What does a 120 IQ mean?
Yes. An IQ of 120 is in the superior range, called very high on current children's tests. It is well above average and higher than about 9 in 10 people.
Where 120 sits on the bell curve
An IQ of 120 is 20 points above the average of 100, or 1.33 standard deviations. It is higher than about 91% of people of the same age, shown by the shaded area below. This is the thinning right shoulder of the curve, where only about 1 person in 15 scores in the whole 120 to 129 band.
On other IQ scales, the same result would be about 121 on a test with a standard deviation of 16, such as older editions of the Stanford-Binet, and 132 on the Cattell scale, which uses 24. Why scales differ.
IQ 120 meaning: a closer look
An IQ of 120 marks the start of the superior range on the classic Wechsler classification. It is higher than about 91% of people, which means roughly one person in eleven scores 120 or above. Two thirds of the way from average to the 130 level that high-IQ societies use, 120 is a high score by everyday standards. People at this level often learn quickly and handle complex, abstract information well, though motivation and knowledge still shape what they achieve.
Is 120 the creativity threshold? What breakpoint analysis found
The threshold hypothesis says above-average intelligence is needed for high creativity, but past a certain point more IQ adds little. Studies often just split people at 120. A 2013 study in Intelligence of 297 participants let the data find the breakpoint instead. For the sheer number of ideas, the threshold was around 85. For a liberal measure of originality (two original ideas), it was around 100. Only for the most demanding measure, many original ideas, did a threshold of 120 appear.
So for someone with an IQ of 120, the study suggests reasoning ability is no longer the main limit on producing original ideas. Beyond the threshold, personality factors became more predictive. But extra IQ does not stop mattering. For real creative achievement, such as recognised work in the arts or sciences, the study found no threshold at all: achievement kept benefiting from intelligence "even at fairly high levels of intellectual ability". A 120 IQ is a strong base for creative work, not a guarantee and not a cap.
Source: Jauk, E., Benedek, M., Dunst, B. and Neubauer, A. C. (2013), "The relationship between intelligence and creativity: New support for the threshold hypothesis by means of empirical breakpoint detection", Intelligence, 41(4), 212-221.
What 120 looks like among real people
If you lined up 100 people of your age, about 91 would score lower than 120 and about 9 would score the same or higher. The orange dot marks your place in the line.
In most groups of a few dozen people, a score like this would be among the highest.
How precise is a score of 120?
No IQ test measures to the exact point. On a professional test, a result of 120 usually comes with a likely range of about five points either way: 115 to 125. That range runs from the 84th to the 95th percentile, and it crosses from high average into superior.
At this level, a single test can place you a few points either side of a line that some people care about, such as 130. A full professional test, or a retest, is the only way to know which side you are on.
On the Assessivo test, 120 is the score for 26 correct answers out of 36. How our score is worked out.
So if you scored 120 once, a retest on another day could reasonably land anywhere from 115 to 125. Online tests are less precise still, so treat any online result as a rough estimate.
IQ 120 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 120 would have meant for children of different ages: working ahead of their years.
| Real age | Mental age at IQ 120 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 6 years |
| 7 | 8 years 5 months |
| 9 | 10 years 10 months |
| 11 | 13 years 2 months |
| 13 | 15 years 7 months |
The same 120 stands for a gap of about 1 year at age 5 but 2 years 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 120 means for you
It is the very first score in the superior band.
- You likely solve unfamiliar problems quickly and handle complex, abstract information well.
- Demanding academic and technical work often suits people in this range, although many other qualities decide success.
- It is below the 130 level that Mensa usually requires, but within reach of it on a good day or a different test.
How far 120 is from other levels
Why 120 is a milestone: The start of the superior range on the classic Wechsler classification.
How 120 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 130 | 98th | Very superior | 1 in 44 |
Questions about an IQ of 120
What percentile is an IQ of 120?
An IQ of 120 is at about the 91st percentile, which means it is higher than about 91% of people of the same age.
Is 120 a high IQ?
It is well above average. Most definitions reserve "high IQ" for 130 and above, but 120 is higher than about 91% of people.
Can an IQ of 120 get into Mensa?
Not on its own. Mensa accepts the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is usually 130 or above. 120 is 10 points below that.
How common is an IQ of 120 or higher?
About 9% of people score 120 or higher, roughly 1 in 11. In a stadium of 50,000 people, about 4,560 would score at this level or above.
Is a 120 IQ enough to be creative?
For most creative tasks, yes. A 2013 study found IQ thresholds for creative potential of about 85 to 120, depending on how demanding the task was, with 120 the highest. Above the threshold, personality mattered more. For actual creative achievement, though, higher IQ kept helping, so 120 is a strong starting point rather than a finish line.
What mental age is an IQ of 120?
Under the old ratio formula, a 9-year-old with an IQ of 120 would perform like a typical child of about 10 years 10 months, roughly 22 months ahead. The idea only works for children: an adult who scores 120 simply did better than most adults of the same age on the test.
Is an IQ of 120 very high?
It is high: higher than about 9 in 10 people. Current children's tests label 120 to 129 very high. Most people reserve "very high" or "gifted" for 130 and above.
Can an IQ of 120 change?
A measured score can move a few points between tests because of measurement error and practice, so a result in the 120s on one test may come out higher or lower on another. Large, lasting changes are uncommon in adults, whose scores are usually stable over many years.
Is 120 good for a scientist or engineer?
It is a strong score for demanding technical work, but there is no IQ requirement for any profession. Training, persistence and curiosity matter at least as much.
See where 130 and the other benchmarks sit in what is a good IQ score?, and what higher scores do and don't predict in what IQ is. 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 120 combines several skills. Our guides explain each one: 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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