My IQ TestFamous People and IQ: The Scores, the Myths and the Reality
Most IQ scores attributed to famous people are guesses, not test results. Einstein and Newton never took an IQ test, and Stephen Hawking said he had no idea what his IQ was. The few verified scores show that achievement depends on far more than a number.
Why celebrity IQ numbers spread so easily
A specific number feels authoritative, so figures like '160' for Einstein are repeated endlessly online. Many trace back to Catharine Cox's 1926 study, which estimated childhood IQs of 301 historical figures from biographies. It was an ingenious exercise but, by Cox's own admission, built on incomplete records.
Commonly cited IQ claims
| Person | Claimed IQ | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Einstein | ≈160 | Never tested — internet estimate |
| Isaac Newton | ≈190 | Never tested — retrospective guess |
| Stephen Hawking | ≈160 | Hawking said he never knew and that people who boast about IQ are 'losers' |
| Marilyn vos Savant | ≈190–228 | Childhood scores reported; scoring method widely questioned |
| Terence Tao | ≈220 (claimed) | Tested as a child prodigy; adult IQ claims are unreliable |
| Richard Feynman | ≈125 | Reported school test; he won a Nobel Prize anyway |
| Johann Wolfgang von Goethe | ≈210 | Cox 1926 retrospective estimate |
What the Feynman story teaches
Richard Feynman reportedly scored around 125 on a school test — high, but far from the stratospheric figures attached to other physicists. He went on to transform quantum electrodynamics. William Shockley and Luis Alvarez were both excluded from Lewis Terman's famous gifted study for scoring too low, and both won Nobel Prizes.
Meanwhile, Terman's high-scoring children mostly led successful but ordinary lives. Very high scores raise the odds of certain achievements, yet curiosity, persistence and opportunity do much of the work. Our guide to the IQ scale explains how rare scores like 140 really are.
So what should you make of your own score?
Use it as a snapshot of reasoning ability on one day, not as a ceiling. Skills grow with effort, and the traits that drive accomplishment — such as conscientiousness and emotional intelligence — are not captured by IQ tests at all. If you are curious, see where you land on our 40-question test.
Common questions
What was Einstein's IQ?
Unknown. Einstein never took an IQ test; the often-quoted 160 is an estimate with no documented source.
Who has the highest recorded IQ?
Claims vary and many are unverifiable. Standard tests are unreliable above about 160, so extreme figures should be treated sceptically.
About the author
Dr. Elena Marsh — Elena has spent over a decade studying intelligence measurement and test construction, with a focus on fluid reasoning and fair item design.
Reviewed by Prof. Daniel Okafor — Daniel reviews item statistics and norming assumptions for our test and guides.
Sources and further reading
- Cox, C. M. (1926). Genetic Studies of Genius, Vol. II: The Early Mental Traits of Three Hundred Geniuses. Stanford University Press.
- Terman, L. M., & Oden, M. H. (1959). The Gifted Group at Mid-Life. Stanford University Press.
- Gleick, J. (1992). Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman. Pantheon.