IQ score guide
Percentile
91%
Rarity
1 in 11
this high or higher
Classification
Superior
On the standard scale (mean 100, SD 15), a score of 120 sits 1.3 standard deviation above the mean — the 91th percentile, meaning it matches or beats about 91% of the adult population. Test manuals file it under "superior" (about 9% of people).
What a score like this predicts, statistically: faster learning of novel, abstract material, and easier entry to intellectually selective paths. What it does not predict for any individual: outcomes. Within any profession, once past its entry demands, conscientiousness and accumulated expertise dominate — the tailwind is real, but modest.
Yes — 120 is comfortably above average, higher than about 91% of people. It sits in the range typical of demanding academic and professional environments.
About 1 person in 11 scores 120 or higher — it marks the 91th percentile, 1.3 standard deviation above the mean.
Almost certainly, by a little. Even excellent tests carry ±3–5 points of measurement error, online tests more, and the same person swings several points between good and bad days. Read 120 as "probably between 113 and 127" from a good test — wider from a casual one. Any result quoted without an error range is overclaiming.
Nearby scores: IQ 115 · IQ 119 · IQ 121 · IQ 125 · or see the whole scale.
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