sits on the bell curve
An IQ of 110 is 10 points above the average of 100, or 0.67 standard deviations. It is higher than about 75% of people of the same age, shown by the shaded area below. Here the curve starts to thin out: each extra point now moves you past fewer people than it does near 100.
On other IQ scales, the same result would be about 111 on a test with a standard deviation of 16, such as older editions of the Stanford-Binet, and 116 on the Cattell scale, which uses 24. Why scales differ.
IQ 110 meaning: a closer look
At 110, a score enters the high average range on the classic Wechsler labels. It is higher than about 75% of people, so roughly one person in four scores 110 or above. Two thirds of a standard deviation above the middle, it is a clearly above-average result. In a class of 30, 110 would typically rank around 8th. People in this range often pick up new rules and patterns a little faster than most, especially when the material is unfamiliar.
Reading and a 110 IQ: what identical twins reveal
A 2015 study in Child Development used 1,890 pairs of identical twins from the Twins Early Development Study in England and Wales, tested at ages 7, 9, 10, 12 and 16. Identical twins share their genes and their home, so differences between them point to experiences unique to each child. The twin who read better earlier tended to score higher on later intelligence tests than their co-twin. These links were not explained by how much each twin read, and they were not limited to verbal abilities.
This is some of the stronger evidence that a skill learned in childhood can feed into later intelligence, though the links were modest and the design, while clever, is still not a controlled experiment. It was also about children, so it cannot show that reading more as an adult will lift a 110 IQ. What it does suggest is that reading ability is part of how intellectual skills grow over time. With an IQ of 110, keep reading for its own sake: it builds knowledge and vocabulary, whatever it does to a test score.
Source: Ritchie, S. J., Bates, T. C. and Plomin, R. (2015), "Does learning to read improve intelligence? A longitudinal multivariate analysis in identical twins from age 7 to 16", Child Development, 86(1), 23 to 36.
What 110 looks like among real people
If you lined up 100 people of your age, about 75 would score lower than 110 and about 25 would score the same or higher. The orange dot marks your place in the line.
In a typical group of friends or colleagues, you would usually be in the upper part on reasoning puzzles.
How precise is a score of 110?
No IQ test measures to the exact point. On a professional test, a result of 110 usually comes with a likely range of about five points either way: 105 to 115. That range runs from the 63rd to the 84th percentile, and it crosses from average into high average.
A professional report would give a range around 110 that may dip into the average band or reach into the next band up, so the label matters less than the range.
On the Assessivo test, 110 is the score for 22 correct answers out of 36. How our score is worked out.
So if you scored 110 once, a retest on another day could reasonably land anywhere from 105 to 115. Online tests are less precise still, so treat any online result as a rough estimate.
IQ 110 and mental age in children
Early IQ tests for children worked with a "mental age", the age whose typical performance a child matched. The IQ was that mental age divided by the child's real age, times 100. Turned around, the formula shows what a score of 110 would have meant for children of different ages: working ahead of their years.
| Real age | Mental age at IQ 110 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 5 years 6 months |
| 7 | 7 years 8 months |
| 9 | 9 years 11 months |
| 11 | 12 years 1 month |
| 13 | 14 years 4 months |
The same 110 stands for a gap of about 6 months at age 5 but 1 year 4 months at 13, because the formula scales with age. That is one reason it broke down for teenagers and adults, whose test performance stops rising every year. Today's tests compare you with people of the same age instead, so a mental age is only a way to picture a child's score, never a description of an adult.
What an IQ of 110 means for you
It is the very first score in the high average band.
- You probably pick up new patterns and rules a little faster than most people.
- Abstract and technical material may come more easily, especially with practice and good teaching.
- High average is close to average. Motivation, knowledge and skills usually matter more than the gap between them.
How far 110 is from other levels
Why 110 is a milestone: The point where the high average range begins.
How 110 compares with nearby scores
Want a score that isn't listed, or the share of people between two scores? Try the IQ calculator.
| IQ | Percentile | Classification | Score this high or higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 50th | Average | 1 in 2 |
| 105 | 63rd | Average | 1 in 3 |
| 110 | 75th | High average | 1 in 4 |
| 115 | 84th | High average | 1 in 6 |
| 120 | 91st | Superior | 1 in 11 |
Questions about an IQ of 110
What percentile is an IQ of 110?
An IQ of 110 is at about the 75th percentile, which means it is higher than about 75% of people of the same age.
Is 110 a high IQ?
It is above average but not usually called a high IQ. Most definitions start at 120 or 130.
Can an IQ of 110 get into Mensa?
Not on its own. Mensa accepts the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is usually 130 or above. 110 is 20 points below that.
How common is an IQ of 110 or higher?
About 25% of people score 110 or higher, roughly 1 in 4. In a stadium of 50,000 people, about 12,600 would score at this level or above.
Does reading a lot help someone with a 110 IQ?
Reading builds knowledge and vocabulary at any score. A study of 1,890 identical twin pairs found that the twin who read better as a child tended to score higher on later intelligence tests. That research was on children, so it does not show that adult reading will change a 110 IQ, but reading is never wasted time.
What mental age is an IQ of 110?
Under the old ratio formula, a 9-year-old with an IQ of 110 would perform like a typical child of about 9 years 11 months, roughly 11 months ahead. The idea only works for children: an adult who scores 110 simply did better than most adults of the same age on the test.
Is 110 a smart IQ?
It is above average and higher than most people. "Smart" isn't a technical term, but 110 is a good score by any everyday standard.
What jobs suit an IQ of 110?
No job requires a specific IQ. People in this range work in every field, and what decides success is training, interest and experience much more than a few IQ points.
Is 110 gifted?
Usually not by school standards. Gifted programmes have no single cut-off, but many use around 130, about two standard deviations above average. A score of 110 is above average without reaching that level.
Our guide to what counts as a good IQ score compares this band with the benchmarks people use, and IQ standard deviation explains the steps between bands. Average scores by occupation are on our IQ by profession page. Every score range is in the IQ range chart.
An IQ test arrives at a score like 110 by combining several kinds of task. Learn more about fluid vs crystallized intelligence, abstract reasoning, spatial reasoning, verbal reasoning and processing speed, or try the free pattern recognition test.
What would you score?
Take the free Assessivo IQ test: 36 questions, 25 minutes, and your estimated IQ score and percentile as soon as you finish.
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