IQ Score Guide / 98
Is 98 a Good IQ Score?
What an IQ of 98 means, where it ranks, and what it tells you about cognitive ability.
What an IQ of 98 means
The middle 50% of the population scores here. Cognitively typical — not a limitation. Most of the world's productive work is done by people in this range, and raw score at this level has the least influence on life outcomes compared to effort, character, and opportunity.
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.
Elvis Presley
The King of Rock and Roll — reportedly scored 93 on an IQ test at Humes High School in Memphis, a figure cited in Peter Guralnick's authorised biography and corroborated by other published biographical accounts.
Mick Jagger
Rolling Stones frontman — attended the London School of Economics on a full grant before leaving to pursue music. Biographers estimate his IQ at approximately 90–96 based on academic performance records and early standardised testing.
George Washington
First US President and commanding general of the Continental Army — historians estimate Washington's IQ at approximately 95–105 based on his extensive surviving correspondence and military and administrative decisions.
Thomas Edison
Inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, and motion picture camera — Edison's IQ is estimated at approximately 95–110 by historians. He left school at 12 and famously said genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.
Recommended reading for this score range
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
Peter C. Brown
Evidence-based learning strategies that dramatically outperform re-reading and highlighting.
View on Amazon →
Moonwalking with Einstein
Joshua Foer
How a journalist became US Memory Champion in one year — and what that reveals about memory training.
View on Amazon →
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