IQ 123: what it means, percentile and how rare it is

An IQ score of 123 is higher than about 93.7% of people, which puts it in the 94th percentile. Roughly 1 in 16 people score higher than 123. On the WISC-V it is classified as Very High.

Percentile: 94th
Higher than: 93.7%
People scoring higher: 1 in 16
WISC-V classification: Very High

Where an IQ of 123 falls on the bell curve. The shaded area is the 6.3% of people who score higher. (+1.53 SD)

What does an IQ of 123 mean?

Mensa admits people who score in the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is 130 on the Wechsler scales. 123 is 7 points below that line.
In a group of 100 people, about 6 would score higher than 123.

Scores from 120 to 129 are Very High on the WISC-V (Superior on the WAIS-IV and the Stanford-Binet 5). About 7% of people score in this range, roughly the top 9% to 3% of the population.

People with scores here usually learn quickly, cope well with abstract and unfamiliar problems and do well in academically demanding settings. It is a strong result on any professionally administered test.

Scores near the top of this range sit just under the 130 line used by many gifted programmes and by Mensa. With a measurement margin of about ±5 points, a result of 126 to 129 on one test can be 130 or above on another.

IQ 123 on other scales and tests

Different tests spread scores differently. The same rank as an IQ of 123 on an SD-15 test gives these numbers elsewhere:

Scale	Equivalent score	Classification
SD 15: WISC-V, WAIS, Stanford-Binet 5	123	Very High
WAIS-IV (older label)	123	Superior
Stanford-Binet 5	123	Superior
SD 16: older Stanford-Binet, Cattell Culture Fair	125	–
SD 24: Cattell III B	137	–

How precise is an IQ score of 123?

No test measures IQ exactly. On individually administered tests such as the WAIS, the full-scale score comes with a 95% confidence interval of roughly ±5 points, so a result of 123 is best read as "probably somewhere between 118 and 128". Scores can also shift a few points between different tests or after a few years.

Online tests, including ours, are self-assessments. They are useful for curiosity and practice, but they are not a substitute for an assessment by a psychologist.

IQ scores near 123

IQ score	Percentile	Higher than	WISC-V classification
118	88th	88.5%	High Average
119	90th	89.7%	High Average
120	91st	90.9%	Very High
121	92nd	91.9%	Very High
122	93rd	92.9%	Very High
123	94th	93.7%	Very High
124	95th	94.5%	Very High
125	95th	95.2%	Very High
126	96th	95.8%	Very High
127	96th	96.4%	Very High
128	97th	96.9%	Very High

Check another IQ score

IQ score

Test scale (standard deviation)

Or start from a percentile

For example 98 for the top 2%.

Percentile: 94th
Higher than: 93.7%
People scoring higher: 1 in 16
Classification (WISC-V): Very High

IQ 123: frequently asked questions

Is an IQ of 123 good?+

Yes. An IQ of 123 is well above the average of 100 and higher than about 93.7% of people. Tests classify it as Very High.

What percentile is an IQ of 123?+

An IQ of 123 is in the 94th percentile on a scale with mean 100 and standard deviation 15. It is higher than about 93.7% of people and lower than about 6.3%.

How rare is an IQ of 123?+

Roughly 1 in 16 people score higher than 123. In a group of 1,000 people you would expect about 63 to score higher.

Does an IQ of 123 qualify for Mensa?+

Not on its own. Mensa admits people who score in the top 2% on an approved, supervised test, which is 130 on the Wechsler scales. 123 is 7 points below that line, though scores can vary by a few points between tests.