What does an IQ of 117 mean?
Above the central range on the reference scale, at approximately percentile 87.15.
- IQ score
- 117
- Percentile
- 87.15
- At or above
- 12.85%
Normal reference · mean 100 · SD 15. These are calculated values, not observed starp population ranks.
Where 117 sits on the IQ scale
A score of 117 is 17 points above the mean. Dividing by the standard deviation gives (117 − 100) ÷ 15 = 1.13. The normal cumulative distribution converts that standardized position into percentile 87.15.
This is above the central 85–115 interval and below two standard deviations above the mean. It indicates a higher position on this reference scale; it is not a percentage of questions answered correctly or a prediction about a particular career.
How common is a score of 117?
Approximately 12.85% of this model lies at or above 117—about 1 in 8. This is a cumulative share, not the chance of scoring exactly 117. A continuous model does not assign a positive probability to one exact value.
Compared with IQ 115, the reference percentile is 3.01 percentage points higher. Equal IQ-point gaps do not create equal percentile gaps: the middle of the bell curve contains more area than its ends.
Compare nearby scores
Compare 112 and 117 or calculate 117 on another scale. A small difference between test results is not automatically a meaningful change.
How this relates to starp
starp's current scoring map does not produce exactly 117. Its neighboring results are 115 for 25 correct answers and 120 for 26 correct answers out of 30. This guide explains the conventional scale value 117; it does not invent an intermediate starp result.
See the scoring method and how raw scores differ from IQ estimates.
Questions about IQ 117
Is 117 a good IQ score?
117 is above the reference mean of 100. It is a higher score on that scale, but a number alone cannot establish a specific skill profile or predict success.
What percentile is an IQ of 117?
On a normal scale with mean 100 and standard deviation 15, 117 corresponds to approximately percentile 87.15. Around 12.85% of that model lies at or above it. Use an assessment's own norms for an actual reported rank.
Does an IQ of 117 mean 117% correct?
No. IQ is a scaled score. Percentage correct depends on the questions and scoring rules; percentile describes a relative position. These three quantities are not interchangeable.
Method: NIST's normal-distribution formula. Percentiles here are calculated reference values, not observed starp population ranks. About starp scoring.