IQ scores are grouped into descriptive ranges. On today’s Wechsler tests, 90–109 is Average, 110–119 High Average, 120–129 Superior (WAIS-IV) or Very High (WISC-V), and 130+ is the top band; below average, 80–89 is Low Average, 70–79 Borderline or Very Low, and 69 or below Extremely Low. The labels differ between tests, but the numbers mean the same thing on a mean-100, SD-15 scale.
WAIS-IV classification (adults, 2008)
| Score range | WAIS-IV descriptor | Share (normal model) |
|---|---|---|
| 130+ | Very Superior | 2.5% |
| 120–129 | Superior | 7.2% |
| 110–119 | High Average | 16.6% |
| 90–109 | Average | 49.5% |
| 80–89 | Low Average | 15.6% |
| 70–79 | Borderline | 6.5% |
| 69 and below | Extremely Low | 2.1% |
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale is the most widely used individual adult IQ test. Its full-scale IQ ranges from 40 to 160, and its norms are based on 2,200 people aged 16 to 90. The fifth edition (WAIS-5, 2024) is now replacing it; its sample score report uses plainer descriptors such as “Average”, “Above average” and “Very high”.
WISC-V classification (children, 2014)
| Score range | WISC-V descriptor | Share (normal model) |
|---|---|---|
| 130+ | Extremely High | 2.5% |
| 120–129 | Very High | 7.2% |
| 110–119 | High Average | 16.6% |
| 90–109 | Average | 49.5% |
| 80–89 | Low Average | 15.6% |
| 70–79 | Very Low | 6.5% |
| 69 and below | Extremely Low | 2.1% |
The WISC-V replaced value-laden words like “Superior” and “Borderline” with neutral, symmetrical descriptors (“Very High” / “Very Low”). The bands themselves are the same 10-point bands used by the WAIS-IV.
Stanford-Binet 5 classification (2003)
| Score range | SB5 descriptor | Share (normal model) |
|---|---|---|
| 145+ | Very Gifted / Highly Advanced | 0.2% |
| 130–144 | Gifted / Very Advanced | 2.3% |
| 120–129 | Superior | 7.2% |
| 110–119 | High Average | 16.6% |
| 90–109 | Average | 49.5% |
| 80–89 | Low Average | 15.6% |
| 70–79 | Borderline Impaired or Delayed | 6.5% |
| 55–69 | Mildly Impaired or Delayed | 2.0% |
| 54 and below | Moderately Impaired or Delayed | 0.1% |
The Stanford-Binet 5 uses finer distinctions at both ends, with separate “Gifted” (130–144) and “Very Gifted” (145+) bands, which makes it popular in gifted assessment.
Side-by-side comparison
| IQ | WAIS-IV | WISC-V | SB5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | Extremely Low | Extremely Low | Mildly Impaired or Delayed |
| 65 | Extremely Low | Extremely Low | Mildly Impaired or Delayed |
| 75 | Borderline | Very Low | Borderline Impaired or Delayed |
| 85 | Low Average | Low Average | Low Average |
| 100 | Average | Average | Average |
| 115 | High Average | High Average | High Average |
| 125 | Superior | Very High | Superior |
| 135 | Very Superior | Extremely High | Gifted / Very Advanced |
| 150 | Very Superior | Extremely High | Very Gifted / Highly Advanced |
Where the ranges come from
Modern IQ is a deviation score: your performance is compared with people of your age and converted to a scale with mean 100 and standard deviation 15. The bands are mostly 10 points wide, centred on the mean, so that 90–109 captures the middle 50%. Earlier tests used a ratio IQ (mental age ÷ chronological age × 100), and Terman’s 1916 Stanford-Binet attached labels to the results, such as “near genius or genius” for scores above 140. Some historical labels for low scores are now considered offensive and were dropped from clinical use decades ago; modern descriptors are chosen to describe a score’s position, not a person.
What the ranges do and do not mean
- The label describes the score, not the person. Clinicians are trained to write “a score in the Low Average range”, not “a low-average person”.
- Boundaries are arbitrary: 109 and 110 are statistically identical, even though the label changes.
- A score of 70 or below is not by itself an intellectual disability; diagnosis also requires deficits in adaptive functioning and onset in childhood (DSM-5).
- Giftedness programmes use different cut-offs (often 125–130) and usually require additional evidence.
- Every score has a confidence interval of roughly ±5–6 points on a full test, so it can straddle two bands.
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).
- Terman, L. M. (1916). The Measurement of Intelligence. Houghton Mifflin.
- American Psychiatric Association (2013/2022). DSM-5 / DSM-5-TR: Intellectual Disability (Intellectual Developmental Disorder).
Frequently asked questions
What are the IQ score ranges?
On Wechsler tests: 130+ top band, 120–129 Superior/Very High, 110–119 High Average, 90–109 Average, 80–89 Low Average, 70–79 Borderline/Very Low, 69 and below Extremely Low.
What percentage of people have an average IQ?
About 50% score between 90 and 109 on the normal model.
What is the difference between WAIS-IV and WISC-V labels?
The score bands are the same; the WISC-V uses neutral words such as Very High and Very Low instead of Superior and Borderline.
Is an IQ of 130 gifted?
On most definitions yes: 130+ is the top band on Wechsler tests and the SB5 calls 130–144 Gifted.
Does an IQ below 70 mean intellectual disability?
Not on its own. Diagnosis also needs deficits in everyday adaptive functioning that began during development.