What is Mensa?
Nov 10, 2023
Mensa is an international organization for people with high IQ scores. Founded in 1946 in Oxford, England, by Roland Berrill and Lancelot Ware, Mensa accepts members who score in the top 2% of the population on a standardized intelligence test. The name "Mensa" is the Latin word for "table," symbolizing the organization's goal of creating a round-table society where intelligence is the only qualification for membership, regardless of background, occupation, race, or any other characteristic.
Today, Mensa has over 150,000 members across more than 100 countries, making it the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. Â
What is the Mensa IQ Minimum?
The minimum Mensa IQ requirement is a score at or above the 98th percentile on a standardized intelligence test. In practical terms, this typically means an IQ of 130 or higher on most tests, though the exact cutoff can vary slightly depending on which test is used and how it's scored.
However, "the Mensa IQ" isn't a specific number that's the same across all tests. Different IQ tests have different scoring systems, and what qualifies as the 98th percentile on one test might be a slightly different score on another. For example, on tests with a standard deviation of 15 (like the Wechsler tests), the cutoff is typically 130. On tests with a standard deviation of 16, the cutoff might be 132.
Mensa accepts scores from a wide variety of intelligence tests, including professionally administered tests like the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler scales, as well as certain standardized tests like older versions of the SAT and GRE. Â
What is the Mensa IQ test?
The Mensa IQ test refers to the admissions test that Mensa administers to prospective members who don't already have a qualifying score from another accepted test. In the United States, Mensa actually administers two tests during its admission testing sessions: the Mensa Admission Test and the Mensa Wonderlic. Candidates must score at the required level on either test to qualify for membership.
These tests are professionally proctored and administered in controlled settings, which means you can't take them online from home. Testing sessions are held regularly in various locations, and there is a fee to take the test. If you don't qualify on your first attempt, you can retake the test after a waiting period, though Mensa limits how many times you can retest.
The Mensa admissions tests are designed to be culture-fair and measure general intelligence across various cognitive domains. They typically include tasks involving pattern recognition, logical reasoning, and problem-solving. The specific content is kept confidential to maintain test security.
For a comprehensive introduction to how IQ tests work and why they're used, watch this overview:
What does Mensa do?
Mensa is fundamentally a social organization that provides a community for people with high IQs. The organization has three stated purposes:Â
• to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity
• to encourage research into intelligence
• to provide a stimulating social environment for its members
In practice, most Mensa groups organize social events, discussion groups, lectures, game nights, and other activities for members. Beyond that, Mensa supports gifted education initiatives and scholarships. Â
Mensa also serves as a resource for researchers studying intelligence and giftedness. Members can volunteer to participate in research studies, which has contributed to our understanding of high intelligence. Â
Despite its focus on high IQ, Mensa is not an academic or professional organization in the traditional sense. It doesn't credential its members or grant degrees. Membership doesn't confer any professional advantages, and research on high IQ individuals shows that IQ alone doesn't guarantee success. Personality traits, motivation, and opportunity all matter significantly.
Take the First Ever Professional Online IQ Test
If you're curious about your IQ, you have options beyond taking the Mensa admissions test. The Reasoning and Intelligence Online Test is the first online IQ test that meets professional standards for psychological assessment. Â
To learn more about why we should embrace intelligence testing and IQ terminology rather than avoiding it, check out this article by Dr. Warne on the Mensa Foundation website.
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