IQ Score Guide / 153
Is 153 a Good IQ Score?
What an IQ of 153 means, where it ranks, and what it reveals about cognitive ability.
Where IQ 153 sits on the scale
An IQ of 153 is higher than 100% of people
Fewer than 1 in 100 people score 153 or higher, closer to 1 in 20,000.
What an IQ of 153 means
An IQ of 153 sits in the top fraction of one percent, around 1 in 20,000 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 153 in context
IQ 153 sits 53 points above the average of 100. Only about 1 in 20,000 people score 153 or higher, so it is genuinely rare.
Frequently asked questions
Is 153 a good IQ score?
Yes. An IQ of 153 is well above average and rare, scored by only about 1 in 20000 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 153?
An IQ of 153 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 153?
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 153?
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 153
The highest measured occupational average is 124, so no job sits at 153. These are the closest.
Famous people near IQ 153
Reported or estimated figures from third-party sources, none are clinically verified.
Jimmy Carter
Estimated around 153
39th US President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a US Naval Academy graduate who served as an officer in the navy's nuclear submarine programme under Admiral Hyman Rickover.
Lisa Kudrow
Estimated around 154, 1 point above 153
Played Phoebe on Friends after taking a degree in biology at Vassar. She spent eight years researching headaches with her father, a physician, and is credited on a published paper on cluster headaches.
Sharon Stone
Estimated around 154, 1 point above 153
Oscar-nominated actress, reportedly scored 154 on a formal IQ test, one of the highest formally documented scores among Hollywood actors. Stone attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on an academic scholarship at age 15.
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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.