— Occupational IQ
Average IQ by profession
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Published occupational IQ research across 20 careers, ranked highest to lowest.
| Profession | Avg IQ | Percentile | Strongest axes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physicists | 132 | 98th | Numerical & Matrix reasoning |
| Mathematicians | 132 | 98th | Logical & Numerical reasoning |
| Research Scientists | 130 | 98th | Pattern & Logical reasoning |
| Philosophers | 129 | 97th | Logical & Verbal reasoning |
| Surgeons | 127 | 96th | Spatial & Logical reasoning |
| University Professors | 126 | 96th | Verbal & Logical reasoning |
| Doctors (MD) | 124 | 95th | Verbal & Logical reasoning |
| Lawyers | 122 | 93th | Verbal reasoning |
| Engineers | 121 | 92th | Numerical & Spatial reasoning |
| CEOs | 121 | 92th | Verbal & Logical reasoning |
| Software Engineers | 120 | 91th | Logical & Pattern reasoning |
| Commercial Pilots | 119 | 90th | Spatial & Pattern reasoning |
| Professional Writers | 118 | 88th | Verbal reasoning |
| Programmers | 117 | 87th | Logical & Pattern reasoning |
| Professional Musicians | 116 | 86th | Pattern & Verbal reasoning |
| Accountants | 114 | 82th | Numerical reasoning |
| Visual Artists | 114 | 82th | Spatial reasoning |
| Nurses (RN) | 113 | 81th | Verbal & Logical reasoning |
| Teachers | 112 | 79th | Verbal reasoning |
| Professional Athletes | 109 | 73th | Spatial & Pattern reasoning |
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Which number completes the sequence: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
Differences grow by 2 each time: +4, +6, +8, +10, +12 → 30+12=42.
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How to interpret these averages
→Pause. Find out YOUR IQ before you keep reading.Each average is a statistical mean across published occupational studies. Within-profession variance is typically 10-15 IQ points, so there are highly successful representatives of every profession both well above and well below the listed average. IQ correlates with career success but does not determine it — conscientiousness, motivation, opportunity, and domain practice account for most of the variance in actual job performance.
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