Short answer: An IQ of 147 is very superior: higher than about 99.91 percent of people, roughly 1 in 1,157. It sits 3.13 standard deviations above the mean of 100. It qualifies for Mensa (130) and, one point above the cutoff of 146, for the Triple Nine Society, which admits the 99.9th percentile. The Stanford-Binet 5 places it in its top band, very gifted or highly advanced.
Shaded: the share of people who score higher on a mean-100, SD-15 scale.
At a glance
| Percentile | 99.914th |
|---|---|
| Rarity | About 1 in 1,157 (0.086 percent score 147 or higher) |
| Wechsler classification | Very Superior (WAIS-IV) / Extremely High (WAIS-5) |
| Stanford-Binet 5 classification | Very gifted or highly advanced |
| On an SD 16 scale | 150 |
| On an SD 24 (Cattell) scale | 175 |
| Mensa eligible? | Yes. Also meets the Triple Nine Society's 146 (SD 15) |
What an IQ of 147 means
Forty-seven points above average is 3.13 standard deviations. On a perfect bell curve, fewer than one adult in a thousand reaches it: about 0.86 per 1,000, or one in 1,157.
The Stanford-Binet 5 opens its top band, very gifted or highly advanced, at 145, so 147 is two points inside it. Wechsler tests fold everything from 130 up into a single band, Very Superior on the WAIS-IV and Extremely High on the WAIS-5. Our guide to IQ classifications sets the bands side by side.
147 in the far tail
| IQ | Percentile | Per 10,000 people at or above | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 145 | 99.865 | 13.5 | 1 in 741 |
| 146 | 99.892 | 10.8 | 1 in 924 |
| 147 | 99.914 | 8.6 | 1 in 1,157 |
| 148 | 99.931 | 6.9 | 1 in 1,455 |
| 150 | 99.957 | 4.3 | 1 in 2,331 |
The 99.9th percentile, the one-in-a-thousand mark, falls between 146 and 147 on an SD 15 scale. For the complete curve, see our IQ rarity chart.
The Triple Nine line, on every scale
The Triple Nine Society, founded in 1978, admits people who score at or above the 99.9th percentile. It publishes a cutoff for each scale: 146 on SD 15 tests such as the WAIS and Stanford-Binet 5, 149 on SD 16 tests, and 173 on the Cattell III-B.
| Scale | 147 converts to | Society cutoff | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| SD 15 (Wechsler, SB5) | 147 | 146 | +1 |
| SD 16 (older Stanford-Binet) | 150 | 149 | +1 |
| SD 24 (Cattell) | 175 | 173 | +2 |
The margins are thin on every scale. A reported 147 carries a confidence interval of roughly 142 to 152, so the true score could fall on either side of the line. The society also accepts qualifying results from several standardized exams, including the SAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, ACT and Miller Analogies Test.
Is 147 a good IQ? What the evidence supports
It is a rare score, and rare scores invite overreading. Lewis Terman's famous gifted sample, begun in 1921, averaged about 151 on the ratio-scored Stanford-Binet of its day, a figure in this neighborhood. The group finished college at far higher rates than the public, yet psychologist Dean Keith Simonton notes that none of its 1,528 members won a Nobel Prize.
Across whole populations, intelligence predicts life outcomes moderately. Tarmo Strenze's 2007 meta-analysis concluded that it is a powerful predictor of success, but not an overwhelmingly better one than parental socioeconomic status or school grades. A 147 improves the odds; it does not write the story.
How precise can a 147 be?
The WAIS-IV stops at 160, only 13 points above 147, and was normed on 2,200 people. A bell curve predicts about two members of a sample that size at 147 or higher. Scores here are anchored by statistical modeling as much as by real neighbors in the norm group, which is why psychometricians treat them as less exact than scores near 100.
The practical advice: rely on an individually administered battery, read the interval rather than the point, and avoid chasing a single number with repeated testing.
Where a credible 147 comes from
A licensed examiner giving the WAIS-IV, WAIS-5 or Stanford-Binet 5 produces a score that high-IQ societies accept. Web tests do not. Our free IQ test is a practice screener, not a qualifying score; here is what online tests can and cannot tell you. For membership steps, read our guide to joining Mensa, and for the broader elite range, the top 1 percent IQ explainer.
Scores near 147
- IQ 141: past 140, below the Triple Nine line.
- IQ 146: the exact Triple Nine cutoff on SD 15 tests.
- IQ 149: one point short of 150.
Frequently asked questions
Is 147 a genius-level IQ?
Genius is not a test category. A 147 is very superior, rarer than 1 in 1,000, and in the Stanford-Binet 5's highest band. Whether a person is a genius is judged by lasting achievement, not by a number.
What percentile is an IQ of 147?
About the 99.91st percentile on a scale with mean 100 and SD 15. Roughly 0.086 percent of people score at or above it, which is about 1 person in 1,157.
Can I join the Triple Nine Society with an IQ of 147?
Yes, if the score comes from an accepted, supervised test. The society's cutoff is 146 on SD 15 tests such as the WAIS or Stanford-Binet 5. A 147 clears it by one point, well within measurement error.
How many people have an IQ of 147 or higher?
About 8.6 per 10,000 on an ideal bell curve. In a country of 10 million, that would be roughly 8,600 people. Real populations deviate from the ideal curve at the extremes, so treat the figure as an estimate.
Is 147 much lower than 150?
Not meaningfully. The three-point gap is smaller than the roughly ten-point confidence interval around either score. In rank terms, 147 is about 1 in 1,157 and 150 about 1 in 2,331.
Sources
- Triple Nine Society — 99.9th percentile; 146/149/173 cutoffs; accepted standardized tests; founded 1978
- Simonton, D. K. (2018). Your IQ Matters Less Than You Think. Nautilus — Terman sample averaged 151; no Nobel laureates
- Genetic Studies of Genius — 1921 start; 1,528 participants
- Strenze, T. (2007). Intelligence and socioeconomic success. Intelligence, 35(5) — Intelligence vs parental SES and grades as predictors
- Canivez, G. L. (2010). Review of the WAIS-IV. Mental Measurements Yearbook — Range 40-160; norm sample 2,200
- Stanford-Binet 5 classification ranges — Top band 145-160
Editorial standard: IQ figures for historical figures are retrospective estimates and are labeled as such; scores for living people appear only when the person disclosed them or a reputable outlet reported them. Corrections: contact the editors.
