FAQ – IQ Explained – IQ Explained

This page offers a brief explanation of frequently used terms in Intelligence research.

What is a High or Low IQ score?

“IQ” stands for “Intelligence Quotient”. An IQ score is a single number without a unit.

Scores between 70 and 85: Below Average
Intelligence Scores between 85 and 115: Average
Intelligence Scores between 115 and 130: Above Average Intelligence

For IQ scores lower than 70 or above 130, conventional Intelligence Tests will not give reliable results. Specialised tests should be considered.

What is a Culture Fair IQ-Test?

An IQ-Test is considered Culture Fair when the IQ score results aren’t biased by the native language or the cultural background of the test taker.

Therefore, a Culture Fair IQ-Test

Is mostly nonverbal
Doesn’t refer to norms and values
Is not reliant on schooling or common knowledge

Example: Raven Progressive matrix

What is psychometrics?

Psychometrics is a field of study that focuses on measuring and understanding human abilities, characteristics, and behaviors. It combines psychology (the study of the mind and behavior) with measurement theory and statistics to create reliable and valid tests and assessments.

In simple terms, psychometrics helps us measure things like intelligence, personality traits, skills, and aptitudes. It aims to provide a scientific way of understanding and quantifying these aspects of human behavior. Psychometricians, the experts in this field, design tests and questionnaires to collect data and analyze the results to gain insights into various psychological traits and abilities.

Psychometric tests often involve answering multiple-choice questions or completing tasks that assess different aspects of a person’s abilities or traits. For example, an IQ test measures intelligence, while a personality test assesses different characteristics like extraversion, agreeableness, or emotional stability.

The field of psychometrics also deals with statistical methods to ensure that the tests are reliable and valid. Reliability means that the tests consistently measure what they are supposed to measure, while validity refers to whether the tests truly measure the specific trait or ability they claim to measure.

Psychometrics has wide-ranging applications.

It is used in educational settings to evaluate students’ academic progress and identify areas of strength and improvement.
It is also used in employment assessments to match individuals with suitable job roles based on their skills and personality traits.
Psychometrics has even found applications in clinical psychology to assess and diagnose mental health conditions.

In summary, psychometrics is a field that focuses on developing and using tests and assessments to measure human abilities, traits, and behaviors. It combines psychology and statistical methods to provide reliable and valid measurements, helping us understand and evaluate different aspects of human psychology.

IQ percentile

The IQ percentile indicates the percentage of your reference group that scored equal or lower than you on a particular intelligence test. The IQ percentile ranges from 0% to 100%.

Example: IQ 99th percentile means that 99 percent of the people that took a particular intelligence test scored equal or lower than you. Your test result lies within the 1% top IQ scores for that particular test.

IQ percentile chart

IQ Percentile	IQ score
From 99 and above	135 and above
98.8	134
98.6	133
98.4	132
98.1	131
97.7	130
97.3	129
96.9	128
96.4	127
95.8	126
95.2	125
94.5	124
93.7	123
92.8	122
91.9	121
90.8	120
89.7	119
88.5	118
87.1	117
85.7	116
84.1	115
82.5	114
80.7	113
78.8	112
76.8	111
74.8	110
72.6	109
70.3	108
68.0	107
65.6	106
63.1	105
60.5	104
57.9	103
55.3	102
52.7	101
50.0	100
47.3	99
44.7	98
42.1	97
39.5	96
36.9	95
34.5	94
32.0	93
29.7	92
27.4	91
25.2	90
23.2	89
21.2	88
19.3	87
17.5	86
15.7	85
14.3	84
12.9	83
11.5	82
10.3	81
9.1	80
8.1	79
7.1	78
6.3	77
5.5	76
4.8	75
4.2	74
3.6	73
3.1	72
2.7	71
2.3	70
1.9	69
1.6	68
1.4	67
1.2	66
1.0	65
Below 1.0	Below 65