IQ Score Guide / 144
Is 144 a Good IQ Score?
What an IQ of 144 means, where it ranks, and what it reveals about cognitive ability.
Where IQ 144 sits on the scale
An IQ of 144 is higher than 100% of people
Fewer than 1 in 100 people score 144 or higher, closer to 1 in 500.
What an IQ of 144 means
An IQ of 144 is in roughly the top 1% of people, about 1 in 500. 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 144 actually do
We looked at the 1,617 people who have scored between 141 and 145 on the IQScore test. On average, their strongest area was numerical reasoning and their weakest was applied reasoning. Here is the typical breakdown by section.
Real data from 1,617 IQScore test-takers. Section figures are the average percentage answered correctly in each area. Updated October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is 144 a good IQ score?
Yes. An IQ of 144 is well above average and rare, scored by only about 1 in 500 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 144?
An IQ of 144 is at about the 100th percentile. In plain terms, you score higher than around 100 out of every 100 people. The average score is 100.
What jobs suit an IQ of 144?
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 144?
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 144
The highest measured occupational average is 124, so no job sits at 144. These are the closest.
Famous people near IQ 144
Reported or estimated figures from third-party sources, none are clinically verified.
Kobe Bryant
Estimated around 144
Five-time NBA champion and winner of an Academy Award for the animated short Dear Basketball. Raised partly in Italy, he spoke fluent Italian and Spanish as well as English.
Alex Trebek
Estimated around 143, 1 point below 144
Hosted Jeopardy! for 37 seasons and more than 8,000 episodes, a Guinness world record for a game show host. He graduated from the University of Ottawa in philosophy.
Emmanuel Macron
Estimated around 145, 1 point above 144
President of France, graduated from Sciences Po and the École Nationale d'Administration, one of France's most selective institutions. French academic press estimates his IQ at approximately 145 based on ENA admissions records.
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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.