Is an IQ of 111 high average?
Yes. An IQ of 111 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 111 sits on the bell curve
An IQ of 111 is 11 points above the average of 100, or 0.73 standard deviations. It is higher than about 77% 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 112 on a test with a standard deviation of 16, such as older editions of the Stanford-Binet, and 118 on the Cattell scale, which uses 24. Why scales differ.
IQ 111 meaning: a closer look
An IQ of 111 is higher than about 77% of people. It sits in the high average range, just above its starting point at 110. In a group of 100 people of your age, about 23 would score the same or higher. A professional retest could reasonably fall anywhere from about 106 to 116, so 111 should be read as "around the boundary of average and high average, leaning high". Many people at this level find abstract or technical material manageable with practice.
Growth mindset and a 111 IQ: what the biggest studies found
A growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed. Two 2018 meta-analyses tested the idea at scale. Across 273 effect sizes and 365,915 students, the correlation between mindset and academic achievement was r = 0.10. Across 43 effects from intervention studies with 57,155 participants, overall effects were "weak". A 2019 national experiment with 12,490 US ninth graders in 65 schools found a short online session raised lower achievers' core grades by 0.10 grade points, more where school norms supported challenge.
These studies measured grades, not IQ, so none of them shows that a mindset will change a 111 IQ. What they do suggest is that beliefs about effort can nudge how some students approach hard work, especially students who are struggling, and that the school around them matters. For someone with an IQ of 111, already in the high average range, a growth mindset may help you keep tackling difficult material. It is a modest helper, not a shortcut, and the size of its effects is still debated.
Sources: Sisk, V. F., Burgoyne, A. P., Sun, J., Butler, J. L. and Macnamara, B. N. (2018), "To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Two meta-analyses", Psychological Science, 29(4), 549 to 571; Yeager, D. S. et al. (2019), "A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement", Nature, 573, 364 to 369.
What 111 looks like among real people
If you lined up 100 people of your age, about 77 would score lower than 111 and about 23 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 111?
No IQ test measures to the exact point. On a professional test, a result of 111 usually comes with a likely range of about five points either way: 106 to 116. That range runs from the 66th to the 86th percentile, and it crosses from average into high average.
A professional report would give a range around 111 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, each correct answer is worth about 2.5 points, so 111 falls between two possible results: 110 for 22 correct answers and 113 for 23. How our score is worked out.
So if you scored 111 once, a retest on another day could reasonably land anywhere from 106 to 116. Online tests are less precise still, so treat any online result as a rough estimate.
IQ 111 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 111 would have meant for children of different ages: working ahead of their years.
| Real age | Mental age at IQ 111 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 5 years 7 months |
| 7 | 7 years 9 months |
| 9 | 10 years |
| 11 | 12 years 3 months |
| 13 | 14 years 5 months |
The same 111 stands for a gap of about 7 months at age 5 but 1 year 5 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 111 means for you
It sits near the bottom of the high average band, which runs from 110 to 119.
- 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 111 is from other levels
How 111 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | 53rd | Average | 1 in 2 |
| 106 | 66th | Average | 1 in 3 |
| 111 | 77th | High average | 1 in 4 |
| 116 | 86th | High average | 1 in 7 |
| 121 | 92nd | Superior | 1 in 12 |
Questions about an IQ of 111
What percentile is an IQ of 111?
An IQ of 111 is at about the 77th percentile, which means it is higher than about 77% of people of the same age.
Is 111 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 111 get into Mensa?
Not on its own. Mensa accepts the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is usually 130 or above. 111 is 19 points below that.
How common is an IQ of 111 or higher?
About 23% of people score 111 or higher, roughly 1 in 4. In a stadium of 50,000 people, about 11,600 would score at this level or above.
Can a growth mindset change a 111 IQ?
There is no good evidence that it changes IQ scores. Large studies of growth mindset looked at grades and found small effects: a correlation of about 0.10 with achievement, and modest gains mainly for lower-achieving students. Believing you can improve may help you keep at hard tasks, but it will not rewrite a 111 IQ.
What mental age is an IQ of 111?
Under the old ratio formula, a 9-year-old with an IQ of 111 would perform like a typical child of about 10 years, roughly 12 months ahead. The idea only works for children: an adult who scores 111 simply did better than most adults of the same age on the test.
Is 111 a smart IQ?
It is above average and higher than most people. "Smart" isn't a technical term, but 111 is a good score by any everyday standard.
What jobs suit an IQ of 111?
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 111 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 111 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.
A full IQ score of 111 combines several skills. Our guides explain each one: abstract reasoning, spatial reasoning, verbal reasoning, processing speed and fluid vs crystallized intelligence, 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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