IQ 123: superior range, explained
Yes. An IQ of 123 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 123 sits on the bell curve
An IQ of 123 is 23 points above the average of 100, or 1.53 standard deviations. It is higher than about 94% 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 125 on a test with a standard deviation of 16, such as older editions of the Stanford-Binet, and 137 on the Cattell scale, which uses 24. Why scales differ.
IQ 123 meaning: a closer look
At 123, you score higher than roughly 94% of people. Only about one person in sixteen reaches this level or higher. It sits seven points below 130, the usual entry level for Mensa. In a stadium of 50,000 people, a little over 3,000 would score 123 or above. If you scored 123 online, it is worth remembering that online tests are more variable at higher scores, so a supervised test is the only way to confirm a result like this.
Breastfeeding and a 123 IQ: what is left after accounting for parents
Breastfed children tend to score higher on IQ tests, but families who breastfeed also differ in other ways. A 2006 BMJ study of 5,475 children from the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth found an unadjusted gap of around 4 points. The mother's own IQ predicted breastfeeding better than her education, age, poverty status or smoking, and adjusting for it accounted for most of the gap. Fully adjusted, the difference was 0.52 points and not significant, and sibling comparisons agreed. The authors concluded breastfeeding "has little or no effect" on intelligence.
Not everyone agrees. A 2015 meta-analysis of 17 studies found a 3.44-point advantage for breastfed children, shrinking to 2.62 points in studies that controlled for maternal IQ, and its authors argued the link is likely causal. Even the larger figure is small next to the normal spread of scores. So if your IQ is 123, how you were fed as a baby explains little of it, and parents who could not breastfeed need not worry that it decided their child's score.
Sources: Der, G., Batty, G. D. and Deary, I. J. (2006), "Effect of breast feeding on intelligence in children: prospective study, sibling pairs analysis, and meta-analysis", BMJ, 333, 945; Horta, B. L., Loret de Mola, C. and Victora, C. G. (2015), "Breastfeeding and intelligence: a systematic review and meta-analysis", Acta Paediatrica, 104(467), 14-19.
What 123 looks like among real people
If you lined up 100 people of your age, about 94 would score lower than 123 and about 6 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 123?
No IQ test measures to the exact point. On a professional test, a result of 123 usually comes with a likely range of about five points either way: 118 to 128. That range runs from the 88th to the 97th 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, 123 is the score for 27 correct answers out of 36. How our score is worked out.
So if you scored 123 once, a retest on another day could reasonably land anywhere from 118 to 128. Online tests are less precise still, so treat any online result as a rough estimate.
IQ 123 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 123 would have meant for children of different ages: working ahead of their years.
| Real age | Mental age at IQ 123 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 6 years 2 months |
| 7 | 8 years 7 months |
| 9 | 11 years 1 month |
| 11 | 13 years 6 months |
| 13 | 16 years |
The same 123 stands for a gap of about 1 year 2 months at age 5 but 3 years 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 123 means for you
It sits near the bottom of the superior band, which runs from 120 to 129.
- 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 123 is from other levels
Famous names reported near 123
Very few famous people have published IQ scores, and most numbers online are invented. These are the ones with a documented report or a published estimate. Each is labelled so you can see what kind of figure it is.
Scored 123 on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, given by Der Spiegel in Baku in 1987, and 135 on a test compiled by Hans Eysenck in the same session, a reminder that one person can score quite differently on two tests.
Tested score · Der Spiegel, "Genieblitze und Blackouts" (1987)How 123 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 113 | 81st | High average | 1 in 5 |
| 118 | 88th | High average | 1 in 9 |
| 123 | 94th | Superior | 1 in 16 |
| 128 | 97th | Superior | 1 in 32 |
| 133 | 99th | Very superior | 1 in 72 |
Questions about an IQ of 123
What percentile is an IQ of 123?
An IQ of 123 is at about the 94th percentile, which means it is higher than about 94% of people of the same age.
Is 123 a high IQ?
It is well above average. Most definitions reserve "high IQ" for 130 and above, but 123 is higher than about 94% of people.
Can an IQ of 123 get into Mensa?
Not on its own. Mensa accepts the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is usually 130 or above. 123 is 7 points below that.
How common is an IQ of 123 or higher?
About 6% of people score 123 or higher, roughly 1 in 16. In a stadium of 50,000 people, about 3,130 would score at this level or above.
Does breastfeeding explain an IQ of 123?
Very little, if at all. Studies disagree on the size of the effect: a 2015 meta-analysis estimated about 2.6 points after allowing for the mother's IQ, while a 2006 study with sibling comparisons found almost none. Either way, it is a small part of what makes up a 123 IQ, alongside genes, schooling and many other influences.
What mental age is an IQ of 123?
Under the old ratio formula, a 9-year-old with an IQ of 123 would perform like a typical child of about 11 years 1 month, roughly 25 months ahead. The idea only works for children: an adult who scores 123 simply did better than most adults of the same age on the test.
Is an IQ of 123 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 123 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 123 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 123 combines several skills. Our guides explain each one: verbal reasoning, processing speed, fluid vs crystallized intelligence, abstract reasoning and spatial 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