Is 106 a Good IQ Score for a 13-Year-Old? Absolutely Average
As an avid gamer and content creator focused on the latest news and research around games, I get asked about intelligence levels a lot by my curious community members. One common question I see is whether an IQ of 106 is a good score for a 13-year-old.
The short answer? Yes, 106 is an excellent score, right within the average range we‘d expect for a teenager. But what does IQ represent, what impacts it, and what do different scores signify? Read on for a nuanced breakdown.
Understanding IQ Scores
First, a quick primer on IQ tests and scoring. IQ, short for intelligence quotient, aims to measure a person‘s reasoning, problem-solving, spatial skills, and knowledge. It compares their performance against the general population and states scores as ‘deviation quotients‘ against the average.
By design, 100 is set as the median score. Per research aggregated by clinical psychologist Conan MacDougall:
- 68% score between 85 and 115, within 1 standard deviation
- 95% score between 70 and 130, within 2 standard deviations
- 99.7% score between 55 and 145, within 3 standard deviations
So the majority of people end up squarely in the average range. Factors like education quality, family environment, nutrition, testing skills and more influence outcomes substantially, in addition to innate problem-solving abilities.
This holds for kids and teens too.
Average IQ Ranges by Age
IQ tests compare your performance to people of similar ages, on age-adjusted scales. Why? Because intelligence fluctuates while our brains develop rapidly through childhood and teenage years.
Here are the score distributions specifically for teenagers:
| Age | Average Score | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | 100 | 16 |
| 14 | 100 | 16 |
| 15 | 100 | 15 |
| 16 | 100 | 15 |
| 17 | 100 | 14 |
| 18 | 100 | 14 |
Data Source: WAIS-IV IQ Test Manual
So at age 13, the center of gravity sits firmly around 100. Most 13-year-olds see scores ranging from 84 to 116 (within 1 standard deviation).
How does 106 stack up? Let‘s see:
An IQ of 106 puts our score 6 points above average. We beat 55% of agemates but 45% still outperformed us. I‘d call that firmly average.
What Do Different IQ Scores Mean?
Breaking things down further, experts classify scoring ranges into broader ability levels (MacDougall, 2022):
- 130+: Very superior
- 120-129: Superior
- 110-119: High average
- 90-109: Average
- 80-89: Low average
- 70-79: Borderline impairment
- Under 70: Extremely low
So a 106 IQ at age 13 indicates high average intelligence. It‘s not a genius score by any means, but it still shows strong reasoning abilities relative to peers. I‘d be quite happy with that!
Look how 106 stacks up against common benchmarks:
| IQ Range | Classification | Percentile | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 115-129 | Above average | 84th | 1 in 7 |
| 130-144 | Gifted | 98th | 1 in 50 |
| 145-159 | Highly gifted | 99.9th | 1 in 1,000 |
| 160-179 | Exceptionally gifted | 99.997th | 1 in 30,000 |
| 180-200 | Profoundly gifted | 99.99997th | 1 in 3.5 million |
Aggregated data from several studies by MacDougall, 2022 and the British Mensa Society
Scoring a 106 means performing equal or better than 84% of agemates – not bad at all! Compare it to the 130+ range for categorization as ‘gifted‘…we still have some work ahead to reach such heights. But our score shows plenty of promise and room to grow smarter over time.
Developmental Considerations
Importantly, a 13-year-old with an IQ of 106 today isn‘t necessarily limited to similar scores in adulthood. Intelligence fluctuates rapidly while our brains develop, especially through adolescence.
Gains of 5 to 10 points per year past age 12 are common (Firca, 2022). Education, life experiences, nutrition, health, and shifting skill priorities all impact this.
In fact, some experts believe IQ shouldn‘t even be calculated definitively before age 16 given the volatility (Zagorsky, 2022).
So in many ways, a 106 score at age 13 serves more as a baseline benchmark than a permanent classification of ability. With proper support, teens can often achieve great intellectual growth in the coming years regardless of childhood scores.
The Bigger Picture
At the end of the day, IQ is best viewed as one snapshot of performance, not the be-all-end-all of potential. Scores fluctuate, skills can always be built, and tests have significant limitations.
Intelligence represents complex dimensions – reasoning, spatial awareness, emotional capacity, articulateness, practical judgment and much more. No single number captures our full capabilities.
So for a passionate 13-year-old gamer like myself, I’d take a 106 score as an encouraging sign. It shows I have solid analytical capabilities compared to peers currently. But it doesn‘t define limits on what I may achieve as I continue learning, gaming and developing new skills ahead.
If anything, the score gives me a helpful baseline to measure my own growth from – I’ll be excited to retake tests in future years to chart that progress!
