IQ 120: percentile and score range

IQ 120 is higher than 90.9 percent of scores, with 1 in 11 scores at or above it. It marks the start of the Very High band, which spans 120 to 129.

IQ 120 in numbers

Percentileof people score at or below	90.9
Rarityat or above	1 in 11
Commonly used band120 to 129	Very High

Band labels are the commonly used WISC-V ones, as listed by Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities: Understanding IQ Test Scores. Labels are conventions in common use; each test publisher words its own.

Where it sits on the curve

Shaded: the people who score above it (9.1%).

The same position on other scales

Same percentile on every row; the number changes because the scales use different standard deviations.

Scale	Score	Percentile
SD 15	120	90.9
SD 16	121	90.9
SD 24	132	90.9

How rare is a score of 120?

A score of 120 is higher than 90.9 percent of scores; 1 in 11 scores are at or above this point. That places it near the upper end of the score distribution while leaving a substantial range above it.

This is the first score in the Very High band, which covers 120 to 129. The boundary matters when comparing score labels: 120 belongs to this band, while 115 is below it. See all IQ scores for nearby reference points.

What changes from 115 to 120?

Moving from 115 to 120 crosses into the Very High band. The difference is five points, but the supplied figures do not indicate a sharp change in ability or predict performance in a particular setting.

The two scores are close neighbors in the score distribution, and 120 sits 1.3 standard deviations above the mean. Compare the IQ 115 page with the IQ 125 page to see where the start of this band sits relative to its interior.

What score has the same position on SD 16 and SD 24?

The same position as 120 is 121 on SD 16 and 132 on SD 24. These figures show why the score number alone does not establish where a result falls relative to other scores.

When comparing results, check the scale's spread as well as its score number. The corresponding numbers preserve the relative position described here, even though they differ. Read more about IQ standard deviation.

Questions

Is IQ 120 in the Very High range?

Yes. In this page's banding, 120 is the first score in the Very High range. A score label describes a classification range; it does not by itself predict how someone will do in a particular situation.

Does IQ 120 mean someone got 90.9 percent of questions right?

No. The 90.9 figure describes the score's position relative to other scores. It is not a percentage of questions answered correctly, and a timed reasoning test's raw result is not an IQ score.

Why is the same position numbered differently on other scales?

The score number depends on the scale's spread. For the same relative position, the values listed here are 121 on SD 16 and 132 on SD 24; comparing the numbers without their scale can be misleading.