See common IQ scores, percentile context, and the exact ACIS classification bands from below 40 through 175-177.
1 Quick Answer
Updated May 3, 2026 by Structural. On the standard IQ scale, 100 is the 50th percentile, 120 is about the 91st, 130 is about the 97.7th, and 145 is about the 99.9th. ACIS uses fixed public classification bands: 90-109 Average, 110-119 High Average, 120-129 Superior, 130-134 Moderately Gifted, 135-144 Highly Gifted, 145-159 Exceptionally Gifted, and 160-174 / 175-177 Profoundly Gifted.
Average90-109
The broad center of the ACIS public classification table.
High Average110-119
The first ACIS band above the average range.
Superior120-129
Clearly above average and below the gifted thresholds.
This chart assumes a standard IQ scale with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15. Percentiles are approximate, and descriptive labels can vary somewhat by publisher or testing context.
IQ Range
Approx. Percentile
ACIS Classification
What It Usually Means
< 40
Below 0.003rd
Profound Impairment
Extreme lower-tail range where public interpretation should stay cautious and defer to professional evaluation.
40-54
0.003rd-0.13th
Severe Impairment
Very low range requiring careful context and professional interpretation for formal decisions.
55-69
0.13th-2nd
Mild Impairment
Low range where practical meaning depends heavily on adaptive functioning, profile shape, and assessment context.
70-79
2nd-8th
Borderline
Below-average performance relative to same-age peers, still with meaningful individual variation.
80-89
9th-24th
Low Average
Below the population mean, but still within a common part of the distribution.
90-109
25th-74th
Average
The broad middle of the bell curve where many everyday scores fall.
110-119
75th-90th
High Average
Clearly above the population midpoint, but below the superior classification.
120-129
91st-97th
Superior
Strongly above average and less common than typical results.
130-134
97.7th-98.8th
Moderately Gifted
The first ACIS gifted classification band.
135-144
99.0th-99.8th
Highly Gifted
Upper-tail gifted performance where score precision and test ceiling start to matter more.
145-159
99.87th-99.996th
Exceptionally Gifted
Very rare upper-tail performance where exact interpretation depends heavily on test quality.
160-174
99.997th+
Profoundly Gifted
Extreme upper-tail range where ceiling, norms, and reliability require special caution.
175-177
99.99997th+
Profoundly Gifted
Top retained ACIS public guide range, interpreted with maximum caution around measurement limits.
Important: A chart is only as good as the test behind it. Percentiles are meaningful only when the assessment has clear norms, consistent scoring, and an appropriate comparison group.
3 ACIS Score Bands and Retained Guides
Most people do not need a separate public page for every one-point difference. They need the classification band, the percentile context, and the next threshold above or below it. These retained ACIS guides map to the exact public score bands in the classification table.
IQ 40-54
The IQ 40 guide covers the Severe Impairment band. Formal interpretation belongs in professional assessment contexts.
IQ 55-69
The IQ 55 guide covers the Mild Impairment band, where adaptive context and professional interpretation matter.
IQ 70-79
The IQ 70 guide covers the Borderline band and explains why low-range interpretation should stay context-heavy.
IQ 80-89
The IQ 80 guide covers Low Average scores, below the mean but still part of a common distribution region.
IQ 90-109
The IQ 90 guide covers the full Average band, including IQ 100 at the center of the scale.
IQ 110-119
The IQ 110 guide covers the High Average band, the first ACIS classification above Average.
IQ 120-129
The IQ 120 guide covers the Superior band, clearly above average but below ACIS gifted labels.
IQ 130-134
The IQ 130 guide covers Moderately Gifted scores, the first ACIS gifted classification band.
IQ 135-144
The IQ 135 guide covers Highly Gifted scores and separates them from the 130-134 band.
IQ 145-159
The IQ 145 guide covers Exceptionally Gifted scores, where test ceiling and norm quality matter more.
IQ 160-174
The IQ 160 guide covers the first Profoundly Gifted band in the retained public library.
IQ 175-177
The IQ 175 guide covers the top retained Profoundly Gifted guide range.
If you want the full retained cluster instead of one score, browse the IQ library. It is the fastest way to move from a generic chart to the specific score band you actually care about.
4 Why Percentiles Matter More Than Labels
The most useful part of an IQ chart is usually not the label. It is the percentile. A percentile tells you how a score compares with same-age peers in the norm group, which makes it much more stable than publisher language or informal score labels.
100 = 50th percentile. That is the middle of the distribution, not a weak score.
110-119 = High Average. IQ 115 is about the 84th percentile and sits inside this ACIS band.
130-134 = Moderately Gifted. IQ 130 is about the 97.7th percentile and starts the first ACIS gifted band.
145-159 = Exceptionally Gifted. IQ 145 is about the 99.9th percentile, so ceiling and norm quality matter more here.
If your real question is "Is this score good?" the answer still depends on what you mean by good. For a fuller treatment of that question, read What Is a Good IQ?. If you want a static lookup for common searches like IQ 110, 115, 130, or 145, use the IQ Percentile Chart. If you want to translate any score into rarity first, use the IQ Percentile Calculator and then compare the result to the relevant guide in the /iq/ cluster.
Practical rule: treat labels as shorthand and percentiles as the real comparison language. If you also care about precision, read Reliability vs. Validity so you do not mistake a rounded score label for exact measurement.
5 What Score Bands Usually Suggest in Practice
An IQ chart is not a destiny table, but score bands do still communicate something useful. They tell you roughly how common a level of performance is and, when the battery is solid, how far from the population center the score sits.
90 to 109: the broad middle of the distribution where a large share of people land. This is why average is wide, not narrow.
110 to 119: a high-average band that is often noticeable in faster learning, easier abstraction, or stronger academic efficiency.
120 to 129: clearly uncommon performance that is high but still far more common than the extreme right tail.
130 to 134: the Moderately Gifted band and the first gifted classification in the ACIS table.
135 to 144: the Highly Gifted band, separated from 130-134 because rarity changes quickly in the upper tail.
145 to 159: the Exceptionally Gifted band, where ceiling effects, extended norms, and battery design matter more.
160 to 174 and 175 to 177: Profoundly Gifted bands where public interpretation should be especially cautious.
For most readers, the important next question is not "What should this label make me feel?" but "What does this score say about reasoning, learning, and cognitive strengths?" That is where the IQ score interpretation guide, What IQ Measures, Cognitive Domains, and the score-specific guides in the IQ hub become more useful than the chart alone.
6 Why IQ Charts Differ Across Sites
Different websites often publish slightly different IQ charts. That does not always mean one of them is wrong. Usually it happens for one of the reasons below:
Different labels: One publisher may use broad terms where another splits the upper tail into Superior, Moderately Gifted, Highly Gifted, and Exceptionally Gifted.
Different standard deviations: Some charts mix SD 15 and SD 16 conventions without explaining the difference. If you want to see why that matters, read Standard Deviation 15 Explained.
Different ceilings: Some tests stop at 145 or 160, while others publish extended norms above that.
Different age groups: IQ scores are interpreted against same-age peers, not one giant all-ages population.
Different technical quality: A chart copied from a weak test is much less useful than a chart tied to a well-normed battery.
For more on what modern IQ tests actually measure, see What IQ Measures. If you are wondering how the average works across the lifespan, see Average IQ by Age. If you want the scoring logic behind the chart itself, see How IQ Scores Are Normed.
7 What Changes Interpretation: Age, Battery, and Norms
A chart is only the front door. Interpretation changes once you ask what kind of test produced the score, who the person was compared against, and how much detail the battery captured. Those questions matter more than most generic score labels.
Age norms matter. IQ is a same-age comparison, which is why age norms matter even when the scale is centered at 100.
Battery design matters. A broad multi-subtest battery says more than a short quiz because it samples more cognitive domains and gives a better basis for estimating the general factor; see G Factor Explained for the theory behind that summary score.
Profile shape matters. Index scores and subtest variation can reveal strengths and weaknesses that a single full-scale estimate hides.
Test quality matters. Reliability, validity, ceiling effects, and norm recency all affect how much confidence a chart deserves.
Testing context matters. An online estimate and a professionally administered battery are not interchangeable, especially at the tails.
Use any IQ chart with a few rules in mind, especially if you are trying to interpret your own result rather than reading out of curiosity.
Do not over-interpret tiny differences. An IQ of 128 versus 132 is not a life-changing gap, which is one reason many score claims are addressed in Common Myths About IQ Tests Debunked.
Look at percentiles before labels. Percentiles tell you rarity more clearly than words like high average or superior.
Check the score family. Full Scale IQ, General Ability, and index scores are related but not identical.
Pay attention to the battery. A 20-subtest assessment gives a more complete picture than a 10-question quiz.
Look beyond one number. Index scores and subtest patterns often tell you more than a single overall IQ.
If your score is below the mean, start with IQ 80, IQ 90, or IQ 70 depending on where you fall. If your score is above average, the best next pages are usually IQ 110, IQ 120, IQ 130, and Gifted IQ Range. If you are in the far right tail, combine IQ 145, IQ 160, and the IQ Rarity Calculator rather than relying on one chart row.
The average IQ score is 100 on modern deviation-IQ scales, which is why 100 always maps to the 50th percentile.
Is 115 a good IQ score?
Yes. In ACIS, IQ 115 sits inside the 110-119 High Average band and is around the 84th percentile.
Is 120 considered a high IQ?
Usually yes in ordinary language. In ACIS, IQ 120 starts the 120-129 Superior band and is roughly the 91st percentile.
Is 130 a gifted IQ score?
In ACIS, 130 starts the Moderately Gifted band, which runs from 130 to 134. The next ACIS band, Highly Gifted, starts at 135.
What percentile is IQ 85?
IQ 85 is roughly the 16th percentile on a standard SD 15 scale. In ACIS, it sits inside the 80-89 Low Average band.
What percentile is IQ 145?
IQ 145 is about the 99.9th percentile. At that level, battery ceiling and extended norms matter a lot, so pair the chart with rarity and test-quality context.
Do all IQ charts use the same labels?
No. Percentiles are mathematically more stable than publisher-specific label sets, which is why ACIS keeps its public bands explicit.
Why do some IQ charts stop at 145 or 160?
Because many tests have practical ceilings, and some publishers do not use extended norms above the standard reporting range.
Does age change IQ interpretation?
Yes. IQ scores are interpreted against same-age peers, not against the whole population at once. That is why age norms matter.
Is 100 the same as normal?
100 is average by design. In ACIS, it sits inside the 90-109 Average band rather than standing alone as its own classification.
Are online IQ charts as accurate as professional reports?
No. A chart can summarize a scale, but the quality of the interpretation depends on the test, the norms, and the reporting depth. See professional vs. online IQ tests.
What IQ score range does ACIS use?
The public score pages cover a wide range of common scores, while ACIS interpretation also discusses extended upper-tail norms where measurement quality allows it.
What does SD 15 mean on the chart?
SD 15 means one standard deviation equals 15 IQ points. Scores 85, 100, 115, and 130 are common anchors on that scale.
Which chart row should I use near a cutoff?
Use the exact row first, then read the neighboring band with measurement error in mind. A one-point difference should not be overread.
If you want a more detailed interpretation of a specific score, move from this general chart into the retained score pages below. They are the best bridge from broad percentile context to page-level explanations that match the number you actually have.
