Ritika, a school counsellor in Lucknow, gives an intelligence test to students referred for a special science programme. One of them, Arjun, is 12 years old. His performance on the test equals the average performance of a group of 15-year-olds. Ritika notes that Arjun reads well beyond his class level and enjoys puzzles meant for older children. Before sending her report to the school, she has to work out his score and place it in the standard classification used to interpret such scores.
Which descriptive label will Ritika use for Arjun's score?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Superior
Option (1) Average — Incorrect. Average covers IQ 90 to 109, the band where half of all people fall. Arjun's IQ of 125 is well above it.
Option (2) High average — Incorrect. High average covers IQ 110 to 119. Arjun's IQ of 125 is above this band, so this label is one step too low.
Option (3) Very superior — Incorrect. Very superior is for IQ above 130, about 2.2 per cent of people. Being three years ahead looks large, but it gives an IQ of 125, which does not cross 130.
Option (4) Superior — Correct. Arjun's mental age is 15, since he performs like an average 15-year-old, and his chronological age is 12. IQ = MA / CA x 100 = 15/12 x 100 = 125, which lies in the 120-130 band, labelled Superior (about 6.7 per cent of people).
NCERT (2026-27): “Assessment of Intelligence … “Above 130 Very superior 2.2 120 – 130 Superior 6.7 110 – 119 High average 16.1 90 – 109 Average 50.0 80 – 89 Low average 16.1 70 – 79 Borderline 6.7 Below 70 Intellectually disabled 2.2” |