IQ to GRE converter

An IQ of 130 points to a GRE total (Verbal plus Quant) of about 323, most often 308–339. An IQ of 120 points to about 315, and an IQ of 100 to about 298. No study links the GRE to IQ, so this is a rough, assumption-based estimate with a wide range.

Reviewed September 2026 by the LifeScore Editorial Team. An estimate, not an official conversion.

IQ (mean 100, SD 15)

Enter an IQ from 70 to 160.

Typical GRE Total (V+Q) score at IQ 130

323likely 308 to 339

Among GRE takers: 82nd percentile
IQ 130 in everyone: 98th percentile (1 in 44 at or above)

An estimate, not a measurement. About four in five people at this IQ land inside the likely range. Preparation, subject knowledge and test-day form move a score a long way.

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IQ to GRE chart

The GRE score people at each IQ typically get, from the same model as the calculator and the GRE to IQ converter. The likely range covers about four in five people at that IQ. The last column shows how rare the IQ itself is in the general population.

Typical GRE score by IQ, from 85 to 160

IQ	Typical total (v+q)	Likely range	Typical Verbal	Typical Quant	How rare
85	285	270 to 301	139	144	1 in 6 at or below
90	290	274 to 305	142	146	1 in 4 at or below
95	294	279 to 309	145	149	1 in 3 at or below
100	298	283 to 313	147	152	1 in 2 at or above
105	302	287 to 317	149	155	1 in 3 at or above
110	306	291 to 322	152	158	1 in 4 at or above
115	311	295 to 326	153	161	1 in 6 at or above
120	315	300 to 330	155	164	1 in 11 at or above
125	319	304 to 334	158	166	1 in 21 at or above
130	323	308 to 339	160	168	1 in 44 at or above
135	328	312 to 340	162	169	1 in 102 at or above
140	332	317 to 340	164	170	1 in 261 at or above
145	336	321 to 340	165	170	1 in 741 at or above
150	340	325 to 340	167	170	1 in 2,330 at or above
155	340	329 to 340	169	170	1 in 8,137 at or above
160	340	334 to 340	170	170	1 in 31,560 at or above

Why the GRE answer is a range

People with the same IQ do not get the same GRE score. In this model the GRE explains about 42% of the variation in IQ among test-takers (r = 0.65, squared). The rest is knowledge, preparation, motivation and luck on the day. Around the typical score, one standard deviation is about 12 points, so four in five people at an IQ of 130 land between 308 and 339.

The two directions are not inverses

An IQ of 130 points to a typical GRE of 323. Put 323 into the GRE to IQ converter and you get 120, not 130. Both directions regress to the mean: very high IQs usually come with high but not quite as high scores, and very high scores usually come from people who are high but not quite as high on IQ. It is the same effect as tall parents having children who are tall, but a little closer to average.

Why other sites show higher numbers

Many converters use percentile matching. They find how rare an IQ of 130 is (about 1 in 44 people), then give the GRE score that is just as rare among test-takers. For 130 that is 331. It answers “how rare is this?” and treats the GRE as a perfect IQ test.

The GRE is not a perfect IQ test. With a correlation of 0.65 the typical score at an IQ of 130 is 323, which is 8 lower. The gap grows at the extremes.

Percentile matching against this page, typical GRE total score

IQ	Percentile matching	This page	Difference
IQ 115	312	311	1 lower
IQ 130	331	323	8 lower
IQ 145	340	336	4 lower

Verbal and Quant behave differently

The calculator and table show the Total, Verbal and Quant scores separately because they are not alike. Quant is bunched at the top: in ETS data a perfect 170 on Quant beats only about 89% of test-takers, while a 170 on Verbal beats about 99%. That is why at a high IQ the typical Quant score sits at or near 170, while Verbal still has room to climb.

The 260 to 340 total is a convention, not an official score, and ETS does not publish percentiles for it. The total here uses a normal curve built from the section means and spreads. For Verbal and Quant we use ETS's own percentile tables. The GRE to IQ converter covers scores going the other way.

How the numbers are made

Evidence grade: limited. No large published study correlates the GRE with an IQ test. The percentile tables are official, but the link to IQ is an assumption of ours. Treat every figure as a rough guide.

Typical score = GRE mean + r × GRE SD × (IQ − 113) ÷ 12, then mapped through the published percentile table. The spread around it is the GRE SD × √(1 − r²), and the likely range is the typical score plus or minus 1.28 of those, capped at the ends of the scale. For the GRE the middle of that calculation is 309 + 0.65 × 15.6 × (IQ − 113) ÷ 12.

Published facts we used

Verbal: N = 788,021, mean 151.4, SD 8.4. Quant: N = 790,864, mean 157.6, SD 9.9 (ETS, July 2022 to June 2025).
Percentile tables for Verbal and Quant (ETS).
The GRE predicts graduate grades at a corrected r of about .3 to .4 (Kuncel, Hezlett and Ones, 2001). That is not an IQ correlation.

Assumptions we made

Mean IQ of GRE test-takers: 112 (Verbal), 113 (Quant and total). College graduates who plan graduate study.
IQ spread among test-takers: SD 12.
Correlation with IQ among test-takers: .60 (Verbal), .55 (Quant), .65 (total). No published value exists, so these are our judgement.

Assumed IQ of test-takers: Mean 113, SD 12
Assumed correlation: r = 0.65
Norms: ETS GRE score data, all test-takers, July 2022 to June 2025.

The full formula is on the score conversion method page.

IQ to GRE: questions people ask

What GRE score is a 130 IQ?

An IQ of 130 points to a GRE total of about 323, most often 308–339. There is no published GRE and IQ correlation, so treat this as a rough estimate. The page shows the Verbal and Quant split too.

What GRE score is a 120 IQ?

An IQ of 120 points to a GRE total of about 315, most often 300–330. An IQ of 100 points to about 298.

What GRE score is a 140 IQ?

An IQ of 140 points to a GRE total of about 332, most often 317–340. The total stops at 340, so the top of the range is capped.

What GRE Verbal score is a 130 IQ?

An IQ of 130 points to a GRE Verbal score of about 160, most often 151 to 167. The assumed correlation is 0.6, and no study has published a real one.

What GRE Quant score is a 130 IQ?

An IQ of 130 points to a GRE Quant score of about 168, most often 156 to 170. The assumed correlation is 0.55, and no study has published a real one.

Why do other sites show higher numbers?

Many sites match percentiles. They find how rare an IQ of 130 is, then give the equally rare GRE score, about 331. That ignores regression to the mean. The GRE and IQ are only partly the same thing, so the most likely total for an IQ of 130 is lower, about 323.

Is the GRE an IQ test?

No. ETS designs it to predict graduate-school performance. It relates to IQ, but no study has published how closely, so every GRE and IQ conversion rests on assumptions.

How reliable is an IQ to GRE conversion?

Less reliable than the SAT or ACT versions. The correlation is assumed, not published, and GRE test-takers are a selected group. Use it for a rough sense of scale only.

If an IQ of 130 gives a GRE of 323, does a GRE of 323 give an IQ of 130?

No. A GRE total of 323 points to an IQ of about 120. Each direction regresses to the mean, so the two conversions are not inverses. The GRE to IQ converter shows the other direction.

What's your IQ?

The GRE leans on vocabulary and practised maths. The LifeScore test is 25 visual puzzles that do not rely on English or any course you took.