Benefits of Mensa membership
Mensa is basically an organisation for people who are intelligent.
‘Mensa’ is named after the Latin word for ‘table’. Mensa is a round-table organisation, where race, colour, creed, national origin, age, politics, educational or social background are irrelevant – the only qualification for membership is having a very high IQ.
The term ‘IQ score’ is widely used but poorly defined.
There are a large number of IQ tests with different scales therefore, to avoid confusion, Mensa has set a percentile as a cut-off – membership is open to any person who has attained a score within the upper two per cent of the general population on an approved intelligence test that has been properly administered and supervised.
There are no other qualification or disqualification criteria for Mensa.
The organisation, which was founded in Oxford in 1946, has three stated purposes: to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity, to encourage research into the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence, and to promote stimulating intellectual and social opportunities for its members.
Irish Mensa is an all-island organisation with just under 1,000 members. Members get a monthly magazine and can attend around 110 events every year including monthly meetings. More information at mensa. ie From our own Brendan O’Carroll to actress Geena Davis and inventor Clive Sinclair, members come from all walks of life, and include such people as a former chairman of the Ford motor company and a Playboy Playmate.
The questions featured in these articles reflect samples of the type of test that potential members would encounter, with tests generally allowing you half an hour to answer 30 questions.
Try it for yourself, see right for the answers, and then compare your results with those of your friends!