How smart is an IQ of 112?
Yes. An IQ of 112 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 112 sits on the bell curve
An IQ of 112 is 12 points above the average of 100, or 0.8 standard deviations. It is higher than about 79% 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 113 on a test with a standard deviation of 16, such as older editions of the Stanford-Binet, and 119 on the Cattell scale, which uses 24. Why scales differ.
IQ 112 meaning: a closer look
With a score of 112, you are ahead of roughly 79% of people, about one in five scoring this high or above. It is twelve points, or four fifths of a standard deviation, above average. One thing worth knowing: scores in the low 110s are also where practice effects show most clearly. People who have recently done a lot of similar puzzles can gain a few points this way, which is why your first attempt at a test is usually the fairest one to compare.
Nature, nurture and money: why the heritability of IQ is not fixed
A 2003 study analysed the IQ scores of 7-year-old twins from a large US project in which many families lived near or below the poverty line. In the poorest families, the models suggested about 60% of IQ variation was linked to the shared family environment and genes contributed almost nothing. In affluent families the result was almost exactly the reverse. A 2016 meta-analysis of 14 studies with 24,926 twin and sibling pairs found this effect in US samples, but zero or reversed in Western Europe and Australia.
Heritability describes differences across a group, not how much of one person's 112 IQ came from genes. One explanation the researchers discuss is that hardship can hold back how genetic differences show up, and that countries with more equal access to good schools and health care see less of this. For someone with an IQ of 112, the lesson is that scores reflect both biology and opportunity, and that the balance between them depends on where and how people grow up.
Sources: Turkheimer, E., Haley, A., Waldron, M., D'Onofrio, B. and Gottesman, I. I. (2003), "Socioeconomic status modifies heritability of IQ in young children", Psychological Science, 14(6), 623 to 628; Tucker-Drob, E. M. and Bates, T. C. (2016), "Large cross-national differences in gene x socioeconomic status interaction on intelligence", Psychological Science, 27(2), 138 to 149.
How this fits the wider evidence on genes and IQ is set out in our guide is intelligence hereditary?
What 112 looks like among real people
If you lined up 100 people of your age, about 79 would score lower than 112 and about 21 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 112?
No IQ test measures to the exact point. On a professional test, a result of 112 usually comes with a likely range of about five points either way: 107 to 117. That range runs from the 68th to the 87th percentile, and it crosses from average into high average.
A professional report would give a range around 112 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 112 falls between two possible results: 110 for 22 correct answers and 113 for 23. How our score is worked out.
So if you scored 112 once, a retest on another day could reasonably land anywhere from 107 to 117. Online tests are less precise still, so treat any online result as a rough estimate.
IQ 112 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 112 would have meant for children of different ages: working ahead of their years.
| Real age | Mental age at IQ 112 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 5 years 7 months |
| 7 | 7 years 10 months |
| 9 | 10 years 1 month |
| 11 | 12 years 4 months |
| 13 | 14 years 7 months |
The same 112 stands for a gap of about 7 months at age 5 but 1 year 7 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 112 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 112 is from other levels
How 112 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | 55th | Average | 1 in 2 |
| 107 | 68th | Average | 1 in 3 |
| 112 | 79th | High average | 1 in 5 |
| 117 | 87th | High average | 1 in 8 |
| 122 | 93rd | Superior | 1 in 14 |
Questions about an IQ of 112
What percentile is an IQ of 112?
An IQ of 112 is at about the 79th percentile, which means it is higher than about 79% of people of the same age.
Is 112 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 112 get into Mensa?
Not on its own. Mensa accepts the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is usually 130 or above. 112 is 18 points below that.
How common is an IQ of 112 or higher?
About 21% of people score 112 or higher, roughly 1 in 5. In a stadium of 50,000 people, about 10,600 would score at this level or above.
Is a 112 IQ mostly genetic?
There is no way to split one person's score into genes and environment. Heritability is a group statistic, and twin research shows it can shift with circumstances: in some US studies it was much lower in poorer families, a pattern not found in Western Europe or Australia. A 112 IQ reflects both your biology and your opportunities.
What mental age is an IQ of 112?
Under the old ratio formula, a 9-year-old with an IQ of 112 would perform like a typical child of about 10 years 1 month, roughly 13 months ahead. The idea only works for children: an adult who scores 112 simply did better than most adults of the same age on the test.
Is 112 a smart IQ?
It is above average and higher than most people. "Smart" isn't a technical term, but 112 is a good score by any everyday standard.
What jobs suit an IQ of 112?
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 112 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 112 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.
Behind a single score of 112 sit several separate abilities. Read about spatial reasoning, verbal reasoning, processing speed, fluid vs crystallized intelligence and abstract reasoning, 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.
Take the free IQ test