Is 116 a Good IQ Score?

An IQ of 116 means the test's reasoning puzzles came easier to you than to most people. The average is 100, and about two thirds of people score between 85 and 115. You're above the middle of that pack — near its top edge or past it, depending on 116.

In practical terms, this range travels well. Gottfredson's research review concluded that around this level and up, most occupations are within reach on the reasoning side. Training, interest and persistence decide the rest.

And the rest is a lot. IQ has one of its strongest links with how far people go in school. Yet a large review found most of the differences in schooling still come from elsewhere. The income link is much weaker again. A high average score forecasts nothing for any single person — it just shifts the odds a little.

It also isn't a rank of worth. It says nothing about creativity, judgment, or how good you are at your actual job. The Mensa line of 130 is 14 points away.

Studies of people scoring above average find the edge shows up mostly in new and complex material. Unfamiliar ideas, dense reading and abstract problems tend to click with less repetition. Learning new systems at work or school usually goes faster than it does for most.

The same studies come with two cautions. First, on routine and well-practiced tasks, scorers across a wide range perform about the same — the advantage fades once a task is familiar. Second, the overlap between groups is huge. Plenty of average scorers outperform high average scorers at real work, and research finds reasoning scores explain only a modest slice of job performance.

Persistence deserves a mention too. Research on personality finds conscientiousness — steady follow-through — adds real weight beyond ability. At this level, what's done with the ability tends to matter more than the ability itself.

A 126 on a Cattell-scale test is the same result as 116 here. This is the most common reason two tests seem to disagree.

Mensa accepts 130 and above on this scale. 116 is 14 points short.

This range is common in jobs built on sustained training, though every job holds a wide spread of scores. Published studies show these jobs' usual worker ranges cover this group:

• Teachers — constant explaining, planning and adapting
• Accountants — precise, rule-heavy analysis
• Registered nurses — technical judgment under pressure
• Computer programmers — layered abstract systems
• Engineers — applied math and design
• Managers — juggling people, plans and trade-offs

None of these jobs requires a particular score, and people well outside this range thrive in all of them. The figures come from Hauser's Wisconsin study and Gottfredson's 1997 review.

Yes. It's above average — higher than about 86 in 100 people. Professional tests file the 110 to 119 range under high average. Research suggests most careers are within reach on the reasoning side at this level. From here, effort, training and personality do most of the separating.

About 1 in 7 people score 116 or higher. In a room of 100 people, roughly 14 would match or beat it. In the United States, that's around 48 million people at your level or above — a big crowd, but a clear minority.

It's 14 points below Mensa's line of 130 on this scale, which marks roughly the top 2 in 100. Scores wobble — a retake can land as high as 121 — so the gap isn't carved in stone. But Mensa requires a supervised test; online scores don't count for admission.

Somewhat. On a retake, most people land between 111 and 121 — a five-point swing either way is normal. Practice with puzzle types, sleep and focus all nudge results, and quick online tests move more than supervised ones. Large permanent jumps are rare on well-built tests.