What is The Martian's IQ Score?

The Martian has an IQ Score of 161/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Masterclass tier. The score breaks down to 40/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 43/50 Educational Value, and 37/50 Craft & Quality.

Is The Martian educational?

The Martian is strong on educational value, 43/50 on TVI's rubric, which covers academic content, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, life skills, and knowledge transfer.

How does TV Intelligentsia calculate IQ Score?

TV Intelligentsia's IQ Score is calculated as round((Cognitive Stimulation × 0.4 + Educational Value × 0.35 + Craft & Quality × 0.25) × 4), scoring titles from 0 to 200 across five tiers: Masterclass (≥160), Stimulating (≥130), Competent (≥100), Passive (≥70), and Numbing (<70). The framework is published at tvintelligentsia.com/methodology/.

The Martian , IQ Score 161/200

The Martian has an IQ Score of 161/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Masterclass tier.

By Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH·Updated 2026-06-17·Methodology

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161/ 200

Masterclass

Measurably increases domain knowledge or cognitive capacity

Score Breakdown

Cognitive Stimulation/50

Educational Value/50

Craft & Quality/50

IQ = round((Cognitive × 0.4 + Educational × 0.35 + Craft × 0.25) × 4) · How we score →

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Why you should trust this score

Scored under Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH

Physician and founding editor. Maintains the adult catalog against the published rubric and reviews the rubric application.

Methodology

Published rubric, v1.2

Formula

round(C × 0.40 + E × 0.35 + Q × 0.25) × 4

Database scale

2,338 titles, version-controlled

TVI Canon

Ridley Scott →

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The TVI Take

2015 Best Picture and Best Actor nominee (Matt Damon). An astronaut stranded on Mars must science his way to survival.

High cognitive engagement from the problem-solving structure. Exceptional educational value, the film treats botany, chemistry, and orbital mechanics as narrative engines. Ridley Scott's most optimistic film.

Characters Scored Here

People search for these characters by name. TVI doesn't invent fictional-character IQ numbers, but The Martian's score is the honest answer to how seriously the work treats each mind.

Mark WatneyIQ →

Where to Watch

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