IQ Test Results

Percentile Ranks

Test scores are usually presented in the form of percentiles. A percentile score ranks a child's performance against his/her age-related peers (the average percentile rank is 50). For example, a child who scores at the 94th percentile is performing better than 94% of children in his/her group.

Age Equivalent Score

An average child of the age specified would score the same as your child, had s/he taken the same test.

Standard Scores

A Standard Score, which is derived from a raw score, indicates how many standard deviations away the child's score is from the mean/average for a particular age group.The average IQ is a standard score of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. An IQ of 100 is at the 50th percentile.

The average child will earn a standard score of 100. If a child scores 1 standard deviation above the mean, the standard score is 100 plus 15; i.e. 100 + 15 = 115. If the child scores 1 standard deviation below the mean, this is 100 minus 15, i.e. 100 - 15 = 85. Since a standard score of 115 is 1 standard deviation above the mean, it is always at the 84 percent level. Since a standard score of 85 is 1 standard deviation below the mean, it is always at the 16 percent level. A standard score of 130 (+2 SD) is always at the 98 percent level. A standard score of 70 (-2 SD) is always at the 2 percent level.

Full Scale IQ Score

A measure of the child's global intellectual functioning is derived from the subtests administered on the Wechsler test.

IQ classification

Using the Wechsler intelligence tests, a child's IQ is classified as falling within one of the following categories:

Classification IQ; Standard Score; Percentile Rank
Very Superior; 130+; 98
Superior; 120-129; 91-97
High Average; 110-119; 75-90
Average; 90-109; 25-74
Low Average; 80-89; 9-24
Borderline; 70-79; 2-8
Intellectually Disabled; 69 and below; below 2

Gifted Classification

IQ Standard Score; Classification
130-145; Moderately Gifted
145-160; Highly Gifted
160-180; Exceptionally Gifted
180+; Profoundly Gifted
From 'Exceptionally Gifted Children, Mirca Gross 1993