An IQ of 110 is at the 74.8th percentile: it is higher than about 74.8% of people of the same age, and about 1 in 4.0 people scores 110 or higher. On the WAIS-IV it is classed as High Average. Like every IQ score it is an estimate with a margin of error of several points, and it predicts outcomes only on average.
IQ 110 percentile and how it is calculated
IQ tests are scaled so that scores follow an approximately normal distribution with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation (SD) of 15. A score of 110 is 0.67 standard deviations above the mean (z = +0.667). Plugging that into the normal cumulative distribution function gives a percentile of 74.8. Put simply: in a representative group of 1,000 people of your age, about 252 would score 110 or higher.
Some reports use a slightly different convention — for example the percentage of people scoring strictly below 110, or a value read from the test’s own norm tables rather than the ideal curve — so you may see a percentile a fraction of a point different. The full list for every score from 55 to 160 is in our IQ percentile chart.
How 110 compares with nearby scores
| Score | Percentile | Rarity | WAIS-IV label |
|---|---|---|---|
| IQ 95 | 36.9 | 1 in 2.7 at or below | Average |
| IQ 100 | 50.0 | half above, half below | Average |
| IQ 105 | 63.1 | 1 in 2.7 at or above | Average |
| IQ 110 | 74.8 | 1 in 4.0 at or above | High Average |
| IQ 115 | 84.1 | 1 in 6.3 at or above | High Average |
| IQ 120 | 90.9 | 1 in 11 at or above | Superior |
| IQ 125 | 95.2 | 1 in 21 at or above | Superior |
Is 110 a good IQ score?
Yes — 110 is High Average, higher than about three people in four. See also what counts as a good IQ score.
How rare is a 110 IQ?
On the normal model, about 1 in 4.0 people scores 110 or higher. That is about 252,493 per million people, or roughly 12,624,600 people in a country of 50 million. Rarity grows quickly in the tails: each extra 5 points above 100 multiplies the rarity, which is why the step from 110 to 115 (1 in 4.0 → 1 in 6.3) is bigger than the step from 105 to 110.
110 IQ classification
Different tests use different descriptive words for the same number. For a full-scale score of 110:
| Test | Descriptor for 110 |
|---|---|
| WAIS-IV (adults, 2008) | High Average |
| WISC-V (children, 2014) | High Average |
| Stanford-Binet 5 (2003) | High Average |
These labels describe where a score falls relative to peers; they are not diagnoses. Newer reports, such as the WAIS-5 sample report, use plainer wording (“Average”, “Above average”, “Very high”). See all bands in IQ score ranges and classification.
What an IQ of 110 means in practice
110 is the first score in the High Average band (110–119) on the WAIS-IV, WISC-V and Stanford-Binet 5. It falls at about the 75th percentile, so roughly one person in four scores 110 or higher. It is two-thirds of a standard deviation above the mean.
A 110 is close to the estimated averages of several graduate-entry professions in recent data: secondary school teachers (~110), chartered accountants (~110) and actuaries/economists/statisticians (~110–111) in Wolfram’s (2023) UK analysis, and Gottfredson (1997) reported a median of about 112 for accountant and teacher job applicants on the Wonderlic test. That is not a qualification threshold — it simply shows that 110 is an ordinary score among university-educated professionals.
Because the category boundary is at 110, a report may say “High Average” for 110 and “Average” for 109. Those two scores are interchangeable in practice; treat the label as a description, not a verdict.
110 IQ jobs, education and life outcomes: what research says
Large meta-analyses agree that IQ predicts educational and occupational outcomes on average, with plenty of individual exceptions. Strenze (2007), pooling longitudinal studies, found corrected correlations of about .56 between intelligence and education, .43 with occupational level and .20 with income. For job performance, Schmidt and Hunter (1998) estimated a validity of about .51 for general mental ability; a 2022 re-analysis by Sackett and colleagues revised it to about .31, still useful but leaving most differences in performance to other factors such as experience, conscientiousness and job knowledge.
How does 110 look against real occupations? The table uses Wolfram’s (2023) estimates from the UK Understanding Society survey and assumes a typical spread of about 13 points inside each occupation (the study found only about a quarter of IQ variance lies between occupations). It shows how many people in each group would be expected to score below 110 — a reminder of how much occupations overlap.
| UK occupation group | Est. mean IQ | N | Share estimated below 110 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solicitors | 114 | 94 | ~37% |
| Senior police officers | 114 | 94 | ~39% |
| Medical practitioners | 113 | 178 | ~42% |
| Higher education teachers | 111 | 125 | ~46% |
| Programmers & software developers | 111 | 181 | ~46% |
| Chartered & certified accountants | 110 | 180 | ~49% |
| Secondary school teachers | 110 | 524 | ~51% |
| Nurses | 100 | 674 | ~78% |
Read more in average IQ by occupation. These are group estimates from a short test battery, not entry requirements.
Measurement error: how precise is a score of 110?
A full-length clinical test such as the WAIS-IV or WAIS-5 has very high reliability (internal consistency around .97–.98 for the full-scale IQ), which still leaves a standard error of measurement (SEM) of about 2–3 points; Pearson’s WAIS-5 sample report lists an FSIQ SEM of 3.00. A 95% confidence interval is roughly ±1.96 SEM, so a measured 110 is best read as about 104 to 116. Shorter tests have larger errors (SEM 4–5 or more), widening the band to roughly 101–119.
Extreme scores also tend to move toward the mean on re-testing (regression to the mean). With a reliability of .96, the best estimate of the “true” score behind an observed 110 is about 109.6, which is why many reports centre the confidence interval slightly below the obtained score.
What an IQ of 110 does not tell you
- It does not fix the future: correlations of .2 to .6 leave room for very different outcomes among people with the same score.
- It cannot be compared across very different tests or eras without adjusting for norms.
- It does not measure creativity, practical wisdom, emotional skills, motivation or character.
- It is a sample of performance on one day; sleep, stress, language and familiarity with tests all affect it.
- Index scores (verbal, spatial, reasoning, memory, speed) can differ widely behind the same full-scale number.
The Flynn effect and old norms
A score of 110 also depends on when the test was normed. During the 20th century, average performance on IQ tests rose by about 3 points per decade (Pietschnig & Voracek, 2015; Trahan et al., 2014), so publishers periodically re-norm. Using norms that are 20 years out of date could add roughly 6 points, turning a current-norm 104 into a reported 110.
Online IQ tests and a score of 110
Most online IQ tests are not normed on a representative sample, are taken unsupervised, often have no time control and are completed by a self-selected audience. Many also inflate results to encourage sharing or paid certificates. Treat an online 110 as a rough hint at best; see how accurate online IQ tests are.
How to get a proper IQ assessment
A valid IQ score comes from an individually administered, standardized test (for example the WAIS-5/WAIS-IV for adults, WISC-V for children, or Stanford-Binet 5) given by a licensed or registered psychologist. Expect 60–120 minutes of testing, a written report with index scores and confidence intervals, and a fee that varies by country and provider. Schools, university disability services, and clinical or neuropsychology services can refer you. Ask which test and which norms were used, and for the confidence interval, not just the single number.
Sources
- Wechsler, D. (2008). WAIS-IV Technical and Interpretive Manual. Pearson. (Descriptive classifications; FSIQ range 40–160; normative sample N = 2,200, ages 16–90.)
- Wechsler, D. (2014). WISC-V Technical and Interpretive Manual. Pearson. (Descriptors Extremely High … Extremely Low.)
- Roid, G. H. (2003). Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition: Technical Manual. Riverside.
- Pearson (2024). WAIS-5 sample score report (shows FSIQ 111, 95% CI 106–116, SEM 3.00).
- Canivez, G. L. (2010). Review of the WAIS-IV. Mental Measurements Yearbook (FSIQ internal consistency .97–.98).
- Strenze, T. (2007). Intelligence and socioeconomic success: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal research. Intelligence, 35(5), 401–426.
- Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 262–274.
- Sackett, P. R., Zhang, C., Berry, C. M., & Lievens, F. (2022). Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(11), 2040–2068.
- Wolfram, T. (2023). (Not just) intelligence stratifies the occupational hierarchy: Ranking 360 professions by IQ and non-cognitive traits. Intelligence, 98, 101755. Occupation figures as tabulated in J. Thompson, “Minds and professions” (2023).
- Trahan, L. H., Stuebing, K. K., Fletcher, J. M., & Hiscock, M. (2014). The Flynn effect: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 140(5), 1332–1360.
- Gottfredson, L. S. (1997). Why g matters: The complexity of everyday life. Intelligence, 24(1), 79–132 (Figure 1 uses Wonderlic Personnel Test applicant data, Wonderlic 1992).
- Pietschnig, J., & Voracek, M. (2015). One century of global IQ gains. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(3), 282–306.
Frequently asked questions
What percentile is an IQ of 110?
An IQ of 110 is at about the 74.8th percentile on the standard scale (mean 100, SD 15), meaning it is higher than about 74.8% of people of the same age.
Is 110 a good IQ?
Yes — 110 is High Average, higher than about three people in four.
How rare is an IQ of 110?
On the normal curve, about 1 in 4.0 people score 110 or higher.
What is the classification of a 110 IQ?
WAIS-IV: High Average. WISC-V: High Average. Stanford-Binet 5: High Average. These describe position relative to peers, not a diagnosis.
How accurate is an IQ score of 110?
On a full clinical test the 95% confidence interval is roughly 104 to 116 (SEM about 3). Online or short tests are much less precise.