Short answer: An IQ of 129 is superior: higher than about 97.3 percent of people, roughly 1 in 38. It sits 1.93 standard deviations above the mean, at the very top of the Superior band (120–129). Mensa requires 130 on SD 15 tests, so a 129 does not qualify as reported, even though measurement error means the true score could be 130 or above.
Shaded: the share of people who score higher on a mean-100, SD-15 scale.
At a glance
| Percentile | 97.34th |
|---|---|
| Rarity | About 1 in 37.6 (2.66 percent score 129 or higher) |
| Wechsler classification | Superior (WAIS-IV) / Very High (WAIS-5) |
| Stanford-Binet 5 classification | Superior |
| On an SD 16 scale | 131 |
| On an SD 24 (Cattell) scale | 146 |
| Mensa eligible? | No. One point short of 130 (SD 15); 146 on the Cattell misses its 148 line too |
What an IQ of 129 means
A 129 is 29 points above average, just under two standard deviations. It is the highest score in the Superior band on Wechsler tests, which covers 120 through 129; the next point opens the Very Superior band, called Extremely High on the WAIS-5.
In a group of 38 randomly chosen people, one would be expected to score 129 or higher. Among 1,000, about 27. See where every band begins in our IQ classification guide.
129 next to the Mensa line
| IQ | Percentile | Rarity | Mensa (SD 15) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125 | 95.2 | 1 in 21 | No |
| 128 | 96.9 | 1 in 32 | No |
| 129 | 97.3 | 1 in 38 | No |
| 130 | 97.7 | 1 in 44 | Yes |
| 131 | 98.1 | 1 in 52 | Yes |
Mensa defines its line by rank: the top 2 percent. The percentile gap between 129 and 130 is less than half a point. The full picture is on our IQ rarity chart.
The odds that a 129 is really 130 or higher
A reported IQ is an estimate. Reference summaries of modern tests put the standard error of measurement as low as about three points, with 95 percent confidence intervals near ten points wide. A 129 therefore most likely reflects a true score somewhere between about 124 and 134.
Run the numbers. With a three-point standard error, a simple estimate gives roughly a 37 percent chance that the person's true score is 130 or more. A stricter method corrects for regression toward the mean: scores far from 100 tend to drift back on retest. Assuming a reliability of .97, typical of full-scale IQ, the adjusted chance is closer to one in four.
So a 129 is not a near-certain 130. It is a real but minority chance. That matters for anyone deciding whether to test again.
Should you retest after a 129?
Mensa leaves the door open. American Mensa's own admission test can be taken only once, but a candidate who falls short may qualify through a different accepted test. The organization accepts scores from about 200 standardized instruments, including SAT results from before February 1994 and GRE results from before October 2001.
Two cautions apply. First, practice inflates retests: a 2018 meta-analysis of 153,185 test takers found gains of about a third of a standard deviation on a second attempt. Second, a quick retest on similar item types rewards familiarity along with ability. A new result earned that way satisfies the rules, but it tells you less than it seems. Our Mensa admission guide lists the practical steps.
Is 129 a good IQ?
It is a very strong one. Missing Mensa by a point changes membership, not ability. The 1995 APA task force led by Ulric Neisser reported that IQ correlates about .5 with school grades and between .3 and .5 with measures of job performance. Those links hold across the whole range, so a 129 carries nearly all the statistical advantage of a 130.
The same report stressed the limits: a correlation of .5 leaves three-quarters of the variation in grades to other factors. Motivation, teaching and circumstance still decide much of what any individual achieves. For what counts as high, see what is a high IQ.
Where a 129 should come from
Only a supervised test counts for Mensa and for any serious purpose: an individual battery such as the WAIS-IV or Stanford-Binet 5, or a proctored group test on the accepted list. Our free IQ test is a practice screener, not a qualifying score; read how accurate online IQ tests are before you trust any web result near the line.
Scores next to 129
Frequently asked questions
Is an IQ of 129 gifted?
It sits at the boundary. The Stanford-Binet 5 calls 120 to 129 superior and reserves "gifted or very advanced" for 130 and up, so a 129 falls one point below that label. Given the error band around any score, most psychologists would weigh the confidence interval rather than the single number.
What percentile is an IQ of 129?
About the 97.3rd percentile on a scale with mean 100 and SD 15. Roughly 2.66 percent of people score at or above 129, which is about 1 person in 38.
Will Mensa accept a 129?
Not on an SD 15 test. Mensa requires the 98th percentile, which is 130 on Wechsler-type scales. A 129 on an older Stanford-Binet with SD 16 would be a different rank; the cutoff there is 132. What counts is the percentile, not the raw number.
Can I take the Mensa test again after scoring 129?
American Mensa allows its own admission test only once. Candidates who fall short may submit a qualifying score from another accepted test, such as an individually administered IQ battery. Local rules differ by national Mensa.
Is 129 very different from 130?
No. The two scores sit inside each other's confidence intervals. The difference in rank is under half a percentile point. The practical difference is administrative: 130 meets the Mensa rule and 129 does not.
Sources
- Intelligence quotient — Standard error as low as about three points; ten-point confidence intervals
- Western New York Mensa: How to join — Mensa test once; different test allowed; SAT before 2/94, GRE before 10/01
- Mensa International — 98th percentile; 130 Wechsler, 132 Stanford-Binet, 148 Cattell
- Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns (APA task force, Neisser et al.) — Correlations with grades (.5) and job performance (.3-.5)
- Scharfen, J., Peters, J. M., & Holling, H. (2018). Retest effects in cognitive ability tests: A meta-analysis. Intelligence, 67 — Retest gain of 0.33 SD; N = 153,185
- IQ classification — Superior band 120-129
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.