Since I feel that submitting my IQ scores from when I was 16 is a bit dishonest, I’ll be buckling down and taking the Mensa qualifying exam on Sunday. Who here has taken it? What can I expect? Is there anything I should study? Are any other Dopers taking it in Baltimore with me?
Thanks.
I took it (and passed,) but it was 7 or 8 years ago and I don’t remember it all that well. I think there were sections. One I remember was a bunch of “A is to B, Like C is to ?”-type questions. There were also a lot of shape puzzles. They show you a bunch of shapes and based on a pattern you have to pick the last one out of a group. Good luck!
No, you can’t really study. Arrive early so you don’t feel rushed and flustered. Get a good night’s sleep.
There are two tests. One is very brief. If you pass either one, you will qualify. You will not be given an “IQ number”; Mensa doesn’t do that anymore. You will simply be notified by mail whether you have passed. The proctor cannot tell you that; he or she is there to facilitate the test.
Don’t get hung up on any one question. If you don’t see the answer right away, go on. Then go back and make a second pass. It’s far better to get to the end of the test and have left some blank than to find yourself two-thirds done when time is called. If you have no idea on some, guess rather than leaving them blank.
If you pass, pay your dues and join! You’ll meet great people. And some jerks.
Why? My understanding of the rules of MENSA is that if you can prove that you ever in your life scored in the 98th percentile on a legitimate IQ test, you’re in. They don’t require a re-test every five years or anything like that. You could fall on your head the day after getting your membership and have your IQ drop down to the level of a Golden Retriever, and you’d still be a MENSA member for as long as you keep paying the contribution.
So I don’t see why submitting your scores from when you were 16 would be cheating – and if MENSA disagrees, I’m sure that when you give them the document they will be intelligent enough to notice the date…
The Mensa workout.
The Tickle classic IQ test.
Both of these are simlar to the Mensa exam.
I recall there being quite a bit of vocabulary type questions.
“Feline is to cat as ___ is to dog.” type stuff.
Umpteen years ago as well. Slept and drank much since then.
Good luck!