What can an IQ of 114 predict?
Yes. An IQ of 114 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 114 sits on the bell curve
An IQ of 114 is 14 points above the average of 100, or 0.93 standard deviations. It is higher than about 82% 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 115 on a test with a standard deviation of 16, such as older editions of the Stanford-Binet, and 122 on the Cattell scale, which uses 24. Why scales differ.
IQ 114 meaning: a closer look
At 114, about 82 people in every 100 would score lower. That is six points short of the superior range, which starts at 120, and one point under the one-standard-deviation line. A professional test would typically report a range of about 109 to 119, almost entirely within high average. Scores like 114 often reflect strength in one or two areas, such as patterns or numbers, lifting an otherwise average profile. Looking at your results by area tells you which.
Education, job status and pay: how far a 114 IQ predicts success
A 2007 meta-analysis in Intelligence pooled longitudinal studies that measured intelligence first and success years later. Corrected correlations were 0.56 with education, 0.43 with occupational status and 0.20 with income. In the best studies, where IQ was measured by age 18 and success at 30 or older, they were 0.56, 0.45 and 0.23. The author concluded that intelligence is "a powerful predictor of success" but "not an overwhelmingly better predictor" than parental socioeconomic status or school grades.
For someone with an IQ of 114, higher than about 82% of people, this points to a score that on average sits comfortably with further study and skilled work. But a correlation of around 0.20 with income means pay depends much more on other things, such as field of work, location, effort, health, family background and chance. Use a 114 IQ as one piece of information about your strengths, not a forecast of where you will end up.
Source: Strenze, T. (2007), "Intelligence and socioeconomic success: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal research", Intelligence, 35(5), 401 to 426.
For average test scores job by job, from the original studies, see our page on IQ by profession.
What 114 looks like among real people
If you lined up 100 people of your age, about 82 would score lower than 114 and about 18 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 114?
No IQ test measures to the exact point. On a professional test, a result of 114 usually comes with a likely range of about five points either way: 109 to 119. That range runs from the 73rd to the 90th percentile, and it crosses from average into high average.
A professional report would give a range around 114 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 114 falls between two possible results: 113 for 23 correct answers and 115 for 24. How our score is worked out.
So if you scored 114 once, a retest on another day could reasonably land anywhere from 109 to 119. Online tests are less precise still, so treat any online result as a rough estimate.
IQ 114 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 114 would have meant for children of different ages: working ahead of their years.
| Real age | Mental age at IQ 114 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 5 years 8 months |
| 7 | 8 years |
| 9 | 10 years 3 months |
| 11 | 12 years 6 months |
| 13 | 14 years 10 months |
The same 114 stands for a gap of about 8 months at age 5 but 1 year 10 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 114 means for you
It sits in the middle 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 114 is from other levels
How 114 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 104 | 61st | Average | 1 in 3 |
| 109 | 73rd | Average | 1 in 4 |
| 114 | 82nd | High average | 1 in 6 |
| 119 | 90th | High average | 1 in 10 |
| 124 | 95th | Superior | 1 in 18 |
Questions about an IQ of 114
What percentile is an IQ of 114?
An IQ of 114 is at about the 82nd percentile, which means it is higher than about 82% of people of the same age.
Is 114 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 114 get into Mensa?
Not on its own. Mensa accepts the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is usually 130 or above. 114 is 16 points below that.
How common is an IQ of 114 or higher?
About 18% of people score 114 or higher, roughly 1 in 6. In a stadium of 50,000 people, about 8,770 would score at this level or above.
Does a 114 IQ predict how far I will go in education?
It gives a rough hint, not a forecast. Across long-term studies, intelligence correlated about 0.56 with how much education people went on to complete, a strong link by social science standards. Parental background and school grades predicted about as well. Motivation, support and opportunity shape the rest.
What mental age is an IQ of 114?
Under the old ratio formula, a 9-year-old with an IQ of 114 would perform like a typical child of about 10 years 3 months, roughly 15 months ahead. The idea only works for children: an adult who scores 114 simply did better than most adults of the same age on the test.
Is 114 a smart IQ?
It is above average and higher than most people. "Smart" isn't a technical term, but 114 is a good score by any everyday standard.
What jobs suit an IQ of 114?
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 114 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 114 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 114 combines several skills. Our guides explain each one: processing speed, fluid vs crystallized intelligence, abstract reasoning, spatial reasoning and verbal 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.
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