Anyone in MENSA?

A topic for those of us who wish to prove they're brilliant (I'm willing to take on faith that you're lazy.) I'm eligible to join, but haven't done so yet—I might change my mind, depending on whose company I'd be sharing.

That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful

?

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

^ What's the question?

If you don't know what MENSA is, it's a society for people with high IQs. It's got members in 100 countries, and lots of people around here claim to be highly intelligent, so I figured . . .

That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful

Oh. I see. Well they do have a group for everything so I should have expected this...

I HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING.

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

Anyone in MENSA is f*cking lucky. I'd give everything I have to be that smart.

Misanthrope Supreme

Oh, you have no idea. I'm glad you made the joke before I did just so I wouldn't have to spend minutes figuring out how to use it without seeming forced!

I lack 17 IQ points to be eligible to join (only a modest IQ 131 here).

The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.

I am not in it, but if my IQ hasn't changed much since the 3rd grade I should be eligible for it. Wish I could remember what test it was I took though.

I'm convinced that our modern day analogues to ancient scholars are comedians. -0dd1

I don't know my IQ.

So I could be eligible for all I know.

I spread my wings and I learn how to fly....

Sounds intriguing- like someone above me said, there's a club for everything. Well, I took an IQ test in fourth-grade and got a 132, but I have no idea what particular test it was or if it was in the top two percent of the population or what- from what I can gather on the webpage, I'd need to take their test to see if I qualify anyway. Now if they have meetings with yummy snacks, I will totally apply.

edited 29th May '11 8:49:27 AM by Mamanerd

"An empty stomach is not a good political advisor" - Albert Einstein Anime list

@mamanerd: Nah, after I said that I explored the website more and if your score from forth grade qualifies and you can get a hold of it, you can send it to them.

I'm convinced that our modern day analogues to ancient scholars are comedians. -0dd1

It's Mensa, not MENSA. It's not an acronym.

Also keep in mind that there are - by definition - 138 million humans currently alive that are eligible for membership. If you're noticably smarter than the average person, you can probably pass. And any proper and properly supervised intelligence test will suffice.

Yes, it is a common belief that Mensa has made their own definition of what intelligence is, or has created a test. Neither of those are the case.

There are several hundred intelligence tests that are valid for membership. The one test offered by some Mensas, such as Mensa Denmark, just happens to be both cheap and good.

An IQ of 132 may or may not be in the top 2%. It depends on which measurement scale was used. It's confusing that way, that there are several units for measuring the exact thing, like measuring someone's height but neglecting to say whether the resulting number is in inches or centimeters. Standard deviation 15 and 16 scales are to close together that it makes very little difference (on SD 15 you have to have IQ 130+ to join, while on SD 16 you have to have IQ 132+), but there's also the Cattell scale which has a standard deviation of 24 (then you need to have an IQ of 148+), and is often used when testing children.

So either dig out those old papers, and contact your local Mensa and ask if it's acceptable, or else skip the hassle and sign up for a test. Mensa in your country probably has a cheap and good test, and possibly the same as is used currently in Denmark and some (many?) other European countries.

What I don't get is why one would be interested in joining Mensa, apart from the bragging rights.

I never took an IQ test*

, and my personal impression is that I would not score enough for getting in anyway; but even if I did... well, there seems to be no correlation between people's I Qs and whether I enjoy hanging out with them, so what interest would I have in joining an organization of people whose only common characteristic is having high IQ?

To be honest, this seems to me every bit as silly as making a "redheaded people club" or a "club for people named John".

Eh, it's not that I have anything against Mensa existing, but I cannot say I really see the purpose. -

edited 11th Jun '11 8:04:22 AM by Carciofus

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

Well, giving that little credit to the impact intelligence has on personality is exaggerating it a bit. In fact, I'm pretty certain that higher intelligence makes it more likely for a person to have an interesting personality. Which I claim to be able to prove with a simple comparison: Animals with next to no intelligence have no personality at all, animals that do have personalities, like cats and dogs, are also able to learn stuff. After all, personality is just the byproduct of adapting to various ways of life.

But yeah, if my theory is true, it basically just means that people in Mensa are very likely to be different from the people you meet in the street each day, but that doesn't necessarily make them likable, and some of them are bound to be downright intolerable. I guess it's a place of opportunity for someone who passionately likes to explore different ways of thinking and such, though.

And elitists. Those, too.

edited 11th Jun '11 7:49:15 AM by Fawriel

That's one reason I'm uncertain about joining Mensa—in other groups I've joined that had lots of intelligent people, most of them took their superiority for granted even in areas where they lacked relevant knowledge.

That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful

I was eligible, but my parents cringed at the fee. And so I had taken the test (also requiring a fee) for nothing.

I've known about it since the beginning. But I just refused to believe it.

I'm too dumb for Mensa. Only in the 120s. The only time I took an IQ test was when I was around 8. I was completely retarded concerning spacial reasoning instead of mostly retarded like I am today. Thank you, video games.

edited 3rd Aug '11 11:32:40 AM by Bur

i. hear. a. sound.

This Troper will have a field day with this thrad.

edited 3rd Aug '11 11:34:15 AM by dontcallmewave

He who fights bronies should see to itthat he himself does not become a brony. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, Pinkie Pie gazes Also

Hmm, this reminds me that I don't know my IQ. Still, since I lack mathematical and space perception ability, I doubt it will be high anyways.

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

I don't know my IQ.. I've asked to get it tested before but for some reason my parents have always said no.

I'm 2D.. Mmm.. Won't you buy me, mm.. Piano chord.. Dictionary?

I'm considered gifted by the school district, but I'm not sure if my IQ is high enough.

What does Mensa do anyways?

I would almost certainly make it in, but I'm just not at all sure if it would be worth it, especially if the fees are as high as others have made them out to be.

I'd join if I knew what it did.

Underneath the bridge The tarp has sprung a leak And the animals I've trapped have all become my pets

^ There's one that meets every month in Austin.

That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful