What does an IQ of 115 mean?
Yes. An IQ of 115 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 115 sits on the bell curve
An IQ of 115 is 15 points above the average of 100, or 1 standard deviation. It is higher than about 84% 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 116 on a test with a standard deviation of 16, such as older editions of the Stanford-Binet, and 124 on the Cattell scale, which uses 24. Why scales differ.
IQ 115 meaning: a closer look
An IQ of 115 is exactly one standard deviation above the average, one of the scale's key reference points. It is higher than about 84% of people, so roughly one person in six scores this high or higher. Because 85 and 115 sit at equal distances either side of 100, about two thirds of everyone falls between them. 115 is a high average score that is clearly above typical, and many people at this level do well in demanding study and work.
From Stern's 1912 quotient to Terman's 1916 label for a 115
The idea of an intelligence quotient goes back to 1912, when the German psychologist William Stern reviewed testing methods for a psychology congress in Berlin. In the book that grew from that talk, he proposed expressing a child's result as a ratio rather than a difference, so a typical child scored 1. Four years later, Lewis Terman at Stanford published his revision of the Binet scale, based mainly on tests of 1,000 unselected children. He used the short form "I Q" throughout, and set the scale so the median child scored close to 100.
Terman also offered labels. In his 1916 guide, scores from 110 to 120 were called "superior intelligence", so a 115 IQ would have carried that name. He reported that a child reaching about 115 was equalled or excelled by 10 in 100 of his sample. Modern tests place 115 above about 84% of people and call it high average, because today's scores are built differently and compared with larger, newer samples. The number has a long history, but its exact meaning always depends on the test and the era.
Sources: Stern, W. (1914), "The Psychological Methods of Testing Intelligence", trans. G. M. Whipple, Warwick & York (German original 1912); Terman, L. M. (1916), "The Measurement of Intelligence", Houghton Mifflin.
What 115 looks like among real people
If you lined up 100 people of your age, about 84 would score lower than 115 and about 16 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 115?
No IQ test measures to the exact point. On a professional test, a result of 115 usually comes with a likely range of about five points either way: 110 to 120. That range runs from the 75th to the 91st percentile, and it crosses from high average into superior.
A professional report would give a range around 115 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, 115 is the score for 24 correct answers out of 36. How our score is worked out.
So if you scored 115 once, a retest on another day could reasonably land anywhere from 110 to 120. Online tests are less precise still, so treat any online result as a rough estimate.
IQ 115 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 115 would have meant for children of different ages: working ahead of their years.
| Real age | Mental age at IQ 115 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 5 years 9 months |
| 7 | 8 years 1 month |
| 9 | 10 years 4 months |
| 11 | 12 years 8 months |
| 13 | 14 years 11 months |
The same 115 stands for a gap of about 9 months at age 5 but 1 year 11 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 115 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 115 is from other levels
Why 115 is a milestone: Exactly one standard deviation above the average. About 84% of people score lower.
How 115 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 125 | 95th | Superior | 1 in 21 |
Questions about an IQ of 115
What percentile is an IQ of 115?
An IQ of 115 is at about the 84th percentile, which means it is higher than about 84% of people of the same age.
Is 115 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 115 get into Mensa?
Not on its own. Mensa accepts the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is usually 130 or above. 115 is 15 points below that.
How common is an IQ of 115 or higher?
About 16% of people score 115 or higher, roughly 1 in 6. In a stadium of 50,000 people, about 7,930 would score at this level or above.
Was an IQ of 115 always called high average?
No. In Lewis Terman's 1916 guide to the Stanford-Binet, scores from 110 to 120 were labelled "superior intelligence", so 115 sat in that group. Later scales renamed the band. On modern tests, 115 is one standard deviation above the average of 100 and higher than about 84% of people, which is why it is now usually described as high average.
What mental age is an IQ of 115?
Under the old ratio formula, a 9-year-old with an IQ of 115 would perform like a typical child of about 10 years 4 months, roughly 16 months ahead. The idea only works for children: an adult who scores 115 simply did better than most adults of the same age on the test.
Is 115 a smart IQ?
It is above average and higher than most people. "Smart" isn't a technical term, but 115 is a good score by any everyday standard.
What jobs suit an IQ of 115?
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 115 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 115 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 115 sit several separate abilities. Read 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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