<p>I have read of an “optimal range” for intelligence. Quickly Googling finds the estimated range to lie between 120 and 145 on IQ tests. That’s thought to be intelligent enough to master any profession, but not so high that it gets difficult to relate to other people.</p>
<p>Googling through the morass of IQ pages on the web, and IQ of 120 puts one on the edge between superior and very superior intelligence, according to Lewis Terman. [What</a> Different IQ Scores Mean](<a href=“http://wilderdom.com/intelligence/IQWhatScoresMean.html]What”>http://wilderdom.com/intelligence/IQWhatScoresMean.html) An IQ of 120 might be correlated with an SAT score of 1130, or around the 89th national percentile (I think this was based on the pre-centered SAT test, so don’t make assumptions about the current test.) <a href=“http://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/oldSATIQ.aspx[/url]”>http://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/oldSATIQ.aspx</a>.</p>
<p>So, in short, more is not always better. There is a range of intelligence–and scoring above that range doesn’t necessarily mean the student will be more successful in life, or more likely to get in. When the schools say a score in the 80th percentile is fine, and that scores lower than that do not necessarily disqualify a candidate, I believe them.</p>