I took the Mensa test. I got in. And I just as quickly got out. The only official Mensa activity I participated in was taking the test because - no specific offense intended - I just couldn’t imagine taking that sort of inordinate pride in something as inconsequential as intelligence. So in short, yes, technically genius (though a lot of good it’s done me), and only briefly, embarrassingly Mensa.
On the Internet, I’ve tested either 125 or 136. Then again, like many others here, I test well. The problem I have with this concept though, is that there is more than one kind of intelligence. According to Howard Gardner, the creator of the multiple-intelligence theory, there are six or seven:
- logical/mathematical (the kind IQ tests target)
- linguistic (like what the author of Mother Tongue posseses)
- visual/spacial (artistic sensibilities, if you will, as well as that “bump” of direction which I absolutely do not possess)
- kinesthetic (athletic or physical ability)
- interpersonal (those social skills we struggle so hard with)
- intrapersonal (knowing thyself, as opposed to others)
- naturalistic (an affinity for and focus on one’s external environment)
Gardner didn’t just pull these out of a hat. He ran years of tests to see if particular intelligences might be isolated by brain damage, ran in families, could be envouraged by nurturing, and so on.
We are, all of us, intelligent in one direction or another. Many of us are intelligent in two, three or more directions. It seems silly to me to pin such a strict evaluation of self-worth on a test that, at its best, can only spot two of the seven intelligences.
And I’m not just saying that because both my brothers scored higher than me on the SAT.
I don’t think IQ tests really determine intellegence well at all, but I got a 120 on one test, 125 on another and a 170 on the last one I tried.
Anyways, I’ve been called a genius and an idiot on many occasions.
What constitutes “genius”??? Is there a score which determines you are a genius?
I always tested near 140. I never considered what that was versus the average or median number. I figured it was “OK”, but come to think of it, I remember my high school principal explaining I was in the 98th percentile for people tested.
I’m as far from socially awkward as you can get.
Some Mensa test questions are language related, which requires some exposure to the particular words before one can draw conclusions about word relationships. This seems unfair to someone who is naturally bright, but was never exposed to a diverse vocabulary.
I always thought Mensa was to test problem solving ability, rather than forming questions that favor those with a better book-study background. Maybe you can’t do both.
Does anyone have similar impressions about the questions types?
I realized I qualified for Mensa, based on standardized test results, but couldn’t see any good SIGs (Special Interest Groups) anywhere near me. I didn’t want to go far to meet with strangers, so I let it slide.
I guess I should give it a second look, now that I’m living in a city.
I’ve scored from 135 - 180 on various IQ tests, with an average around 150 or so. As for my genius status? I must be smart. Here’s proof:
- I do not find Adam Sandler funny.
- I almost always win at Trivial Pursuit
- I am able to determine shit from Shinola.
- I have, in the past, found my ass with both hands and a flashlight (I don’t wanna brag, but I actually only needed one hand!)
- I can speak phrases that will get my face slapped in 5 different languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German*). Six languages if you count sign language.
*[sub]I do not claim to be fluent in these languages, just that I know the dirty phrases.[/sub]
I’m pretty sure I took IQ tests in elementary school - that would explain why I was in the advanced classes even tho my grades weren’t all that great. I seem to recall my mother guarding the score like a deep dark secret. I know I have a high math aptitude, a definite language aptitude, and a fairly well developed mechanical aptitude. I’m a lousy artist but fairly adept at manual tasks.
Everybody tell me I’m smart, but I don’t feel like I’ve ever worked to my potential, so how smart can I be? I never wanted to join Mensa - it’s not like you have to accomplish something to be a member… you just have to be born smart enough. To me, it’s the same as having a club for blue-eyed redheads… I have no problem if smart people want to hang out together, but it’s not like being a member means anything… After all, to join the mile-high club, ya gotta DO something!!!
Well, thaa inane monologue should ensure I’ll never be invited… anywhere… ever…
Actually, since you mentioned the MIle High Club, I may invite you next time I need to fly the friendly skies . . . especially in light of your humble opinions.
I’ve averaged 160 or so on informal tests, but never had the inclination to join Mensa. I like to hang out with the less intelligent… makes me feel superior 
::duck & run::
“I’m a misunderstood genius…people don’t understand that I’m a genius.”
Being socially inept is not a hurdle to joining Mensa, IIRC. If conceivable, those people were even less ept than me!
I can get my face slapped in Greek, Gaelic, English, Swahili, Urdu, English, German & ASL, & order beer. You know, the important stuff.
I was going to make a joke about the South and Mensa meetings at Nocturne’s expense, but thought better of it. Even more important than being smart is being trainable.
As phouka notes, Gardner posits several “intelligences” (several of which I’m totally lame at).
Theory of the moment: IQ is like sexual orientation. To say there are only two flavors (smart/dumb, gay/straight) is an oversimplification that fails to capture a large part of that messy world out there.
Whoops - did I just hijack my own thread?
For best results,
rotate your axioms regularly.
150ish on various IQ tests. (seems to be average, based on contents of this thread :p)
99th on some American test I used to go to school here (drawing a blank on the name. Wasn’t the SAT, not offered in foreign countries to my knowledge).
But still too lazy to get my homework done instead of browsing SDMB, as this weekend has proved.
The last IQ test I took was in high school (they required us to take the ridiculous things). I don’t recall offhand which test it was, or the scoring setup on it, but I scored 100%–just like on every other IQ test they had ever made me take. I test absurdly well, especially on multiple-choice style tests. My personal best for a subject I knew well was 100% on a 100-question test in 6 minutes. My best for a completely unknown subject is 74% on a 50-question test in 15 minutes–that’s right; I didn’t know any of the answers, and I still scored 74% by picking what looked right. As a result, I place little faith in the validity of such tests.
That said, I have excellent memorization skills, good spatial awareness, an aptitude for math, some talent for music, and the social ability of a shy flatworm.
I can also get lost while driving in a parking lot. I probably couldn’t find the Mensa meetings if I were to join. Genius, pfui!
Sorry to burst your bubble, my dear, but that was Fairy Princess Kitty. I’m the older one… I had nothing to contribute to that thread…
Guess we know how smart YOU are now!! 
I am technically a member of Mensa, but I haven’t gone to any meetings. I just did it to say I could. That’s why I took the test, actually. (And my mom got great mileage out of it in terms of bragging rights.)
I totally choked on one of the two math portions - word problems. In fact, I ran out of time on number three (of ten), having guessed on the previous two, and had to go on. I just can’t get my head around word problems; I never could. I tend to score pretty low on internet IQ tests for this reason. Well, not pretty low, but 120 or so.
I scored in the 99th percentile. But the thing is, they didn’t give me my specific score in my acceptance letter. Does anyone know what the standard Mensa-given IQ test counts as 99th percentile? The minimum score?
And by the way, I’m no genius. You are only a genius if you do something with your intelligence. I am happy that I can soak up knowledge rather quickly - if the subject is something interesting to me, mind you - but I am just using it to slide by in life, much the way I did in school.
I am a current member of Mensa, but I have gotten very little out of it, beside the occasional Friday evening meeting at Zorba’s Cafe in Dupont Circle. I have had more stimulating conversations with folks I’ve met just by pure chance than I have had with folks in Mensa. I have also found that possessing a high IQ doesn’t necessarily make you an interesting person, let alone a “genius”.
I’m a genius. As a result, I have very poor work skills and I tend to be lazy. When you can get by without trying (in fact, outpace almost everyone without trying), you never learn to rise to a challenge. If I ever become diligent and conscientious, it will be a much greater achievement for me than scoring in the 99th percentile of tests.
As for Mensa, I was disappointed to find that intelligence does not predict rationality. When I saw that there were SIGs on just about every form of paranormal baloney out there, I decided not to join. I’d rather hang with skeptics of any intelligence than “geniuses” who think psychic surgery is real.
Stanford-Benet (at age 6): IQ 167
California Test of Mental Maturity (at age 25): IQ 148
Katell (at age 25): IQ 157
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (at age 26): IQ 148
NOTE: The Katell test is notorious for giving a “higher” IQ score than the other 3. The minimum IQ score to enter Mensa is 10 points higher on Katell than on any of the others, for example. I’m guessing that my 148 scores on the CTMM and WAIS are probably the best bet for an “accurate” reading of my IQ, assuming such an animal exists.
Tracer, maybe this is just me, but rattling off a lifetime IQ scorecard like that is… I don’t know… chilling. Another brick in the wall, indeed.
I’m a current member of Mensa, even though I haven’t attended any Mensa events in over a year.
[slight hijack]
After my divorce from my ex a couple years ago, I joined Mensa so I could start getting back into the social scene again. Any social group would have been fine–it could just as well have been a nature group or a church group, even though I’m not Green or religious. Mainly I just wanted to jump-start my social life and eventually meet a new SO. And the Washington D.C. Mensa chapter is more active than most, with a fairly full calendar of events and a wide variety of groups, parties, and interests. I was easily able to attend three or four different social events a week.
Mensa has more than its fair share of people with underdeveloped social skills (overly abrasive, overly dry, overly shy, overly intellectual); some of the events look like nerd ranches. But that’s part of Mensa’s billing–it advertises itself as a haven for people who don’t fit in elsewhere. Meantime, I attended all kinds of Mensa social events and talked to as many people as I could at each event, and over time I got to know a lot of interesting people. The experience also helped me to sharpen my own somewhat rusty social skills.
Eventually I started dating a women I met at one of the functions, and now we’ve been living together for a year. (Actually, she wasn’t herself a member of Mensa–she was brought along to an event as a guest by another member.) Anyway, since we started dating I haven’t bothered to attend any more Mensa events. (Mission accomplished!) But I keep my membership current in case our calendar frees up and we want to do some more things socially. It’s nice to know that we can drop in on a Mensa social event pretty much uninvited and unannounced anytime we want.
[/slight hijack]
I’I’ve been hanging around Mensa since 1981 and a member since 1989 (long story). Mensa is the one place in the world where I feel like I ‘belong’. Mensa is my family. And I never have to explain my jokes!
I test in the 99th percentile of the test I took in 8th grade and I used those results to get in. So, I can’t tell you about the Mensa administered test but, I can say that discussing actual IQ scores, like we’ve been doing here, is a major no-no in Mensa. Once you’re in, it ceases to matter. We’re all geniuses. What have you done with your life?? What have you done with all that potential?? Are you happy? Are you fulfilled? If not, maybe we can help, especially if social skills are what’s holding you back.
Mensa is often called “Remedial Social Skills for Nerds 101a”. We will tolerate a lot of social awkwardness but not much outright rudeness. Those of us with great social skills (me!), gently help those with few. Sometimes even if they don’t want the help!!
In my 20 years in and around Mensa, I’ve seen all types, but most gatherings are parties for drinking, talking and playing cards all night. The whole purpose of the group is social interaction. We don’t try to solve the world’s problems. If you’ve got 10 Mensans, you’ve got 11 ideas on how to solve any particular problem (somebody is going to start playing Devil’s Advocate just to rile everybody else up!!).
All that notwithstanding, there are still shallow, petty, and nasty people in Mensa, to the point that I no longer attend local events in Cleveland. I do most of my partying at Regional Gatherings (RGs) in about the Midwest. I have friends all over the country, from New York to San Francisco (miss you, Alan!!)
The Chicago group is particularly good and if any of you local Dopers can get to a meeting, you should give it a try. Their RG is at Halloween and is billed as the “World’s Longest Halloween Party”. The one this past October was great!! Their Monthly Meetings are supposed to be fun, too.
I’m sorry that this is sort of long but explaining Mensa and what it means to its members is long-winded discussion material. To those of you who did not enjoy your time in Mensa, maybe you just didn’t meet the right people?? Most of the people I know are wonderful but I would cheerfully watch my ex and his wife get run over by a freight train!! We get all types…
MomCat