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The word "Mensa" means "table" in
Latin. The name stands for a round-table society, where race, color, creed,
national origin, age, politics, educational or social background are irrelevant.
Mensa was founded in England in 1946
by Roland Berrill, a barrister, and Dr. Lance Ware, a scientist
and lawyer. They had the idea of forming a society for bright
people, the only qualification for membership of which was a high
IQ. The original aims were, as they are today, to create a society
that is non-political and free from all racial or religious
distinctions. The society welcomes people from every walk of life
whose IQ is in the top 2% of the population, with the objective of
enjoying each other's company and participating in a wide range of
social and cultural activities. Today there are some 100,000 Mensans in 100 countries
throughout the world. There are active Mensa organizations in over 40 countries
on every continent except Antarctica.
Mensa has three stated purposes: to
identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of
humanity, to encourage research in the nature, characteristics and
uses of intelligence, and to promote stimulating intellectual and
social opportunities for its members.
Vermont Mensa welcomes all Vermonters
who meet the standards of American Mensa, our parent organization,
and encourages anyone having a demonstrated I.Q. in the top 2% of the
population to join us. Generally, there are two ways to prove that you qualify
for Mensa: either take the Mensa test, or submit a qualifying test score from
another test. There are a large number of intelligence tests that are
"approved". More information on whether a test you have taken is
approved, as well as information on the procedure for taking the Mensa test, can
be obtained from the nearest Mensa office. There are no on-line tests that can
be used for admission to Mensa. Feel free to contact
Mensa for specific details about eligibility. American
Mensa accepts a wide variety of standard
intelligence tests for membership qualification, including certain
military test scores in a specific time period. Lacking any
of these, you may also may take
the Mensa test. A practice test is also available for you to
determine how close you may be for membership qualification.
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What about kids? Can they
join?
We
have members who range in age from 3 to 105.
Certainly, kids can qualify and join. 12-year-old
Alexandra Berro (left), has performed
on Broadway, as Jane Banks in Mary Poppins, for a year
and a half. Alexandra is an eighth grader in
Connecticut and commutes to New York City to pursue her
love for acting. Our Mensan kids are sharp!
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| Gifted children between 14 and 18 can take one of our supervised, standardized tests, and those under 14 can submit evidence of prior
testing. Learn more about what Mensa offers kids. |
The term "IQ score" is widely used but poorly
defined. There are a large number of tests with different scales. The result on
one test of 132 can be the same as a score 148 on another test. Some
intelligence tests don't use IQ scores at all. Mensa has set a percentile as
cutoff to avoid this confusion. Candidates for membership in Mensa must achieve
a score at or above the 98th percentile on a standard test of intelligence (a
score that is greater than or equal to that achieved by 98 percent of the
general population taking the test).
Just for fun, you can take the the Mensa
Workout , which is an intelligence quiz in which you have half an hour to answer 30
questions. When you submit your answers, your test is instantly scored, and you
can see how your score measures up. The answers to the questions are provided
along with discussion of the answers. The Workout is not an IQ test, and can't
be used for qualification to join Mensa.
We are not all geeks and nerds who wander
around mumbling differential equations with a plastic pocket
protector stuffed with Bics. In fact, we come from all walks
of life, and generally are just as "normal" as anyone
else you might meet on the street. In fact, we range in age from
3 to 105, but most
of us are between
20 and 60. In education we range from preschoolers to high school dropouts to
people with multiple doctorates. There are Mensans on welfare and Mensans who
are millionaires. As far as occupations, the range is staggering.
Our pals can easily be professors or truck drivers, rocket scientists
or firefighters, computer programmers or farmers, artists, military people, musicians, laborers, police officers,
glassblowers--the diverse list goes on and on. There are famous Mensans and
prize-winning Mensans, but most of us are names you wouldn't know.
We take no "official" stand on politics, religion or social
issues. Mensa has members from so many different countries and cultures with
differing points of view, that for Mensa to espouse a particular point of view
would go against its role as a forum for all points of view. Of course,
individual Mensa members often have strong opinions--and several of them. It is
said that in a room with 12 Mensans you will find at least 13 differing opinions
on any given subject.
Remember, about one person in every 50
can qualify for Mensa, so please don't assume membership is beyond
your reach just because you didn't graduate Magna Cum Laude from
M.I.T. In Vermont alone, there are likely some 10,000+
qualified folks, and we'd love to have all of you join us.
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