Founded in 1946 in the United Kingdom by a local lawyer and scientist, Dr. Lancelot Ware, and Roland Berrill, a barrister from Australia, Mensa is a society focused on high IQ alone. Mensa's stated goal is to 'create a society that is non-political and free from all racial or religious distinctions.' Open to anyone with an IQ in the top 2% of the populace, members of Mensa range in age from preschoolers to centenarians. Mensa International states that the society's purpose is threefold: '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.'Mensa has grown to over 100,000 members across the globe, with Mensans in 100 countries. National Groups are located in 49 countries and are further organized into regional chapters, which coordinate regional and local events and provide various services to Mensa members.Membership RequirementsIn order to qualify for Mensa membership, an individual must have an IQ in the 98th percentile or above. To become a member, a person must either pass the Mensa test or submit proof of receiving a qualifying score on an accepted alternate standardized intelligence test. Members are also required to pay annual dues.Mensa test information is available from local testing coordinators who provide specifics on dates and locations of all scheduled tests. A pre-test for practice purposes only is available in some countries. This test is taken at home and then sent in for scoring. Individuals receiving a high enough score are then invited to take the qualifying supervised Mensa test. Taking the pre-test is voluntary and does not qualify an individual for membership.Submitting a qualifying test score from an approved standardized test is the only alternate way in which to prove eligibility for membership. Several standardized tests meet Mensa criteria, such as the GMAT, the Stanford Binet or the Miller Analogies Test. Information on which tests are approved is available through any Mensa office.Membership BenefitsThe benefits of Mensa membership are many. Social and intellectual events include various gatherings, game nights, luncheons and speaker meetings. In addition, there are over 150 special groups based on interests such as astronomy and quilting. With Mensa's focus on a love of knowledge, members experience a level of camaraderie unavailable to them through other organizations.Practical benefits include member savings on services in areas such as travel, insurance and financial advice. Members also have an opportunity to give back to their communities. Volunteers can participate in various service programs or assist with annual college scholarship awards provided through the Mensa Foundation.
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