IQ Score Guide / 146
Is 146 a Good IQ Score?
What an IQ of 146 means, where it ranks, and what it tells you about cognitive ability.
What an IQ of 146 means
An IQ of 146 places you at the 100th percentile, in the top 0% of the population. Roughly 1 in 999 people score here or above. Standard academic and professional environments rarely provide sufficient intellectual challenge at this level. Most people who score here report a persistent need to seek out complexity and novel problems. Contributions in mathematics, theoretical science, and philosophy cluster heavily in this range.
IQ 146 in context
IQ 146 sits 16 points above the Mensa threshold of 130, placing it at the 100th percentile. Roughly 1 in 20000 people score at this level. IQ 145 marks three standard deviations above the mean — IQ 146 is 1 point above that marker. Standard IQ instruments lose measurement precision at this level — tests normed on general populations cannot reliably distinguish between scores above IQ 145. Researchers studying extreme cognitive ability note that the practical gap between IQ 146 and the average person (IQ 100) exceeds the gap between average and borderline functioning in the opposite direction. Most individuals in this range report that finding intellectual peers requires actively seeking specialist environments.
Frequently asked questions
Is 146 a good IQ score?
Yes. IQ 146 is in the top 0% — Very Superior range, 100th percentile. Roughly 1 in 999 people score here. Most people at this level find standard academic and professional environments understimulating rather than challenging.
What percentile is an IQ of 146?
The 100th percentile. That means 100% of the population scores at or below 146. Fewer than 1 in 999 people score at this level. The population mean is 100 with a standard deviation of 15.
What careers are associated with an IQ of 146?
Research, medicine, law, mathematics, and senior academic roles draw heavily from this range. Roughly 1 in 999 people score at this level — the cognitive demands of most professional fields feel tractable rather than effortful here.
Can you improve an IQ of 146?
Scores at this level have high genetic loading — heritability runs 50–80% in adults. Sleep, nutrition, and working memory training have documented effects on fluid intelligence, but the honest expectation is modest gains. Large jumps are not supported by the evidence.
Careers that commonly score in this range
Notable people reportedly in this range
All figures are estimates or reported by third-party sources — none are clinically verified.
Shakira
Colombian singer and global superstar — reportedly scored 140 on a formal IQ test, as cited in multiple biographical sources. She speaks five languages and studied philosophy alongside her music career.
Madonna
One of the best-selling music artists of all time — IQ estimated at 140 in published biographical assessments, consistent with her documented strategic control over her own career for four decades.
Ben Affleck
Oscar-winning writer, director, and actor — reportedly tested at approximately 140, cited in multiple Hollywood profiles. Affleck won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting, which he co-wrote with Matt Damon.
Emmanuel Macron
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.
From the IQScore blog
Further reading selected for this score range.
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.
Fluid vs Crystallised Intelligence →
The two cognitive systems, and why the distinction matters at high scores.
Recommended reading for this score range

The Intelligence Trap
David Robson
Why high IQ consistently fails to prevent poor decisions — and the evidence-based fixes.
View on Amazon →

Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
The definitive account of human cognitive architecture from a Nobel Prize-winning psychologist.
View on Amazon →
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