Is a 116 IQ good?
Yes. An IQ of 116 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 116 sits on the bell curve
An IQ of 116 is 16 points above the average of 100, or 1.07 standard deviations. It is higher than about 86% 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 117 on a test with a standard deviation of 16, such as older editions of the Stanford-Binet, and 126 on the Cattell scale, which uses 24. Why scales differ.
IQ 116 meaning: a closer look
With an IQ of 116, you are ahead of about 86% of people, and roughly one in seven score this high or above. It sits just past the one-standard-deviation mark and four points below the superior range. In a class of 30, 116 would typically rank around 5th. A useful perspective: the jump from 116 to 120 looks small on paper but covers about 5% of the population, because people become sparser as you move away from the middle of the curve.
Does a 116 IQ give you an edge at the chessboard?
A 2016 meta-analysis in Intelligence pooled studies of chess players and found that chess skill correlated with fluid reasoning at r = 0.24 and with short-term memory at r = 0.25. Those links are real but modest. The original paper also found the reasoning link was stronger among young players (0.32) than adults (0.11), and stronger in unranked than ranked players. A 2018 correction lowered the average correlation across abilities from 0.24 to 0.22, while the reasoning and memory results were unaffected.
For someone with an IQ of 116, this suggests good reasoning may help while learning the game, especially early on. It does not mean a 116 IQ sets a ceiling or a floor on your rating. A correlation of about 0.24 leaves most of the differences between players to other factors, such as how much and how well people have studied chess. Among strong, ranked players, the link with reasoning was weaker still, so at higher levels an IQ score says even less about differences in playing strength.
Sources: Burgoyne, A. P., Sala, G., Gobet, F. et al. (2016), "The relationship between cognitive ability and chess skill: A comprehensive meta-analysis", Intelligence, 59, 72-83; Corrigendum (2018), Intelligence, 71, 92-96.
What 116 looks like among real people
If you lined up 100 people of your age, about 86 would score lower than 116 and about 14 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 116?
No IQ test measures to the exact point. On a professional test, a result of 116 usually comes with a likely range of about five points either way: 111 to 121. That range runs from the 77th to the 92nd percentile, and it crosses from high average into superior.
A professional report would give a range around 116 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 116 falls between two possible results: 115 for 24 correct answers and 118 for 25. How our score is worked out.
So if you scored 116 once, a retest on another day could reasonably land anywhere from 111 to 121. Online tests are less precise still, so treat any online result as a rough estimate.
IQ 116 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 116 would have meant for children of different ages: working ahead of their years.
| Real age | Mental age at IQ 116 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 5 years 10 months |
| 7 | 8 years 1 month |
| 9 | 10 years 5 months |
| 11 | 12 years 9 months |
| 13 | 15 years 1 month |
The same 116 stands for a gap of about 10 months at age 5 but 2 years 1 month 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 116 means for you
It sits near the top 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 116 is from other levels
How 116 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 126 | 96th | Superior | 1 in 24 |
Questions about an IQ of 116
What percentile is an IQ of 116?
An IQ of 116 is at about the 86th percentile, which means it is higher than about 86% of people of the same age.
Is 116 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 116 get into Mensa?
Not on its own. Mensa accepts the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is usually 130 or above. 116 is 14 points below that.
How common is an IQ of 116 or higher?
About 14% of people score 116 or higher, roughly 1 in 7. In a stadium of 50,000 people, about 7,150 would score at this level or above.
Do you need a high IQ like 116 to be good at chess?
No. A large 2016 meta-analysis found only a modest link between chess skill and reasoning ability, around r = 0.24, and an even weaker one among adult and ranked players. A 116 IQ may help when learning the game, but many other factors, including study and experience, decide how strong a player becomes.
What mental age is an IQ of 116?
Under the old ratio formula, a 9-year-old with an IQ of 116 would perform like a typical child of about 10 years 5 months, roughly 17 months ahead. The idea only works for children: an adult who scores 116 simply did better than most adults of the same age on the test.
Is 116 a smart IQ?
It is above average and higher than most people. "Smart" isn't a technical term, but 116 is a good score by any everyday standard.
What jobs suit an IQ of 116?
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 116 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 116 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 116 by combining several kinds of task. Learn more about 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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