# Any Dopers in high IQ societies? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 17, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474 "2009-04-17T21:18:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/41 "2009-04-20T05:22:51Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > Those of you in the Chicago area should note that your city has a very large, active, and fun local chapter. Yeah… in _Deerfield!_ :mad: Heh. ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/42 "2009-04-20T12:09:13Z")
My experience in the Triple Nine Society has been short of overwhelming. Their newsletter was pretty boring, and there was some huge drama about someone trying to steal the name. I didn’t renew after my second year. ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/43 "2009-04-20T12:09:13Z")
I used to be in Mensa, even had a Mensa Mastercard to show off. Then I used it at a Mexican restaurant and the waiter showed the card to other waiters and they all snickered and laughed. When I got home, I ran ‘mensa’ through Babelfish, converting Spanish to English and the response came back as… STUPID I hadn’t used the card since and dropped out soon after (yes, I know the word is from Latin). ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/44 "2009-04-20T13:06:03Z")
It is my understanding that in Latin-American countries, Mensa uses the name Mesa. The “table” is supposed to refer to a round table, meaning that all members are equal. The founders envisoned a society in which members could discuss the world’s problems and hold discourse. These things still happen, though it is much more of a social outlet for many. > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **Shalmanese** > My impression of MENSA (and other groups of that sort) is that it’s for smart people who don’t get to meet many other smart people in their day to day lives. It’s not the CEOs and Scientists who join, it’s the housewives and office clerks. Actually, both are true. You might be a CEO or rocket scientist who gets plenty of intellectual stimulation on the job, but nobody there has a sense of humor or gets your jokes, so you come to Mensa where they do. Or you might be a housewife where you have nobody at all to talk to at your intellectual level, so you have an outlet in Mensa. That too is part of the “table” concept – and as \*\*Lynn Bodoni \*\*noted earlier, no one will ever ask your IQ after you’ve joined. You check it at the door. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/45 "2009-04-20T23:22:12Z")
I was a member of Mensa and ISPE for a year. Mensa was okay as a general social outlet, but nothing I was especially interested in. ISPE was a mess; incredibly bright journal articles mixed in with absolute crap. Both societies have a larger share of cranks than you would think for a high IQ society and they tend to be very vocal, causing even more chaos. Still, I would consider joining Mensa again if I needed some more socializing; definitely not ISPE. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/46 "2009-04-21T02:15:16Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > My impression of MENSA (and other groups of that sort) is that it’s for smart people who don’t get to meet many other smart people in their day to day lives. It’s not the CEOs and Scientists who join, it’s the housewives and office clerks. > > Granted, my impression may be wrong but it’s not exactly motivated me to join. We get housewives and office clerks, but we get CEOs and scientists too. Generally, we get a good representation of the various jobs in the area. In Las Vegas, for example, we had any number of people who were involved in the gambling (they call it gaming) industry, from dealers to casino CEOs. In San Antonio, we had a lot of retired military, who like to stay close to military bases for the medical benefits and to shop on base. Some chapters are great. Some are boring. It depends on who is involved in the local group. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/47 "2009-04-21T04:15:32Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > I thought I might qualify for the Prometheus Society, but to get in you have to have a combined Verbal + Quantitative score of 1610, which, considering they are scored out of 800 each, might prove problematic. You have to correct an error on the test to score the extra 10 points. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/48 "2009-04-21T04:45:07Z")
I tried for Mensa, and I took the mail in test. I didn’t get in. Then again, I heard one person on a game show comment that she qualified, but didn’t pay the fees. The Host then responded “So, you didn’t pay money to certify that you are smart? Doesn’t that make you smarter than those who did?” I STILL take issue with the fact that the test was timed. If IQ tests can not be studied for, why on earth is the test timed? I have ADHD and I also wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss bubble the answer sheet. I was given a different IQ test when I was in school, and I came up a few points shy of 150. I figured that with age I could bridge the gap. Somehow, I went DOWN in IQ. Which I didn’t was possible. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/49 "2009-04-21T14:07:59Z")
**Meeko** , if you still have the paperwork from the tests you took in school, and the tests were among those many that Mensa accepts for qualifying, you could join based on prior evidence. Here is a list of those tests acceptable for prior evidence: [http://www.us.mensa.org/Content/AML/NavigationMenu/Join/SubmitTestScores/QualifyingTestScores/QualifyingScores.htm](http://www.us.mensa.org/Content/AML/NavigationMenu/Join/SubmitTestScores/QualifyingTestScores/QualifyingScores.htm) That’s how I joined; I never took the test. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/50 "2009-04-22T04:34:56Z")
**Meeko** , if you still have the paperwork from the tests you took in school, and the tests were among those many that Mensa accepts for qualifying, you could join based on prior evidence. Here is a list of those tests acceptable for prior evidence: [http://www.us.mensa.org/Content/AML/NavigationMenu/Join/SubmitTestScores/QualifyingTestScores/QualifyingScores.htm](http://www.us.mensa.org/Content/AML/NavigationMenu/Join/SubmitTestScores/QualifyingTestScores/QualifyingScores.htm) * * * I’m not sure what I have written down on paper. I know that my IQ is above average, and I’m willing to bet it is between 125 - 150. I’m not off the charts by any means, but, I’m pretty sure I have a respectable distance after crossing “average”. Mensa stated I had 112. I did not complete the test, I froze up on the last question I was able to get to. I don’t debate the questions, **I’m pretty sure Mensa isn’t cheating anyone.** I just take issue with the timing aspect of the test. The 141 was what my High school Psychology teacher and I arrived at, after he admitted the test wasn’t too current, and that one or two questions might have suffered. [I have seen a few IQ tests have have REAL, REAL general knowledge trivia in it. That’s not Kosher, correct?] Anyway, Mensa is the top 2% right? It is no longer 150+ correct? (Was it ever 150+? ) Because, when it comes to IQ, 100 is the new 90, correct? But, I have heard from friends of mine that Mensa is as is reported here. Waste of money. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/51 "2009-04-22T06:29:36Z")
I’m the kinda of Marxist that wouldn’t join any club that would have someone like me as a member. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474/52 "2009-04-23T00:01:14Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > **Meeko** , if you still have the paperwork from the tests you took in school, and the tests were among those many that Mensa accepts for qualifying, you could join based on prior evidence. Here is a list of those tests acceptable for prior evidence: > [http://www.us.mensa.org/Content/AML/NavigationMenu/Join/SubmitTestScores/QualifyingTestScores/QualifyingScores.htm](http://www.us.mensa.org/Content/AML/NavigationMenu/Join/SubmitTestScores/QualifyingTestScores/QualifyingScores.htm) > > * * * > > I’m not sure what I have written down on paper. I know that my IQ is above average, and I’m willing to bet it is between 125 - 150. I’m not off the charts by any means, but, I’m pretty sure I have a respectable distance after crossing “average”. > > Mensa stated I had 112. I did not complete the test, I froze up on the last question I was able to get to. I don’t debate the questions, **I’m pretty sure Mensa isn’t cheating anyone.** I just take issue with the timing aspect of the test. > > The 141 was what my High school Psychology teacher and I arrived at, after he admitted the test wasn’t too current, and that one or two questions might have suffered. > > [I have seen a few IQ tests have have REAL, REAL general knowledge trivia in it. That’s not Kosher, correct?] > > Anyway, Mensa is the top 2% right? It is no longer 150+ correct? (Was it ever 150+? ) > > Because, when it comes to IQ, 100 is the new 90, correct? > > But, I have heard from friends of mine that Mensa is as is reported here. Waste of money. The qualification is scoring in the top two percent. That score will be different depending on which test is used. You can find more information [here.](http://www.us.mensa.org//AM/template.cfm?Section=Join) There is a fairly large number of tests that can be used as evidence. They are supposed to be more of an aptitude test than a test of previous knowledge. Among the tests that a Mensa proctor can administer are “culture fair” non-language tests for people whose first language is not English or for some other reason cannot be evaluated on the more common tests. I believe there are also non-timed tests available. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-dopers-in-high-iq-societies/493474.md?page=2)