IQ 89: one point from average
An IQ of 89 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 89 sits on the bell curve
An IQ of 89 is 11 points below the average of 100, or 0.73 standard deviations. It is higher than about 23% 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 88 on a test with a standard deviation of 16, such as older editions of the Stanford-Binet, and 82 on the Cattell scale, which uses 24. Why scales differ.
IQ 89 meaning: a closer look
An IQ of 89 is the top score of the low average range. One more point would cross into the average band, though on paper only; no test can reliably tell 89 and 90 apart. It is higher than about 23% of people. Because 89 sits right on a boundary, it is a good example of why psychologists report a range rather than a single number. A professional report might describe it as about 84 to 94, a span that covers both low average and average. Treat the label as approximate and focus on what the result says about your different abilities.
Standard error: why a test cannot tell 89 from 90
Every test score carries a standard error of measurement (SEM), an estimate of how far an observed score may sit from the person's true level. In a Pearson sample WISC-V report, a full-scale IQ of 97 has an SEM of 3.00 and a 95% confidence interval of 91 to 103. A review of the WAIS-IV adds a caution: SEMs based on internal consistency are "best-case estimates", because they leave out errors from changes over time, giving the test or scoring it.
Apply a margin of that size to an IQ of 89 and the likely range runs from the mid 80s to the mid 90s, spanning both low average and the average band of 90 to 109. Intervals are also not always centred on the score: in the same sample report, an index score of 82 has an interval of 76 to 91, leaning towards the average of 100. So a careful report on an 89 IQ gives a range rather than a verdict, and a one-point gap between 89 and 90 means nothing on its own.
Sources: Pearson (2014), "WISC-V Score Report" (sample report); Canivez, G. L. (2010), "Review of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition", The Eighteenth Mental Measurements Yearbook.
What 89 looks like among real people
If you lined up 100 people of your age, about 23 would score lower than 89 and about 77 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 89?
No IQ test measures to the exact point. On a professional test, a result of 89 usually comes with a likely range of about five points either way: 84 to 94. That range runs from the 14th to the 34th 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 89 falls between two possible results: 88 for 13 correct answers and 90 for 14. How our score is worked out.
So if you scored 89 once, a retest on another day could reasonably land anywhere from 84 to 94. Online tests are less precise still, so treat any online result as a rough estimate.
IQ 89 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 89 would have meant for children of different ages: working a little behind their years.
| Real age | Mental age at IQ 89 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 4 years 5 months |
| 7 | 6 years 3 months |
| 9 | 8 years |
| 11 | 9 years 9 months |
| 13 | 11 years 7 months |
The same 89 stands for a gap of about 7 months at age 5 but 1 year 5 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 89 means for you
It is the last score in the low average band: one more point would move it up a band.
- 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 89 is from other levels
How 89 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 8th | Borderline | 92% |
| 84 | 14th | Low average | 86% |
| 89 | 23rd | Low average | 77% |
| 94 | 34th | Average | 66% |
| 99 | 47th | Average | 53% |
Questions about an IQ of 89
What percentile is an IQ of 89?
An IQ of 89 is at about the 23rd percentile, which means it is higher than about 23% of people of the same age.
Is 89 a high IQ?
No. 89 is in the low average range. High IQ usually refers to scores of 120 or 130 and above.
Can an IQ of 89 get into Mensa?
Not on its own. Mensa accepts the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is usually 130 or above. 89 is 41 points below that.
How common is an IQ of 89 or higher?
About 77% of people score 89 or higher. In a stadium of 50,000 people, about 38,400 would score at this level or above.
What is the margin of error on an 89 IQ score?
On a professional test, the full-scale IQ typically has a standard error of measurement of about 2 to 3 points. A 95% confidence interval stretches roughly 5 to 6 points either side, so an 89 most likely reflects a true level somewhere between the mid 80s and the mid 90s. Pearson reports print this interval next to the score, and it is often pulled slightly towards 100.
What mental age is an IQ of 89?
Under the old ratio formula, a 9-year-old with an IQ of 89 would perform like a typical child of about 8 years, roughly 12 months behind. The idea only works for children: an adult who scores 89 simply did less well than most adults of the same age on the test.
Is an IQ of 89 below average?
Slightly. The average range runs from 90 to 109, so 89 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 89?
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 89 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.
An IQ test arrives at a score like 89 by combining several kinds of task. Learn more about processing speed, fluid vs crystallized intelligence, abstract reasoning, spatial reasoning and verbal 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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