IQ Score Guide / 149
Is 149 a Good IQ Score?
What an IQ of 149 means, where it ranks, and what it reveals about cognitive ability.
Where IQ 149 sits on the scale
An IQ of 149 is higher than 100% of people
Fewer than 1 in 100 people score 149 or higher, closer to 1 in 1,000.
What an IQ of 149 means
An IQ of 149 sits in the top fraction of one percent, around 1 in 1,000 people. Problems that most people find genuinely hard tend to feel straightforward at this level. The trade-off is that ordinary school and work can feel slow or unchallenging.
IQ 149 in context
IQ 149 sits 49 points above the average of 100. Only about 1 in 1,000 people score 149 or higher, so it is genuinely rare.
Frequently asked questions
Is 149 a good IQ score?
Yes. An IQ of 149 is well above average and rare, scored by only about 1 in 1000 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 149?
An IQ of 149 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 149?
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 149?
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.
Careers that commonly score in this range
Famous people near IQ 149
Reported or estimated figures from third-party sources, none are clinically verified.
Paul Allen
Estimated around 150, 1 point above 149
Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, reportedly scored 1600 on the SAT (pre-1995 scale). Multiple technology and business profiles estimate his IQ at approximately 150.
Jeff Bezos
Estimated around 152, 3 points above 149
Amazon founder, Princeton-educated with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science. Published assessments estimate his IQ at approximately 145–155 based on academic record and documented problem-solving at scale.
Emmanuel Macron
Estimated around 145, 4 points below 149
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 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.
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