IQ Score Guide / 109
Is 109 a Good IQ Score?
What an IQ of 109 means, where it ranks, and what it reveals about cognitive ability.
Where IQ 109 sits on the scale
An IQ of 109 is higher than 73% of people
In a room of 100 people, about 27 would score 109 or higher.
What an IQ of 109 means
An IQ of 109 is a little above average, higher than about 73% of people. Almost any job or course is within reach. From here on, effort and experience usually matter more than the score itself.
How people who score 109 actually do
We looked at the 117 people who have scored exactly 109 on the IQScore test. On average, their strongest area was spatial reasoning and their weakest was numerical reasoning. Here is the typical breakdown by section.
Real data from 117 IQScore test-takers. Section figures are the average percentage answered correctly in each area. Updated July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is 109 a good IQ score?
Yes. An IQ of 109 is a little above average, higher than about 73% of people. At this level, effort and experience usually matter more than the score itself.
What percentile is an IQ of 109?
An IQ of 109 is at about the 73th percentile. In plain terms, you score higher than around 73 out of every 100 people. The average score is 100.
What jobs suit an IQ of 109?
Almost any career or course is realistic at this level. Technical jobs, management and teaching all sit comfortably here. Effort and know-how tend to decide outcomes more than the score.
Can you improve an IQ of 109?
Somewhat. The clearest short-term factor is sleep, with diet, exercise and stress also playing a part. Realistic gains are a handful of points, mostly from removing things that drag a score down rather than adding raw ability.
Careers that commonly score in this range
Famous people near IQ 109
Reported or estimated figures from third-party sources, none are clinically verified.
Ronald Reagan
Estimated around 107, 2 points below 109
40th US President and former actor, IQ estimated at approximately 105–115 in several published presidential cognitive assessments, including Simonton's (2006) historiometric analysis of US presidents.
John F. Kennedy
Estimated around 113, 4 points above 109
35th US President, reportedly scored approximately 119 on Navy Officer Candidate School aptitude tests during WWII, a figure independently cited in multiple presidential biographies as the closest approximation to his IQ.
Richard Nixon
Estimated around 113, 4 points above 109
37th US President, IQ estimates vary widely in published sources (107 to 143). The most widely cited mid-range estimate from Simonton's historiometric analysis places him at approximately 110–115.
From the IQScore blog
Further reading selected for this score range.
What Is a Good IQ Score? →
Where every score lands, and what counts as good, average, or gifted.
IQ Score Ranges Explained →
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IQ Score by Age →
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Can You Improve Your IQ? →
Honest breakdown of what actually moves the needle.
What Sleep Deprivation Does to Your IQ →
The fastest way to suppress cognitive performance, and how to reverse it.
Nutrition and Brain Performance →
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