IQ Score Guide / 135
Is 135 a Good IQ Score?
What an IQ of 135 means, where it ranks, and what it reveals about cognitive ability.
Where IQ 135 sits on the scale
An IQ of 135 is higher than 99% of people
In a room of 100 people, about 1 would score 135 or higher.
What an IQ of 135 means
An IQ of 135 is in roughly the top 1% of people, about 1 in 100. This is the level where strong reasoning starts to show up as original thinking, not just being quick at the work everyone else does. Scores like this are common in research, medicine and other demanding fields.
How people who score 135 actually do
We looked at the 5,280 people who have scored between 132 and 136 on the IQScore test. On average, their strongest area was spatial reasoning and their weakest was logical reasoning. Here is the typical breakdown by section.
Real data from 5,280 IQScore test-takers. Section figures are the average percentage answered correctly in each area. Updated October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is 135 a good IQ score?
Yes. An IQ of 135 is well above average and rare, scored by only about 1 in 100 people. It is above the Mensa cut-off of 130. Most people at this level find school and standard work easy rather than challenging.
What percentile is an IQ of 135?
An IQ of 135 is at about the 99th percentile. In plain terms, you score higher than around 99 out of every 100 people. The average score is 100.
What jobs suit an IQ of 135?
Most demanding careers are well within reach. Doctors, lawyers, researchers, engineers and senior leaders often score in this range. Keep in mind that people vary widely within any job, so the score is a rough guide, not a rule.
Can you improve an IQ of 135?
A little. Scores this high are strongly shaped by genetics, so big jumps are unlikely. Good sleep, regular exercise and a clear head on the day all help, but expect small gains rather than large ones.
No occupation averages 135
The highest measured occupational average is 124, so no job sits at 135. These are the closest.
Famous people near IQ 135
Reported or estimated figures from third-party sources, none are clinically verified.
Barack Obama
Estimated around 135
Harvard Law Review president and 44th US President, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. Published historiometric assessments estimate his IQ at approximately 130–140, with most clustering around 132–137.
Garry Kasparov
Estimated around 135
World Chess Champion for 15 years, widely regarded as the greatest chess player in history, IQ estimated at 135 by chess psychologists and sports scientists. Kasparov describes his thinking as combining deep pattern recognition with systematic long-range planning.
Al Gore
Estimated around 134, 1 point below 135
Former US Vice President, Harvard graduate, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, IQ estimated at approximately 134 in published presidential and vice-presidential cognitive assessments.
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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 →
Every band from below average to genius, and what each one means.
IQ Score by Age →
How scores shift with age, and what stays fixed over a lifetime.
What IQ Score Is Needed for Mensa? →
The threshold, the test, and what membership actually means.
The Dark Side of High Intelligence →
What the research says about the less-discussed costs of scoring at this level.
How Much of IQ Is Genetic? →
Twin studies and what the heritability data actually shows.