IQ 87: low average, explained
An IQ of 87 is in the low average range, a little below the middle of the population. Roughly 1 person in 6 scores between 80 and 89, so it is a common result, and on another day or another test it could easily come out in the 90s.
Where 87 sits on the bell curve
An IQ of 87 is 13 points below the average of 100, or 0.87 standard deviations. It is higher than about 19% of people of the same age, shown by the shaded area below. This part of the curve is still crowded: the scores just below the average are some of the most common results there are.
On other IQ scales, the same result would be about 86 on a test with a standard deviation of 16, such as older editions of the Stanford-Binet, and 79 on the Cattell scale, which uses 24. Why scales differ.
IQ 87 meaning: a closer look
An IQ of 87 is higher than roughly 19% of people, putting it in the lower part of the low average range. Three points more would reach the average band, which starts at 90. That gap is smaller than the typical day-to-day variation in test results, which is about five points either way. In practice, someone scoring 87 handles everyday reasoning, work and study in much the same way as people a few points either side. Speed often matters here: many tests reward quick answers, and people who work carefully but slowly can score lower than their accuracy alone would suggest.
Sitting the test again: how much practice alone adds to an 87
Scores tend to climb when people repeat a test, even when their ability has not changed. A 2018 meta-analysis in Intelligence by Scharfen, Peters and Holling pooled 174 samples from 122 studies, with 153,185 participants. The first retest raised scores by about 0.33 standard deviations, and there were no further gains after the third sitting. The authors translated this into IQ points: someone scoring 100 would be predicted to reach about 105 on a second test, 107 on a third and 108 on a fourth.
So if you scored 87 and then 92 on a retake of the same test, much of that jump may be familiarity rather than a real change. The reverse also holds: if 87 was your first try at this kind of puzzle, it may slightly understate how you would do once the format feels familiar. The size of the effect varied widely between tests and people, and it depended on things like the type of task and the gap between sittings. Practice gains belong to the test, not to your underlying reasoning.
Source: Scharfen, J., Peters, J. M. and Holling, H. (2018), "Retest effects in cognitive ability tests: A meta-analysis", Intelligence, 67, 44 to 66.
What 87 looks like among real people
If you lined up 100 people of your age, about 19 would score lower than 87 and about 81 would score the same or higher. The orange dot marks your place in the line.
In any ordinary workplace or classroom, plenty of people around you will have scores close to this one.
How precise is a score of 87?
No IQ test measures to the exact point. On a professional test, a result of 87 usually comes with a likely range of about five points either way: 82 to 92. That range runs from the 12th to the 30th percentile, and it crosses from low average into average.
Low average scores are especially sensitive to the conditions of the test. Speed matters on most IQ tests, so tiredness, nerves, reading in a second language or an unfamiliar question format can pull a result down by several points.
On the Assessivo test, each correct answer is worth about 2.5 points, so 87 falls between two possible results: 85 for 12 correct answers and 88 for 13. How our score is worked out.
So if you scored 87 once, a retest on another day could reasonably land anywhere from 82 to 92. Online tests are less precise still, so treat any online result as a rough estimate.
IQ 87 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 87 would have meant for children of different ages: working a little behind their years.
| Real age | Mental age at IQ 87 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 4 years 4 months |
| 7 | 6 years 1 month |
| 9 | 7 years 10 months |
| 11 | 9 years 7 months |
| 13 | 11 years 4 months |
The same 87 stands for a gap of about 8 months at age 5 but 1 year 8 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 87 means for you
It sits in the middle of the low average band, which runs from 85 to 89.
- New, abstract puzzles may take a little longer than they do for most people, particularly against the clock.
- Skills built through practice, such as a trade, a sport or a subject you know well, depend far more on experience than on this number.
- A low average result on its own says nothing about a learning difficulty or any other condition. That needs a full assessment by a qualified psychologist.
How far 87 is from other levels
How 87 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77 | 6th | Borderline | 94% |
| 82 | 12th | Low average | 88% |
| 87 | 19th | Low average | 81% |
| 92 | 30th | Average | 70% |
| 97 | 42nd | Average | 58% |
Questions about an IQ of 87
What percentile is an IQ of 87?
An IQ of 87 is at about the 19th percentile, which means it is higher than about 19% of people of the same age.
Is 87 a high IQ?
No. 87 is in the low average range. High IQ usually refers to scores of 120 or 130 and above.
Can an IQ of 87 get into Mensa?
Not on its own. Mensa accepts the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is usually 130 or above. 87 is 43 points below that.
How common is an IQ of 87 or higher?
About 81% of people score 87 or higher. In a stadium of 50,000 people, about 40,300 would score at this level or above.
Why did my IQ go from 87 to 92 on a retake?
Most likely because of practice. A large 2018 meta-analysis found that taking a cognitive test a second time raises scores by about a third of a standard deviation, roughly 5 IQ points, with smaller extra gains after that. Familiar question types and learned strategies both help. A jump like 87 to 92 on the same test is normal and does not by itself show a change in ability.
What mental age is an IQ of 87?
Under the old ratio formula, a 9-year-old with an IQ of 87 would perform like a typical child of about 7 years 10 months, roughly 14 months behind. The idea only works for children: an adult who scores 87 simply did less well than most adults of the same age on the test.
Is an IQ of 87 below average?
Slightly. The average range runs from 90 to 109, so 87 sits just under it, in the band called low average. It is still within the range where most people score.
Can I improve an IQ score of 87?
Your measured score can rise with practice on the question types, a good night's sleep and a quiet room, because retaking similar tests usually raises scores. Your underlying reasoning ability changes more slowly, but schooling and learning do help it over time.
Does an IQ of 87 affect what jobs I can do?
Very few jobs have an IQ requirement. Some employers use timed reasoning tests in hiring, and practice with the format helps on those. For most careers, training, experience and reliability matter far more.
For what counts as normal, see our guide to average IQ, and for what IQ does and doesn't capture, what IQ is. If you are wondering whether a score can go up, can you increase your IQ? sets out the evidence. Every score range is in the IQ range chart.
A full IQ score of 87 combines several skills. Our guides explain each one: spatial reasoning, verbal reasoning, processing speed, fluid vs crystallized intelligence and abstract 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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