The IQ scale
IQ stands for intelligence quotient. Modern IQ scores are not a raw count of right answers: they place a result on a scale where the average is set to 100 and the standard deviation (a measure of how spread out scores are) is set to 15. A score of 115 is one standard deviation above the average, and 85 is one below.
Because the scale follows the familiar bell-shaped normal curve, most scores sit close to 100 and fewer sit far from it. The five ranges below are marked out on that scale, in steps of about 15 points from MindScale's lowest score of 70 to its highest of 140.
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70–84
Below the 100-point average
This range sits more than one standard deviation below the scale average. On MindScale, it means the weighted puzzle score landed toward the lower end of this provisional online scale.
85–99
Near the average, on its lower side
This range is within one standard deviation below 100. It is close to the scale average, with the exact number reflecting how many weighted puzzles were solved correctly.
100–114
Around the average to one step above it
This range includes the average and scores up to one standard deviation above it. It is a position on the scale, not a label for a person's overall ability.
115–129
Above the 100-point average
This range is at least one standard deviation above the average and below the 130 line. On MindScale, it reflects a stronger weighted puzzle result on this particular set of questions.
130–140
At the upper end of this scale
This range is at least two standard deviations above the conventional average and reaches MindScale's current provisional ceiling. It is still an online estimate, not a normed assessment.
How the IQ score is worked out
Each scored puzzle earns a weight based on its difficulty. The weighted number of correct answers is divided by the maximum possible weighted score, then mapped to a whole-number estimate from 70 to 140, which falls in one of the five ranges above.
The familiar IQ scale is built around a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. MindScale's scoring table is provisional and has not been normed against a large population, so this result is an online estimate for entertainment and self-reflection.
What an IQ-style score can and can't tell you
A puzzle test like this one looks at a few kinds of reasoning: spotting the rule in a number series, seeing how words relate and working out the pattern in a grid of shapes. Seeing which kinds came easily and which took longer can be interesting in itself.
It doesn't measure creativity, knowledge, wisdom, practical skill or how well someone gets on with people, and one sitting can be affected by tiredness, distraction or a bad day. MindScale's score is an online estimate for entertainment and self-reflection, not a clinical or diagnostic assessment, and it shouldn't be used for school, work or medical decisions.
Reading a score in everyday life
A score is most useful as a snapshot of how you did on these puzzles on that day. A difference of a few points between two sittings is normal and says very little. The skill breakdown, which shows how many questions of each kind you got right, usually says more about where your reasoning is strongest than the single number does.
Reasoning puzzles also reward practice and familiarity, so a higher score on a second try often reflects knowing the format better. If you take the test again, treat both results as estimates rather than a change in ability.
How to take the test
MindScale's IQ test has 38 questions and no time limit. Most are pattern, number and word puzzles: choose the answer that completes each one.
You can go back and change an answer. When you finish, you can unlock your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.
Your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.
Conclusion
An IQ score is a position on a bell-shaped scale with an average of 100: most people sit within 15 points of it, and the further a score is from 100, the fewer people share it. MindScale's estimate runs from 70 to 140 and comes from a scoring table that has not yet been checked against a large group of test takers.
If you'd like to see where you land, the MindScale IQ test has 38 original questions on patterns, numbers and words, with no time limit. The price is shown before you start.
Sources
The conventional scale facts and normal-curve explanation use these public references:
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