# What is the Probability that I'd Get into Mensa? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338 "2010-09-02T01:44:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/21 "2010-09-02T10:59:55Z")
> [@heavyarms553](#): > > @needscoffee - I may or may not be in the top 2% for intelligence, but you certainly aren’t in the top 2% for common decency and respect. That was totally uncalled for. Yeah, it was called for. You set it up on a tee, and handed @needscoffee a 3-wood. I would join Mensa but my IQ’s a tad too high to allow me to pay money for the privilege of being a member. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/22 "2010-09-02T11:11:04Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:17, topic:552338”] How do you go about tracking down old records? At one college admission interview, the dean mentioned that he had my scores for all three of the IQ tests I had taken (elementary, middle, and high school), and that they were all within one point of each other. I hadn’t even remembered taking the first two, and the high school hadn’t given me results of the third. I graduated in 1976. Would the high school still have those? [/QUOTE] I contacted the board of education offices for my high school, which no longer exists. The person I talked to sent me a copy of my transcript, which had my SAT scores on it. (The Mensa web site lists what scores they accept for standardized tests.) I had to submit a copy of my marriage license to document that I was the person named on the transcript, and that was that. The SAT web site also has instructions for requesting old scores. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/23 "2010-09-02T13:58:37Z")
I know how to get SAT scores and transcripts. I’m curious about finding those old IQ tests. I’d like to know which tests I was given. ---
**Author:** ![jbaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/59ef9b/32.png) [@jbaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbaker)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/24 "2010-09-02T15:28:39Z")
All intelligence tests have some variability, and many of the tests Mensa accepts are not, strictly speaking, intelligence tests. The SAT and the LSAT, for example, are intended to predict success in college or law school, which isn’t quite the same. Mensa only requires that you score in the top 2% on one test. The percentage of the population that can qualify for Mensa, therefore, is actually greater than 2%. Mensa is essentially a social club. Many people do choose to join and then allow their membership to lapse, presumably because it does not meet their social needs or because they originally joined for some reason other than wanting to join a social club (e.g., self-validation). ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/25 "2010-09-02T15:34:09Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > IIRC IQ is evenly distributed around the mean, so with Mensa accepting the top 2% of scorers, your overall probability of getting in would be 1/50. If your IQ really is 140, I would think your probability of getting in is 1/1. \*\*This. \*\* I tested [non-mensa] before got 141. I sent off for the take home test, and got 112. 😕 One of the questions really, really threw me for a loop, and took most of my time. That being said, Mensa only takes the top 2%. Period. So, if the top 2% are all above 140, then you are SOL. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/26 "2010-09-02T15:36:03Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > What exactly can you do at a Mensa meeting that you couldn’t just do at home or at the local chess club? You take your intelligence with you wherever you go, after all. From what I gathered, our local chapter met at a restaurant and had several news topics prepared to discuss, from science to politics and anything else interesting. Most of the smartest people I know still just talk about TV or sports or gossip when they get together while the Mensa chapter apparently had real discussions on interesting topics. [QUOTE=antonio107;] So they give you what, a diploma that says you’re smart, coddle your ego like only your parents could otherwise, and then you pay them a yearly membership fee for a card, and a newsletter you’ll never read? [/QUOTE] You also get discounts at a lot of places like bookstores and they have publications, scholarships and other educational programs, online groups and a lot of events. Although I never did anything in Mensa, it seemed like it was a real community, not just your name in a “who’s who”. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/27 "2010-09-02T15:42:05Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > What exactly can you do at a Mensa meeting that you couldn’t just do at home or at the local chess club? You take your intelligence with you wherever you go, after all. We just shoot the shit in more syllables than we do with the general public. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/28 "2010-09-02T15:44:35Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > If you can’t calculate your odds of getting in on your own, than you can just forget about joining. Don’t apologise, it was funny. If you don’t get a joke about working out the statistics needed to join Mensa, then you can just forget about joining. (If you can’t spell “then”, then you can just forget about joining.) BTW the only Mensa member I’ve ever known well believes in more woo than anyone else I’ve ever met. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/29 "2010-09-02T16:07:27Z")
Once you’ve got Mensa down, you can check out [Triple Nine](http://www.triplenine.org/main/admission.asp). Like many others here, I once joined Mensa but then didn’t keep it up because of the dues and general sloth (in my particular case - not implying anything about anyone else’s sloth level). ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/30 "2010-09-02T16:41:56Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > If you can’t calculate your odds of getting in on your own, than you can just forget about joining. > > Don’t apologise, it was funny. > > If you don’t get a joke about working out the statistics needed to join Mensa, then you can just forget about joining. > > (If you can’t spell “then”, then you can just forget about joining.) Shoot, I can’t believe I misspelled that. I’d be too embarrassed to even apply to Mensa after that. Not that I’d ever join a club that would take me as a member. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/31 "2010-09-02T16:57:33Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > BTW the only Mensa member I’ve ever known well believes in more woo than anyone else I’ve ever met. Well, I fear that a meeting comprised only of people who went out of their way to take an IQ test just to get in is–well, is likely to be a pretty obnoxious group. It’s like the public discourse version of conspicuous consumption. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/32 "2010-09-02T17:20:29Z")
I have to answer the several snipers regarding how stuck-up Mensa members are. In my observation this is very far from the truth. It is primarily a social organization. The one thing I’ve never heard discussed at a Mensa event is IQ. It’s assumed everyone is basically on a similar level so there’s no point in talking about it. It is a fantastic organization if other parts of your life don’t necessarily put you in contact with other intelligent folks. I joined when I was a stay-at-home mom and it saved my sanity. At that time I was also on my local school board, and was very frustrated having to explain to fellow board members what words like “tentative” mean, and why all our kids couldn’t be above average. (Not an exaggeration.) Mensa includes a fair number of people with advanced degrees but it also has a surprisingly high portion of people without much formal education. I met some who only had high school equivalency degrees and who worked in trades not traditionally though to be associated with high intelligence. I’ve met every range of person from artist to zoologist. I am surprised that someone would dismiss the organization based on one meeting. Our local group’s monthly gatherings include a very wide range of topics from silly to fascinating. Regarding the “woo” factor: Yes, I’ve met my share of people who believed in various nonsense. The vast majority do not. It’s fun to see the interaction. Are there some “obnoxious” people? Sure. Applicants are screened only general intelligence, not social intelligence or any other personal quality. It’s easy enough to find the ones you like and the ones you don’t. Just as in any other organization. Don’t like the topics of the meetings? It’s also fairly easy to suggest one you would like, or even to offer to present a topic. Most Mensans share a curiosity about a lot of things, even things that will be of no practical use to them. If someone doesn’t understand what you’re talking about, they will ask you to explain,and – here’s the neat part – they will probably understand your explanation right away. You don’t have to worry about offending anyone by using words of more than 2 syllables. It is often said that any room with two or more Mensans will include at least three different opinions. Also that leading Mensans is like herding cats. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/33 "2010-09-02T17:21:46Z")
I am not obnoxious, and neither are my friends. We do have obnoxious members, but I avoid them with little difficulty, just as I would in any other group. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/34 "2010-09-02T17:21:48Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I scored above the 99.9th percentile on a state administered test in the 3rd grade. This would’ve been around 1990. Would they accept that? Wow! You scored a 1990 on a test! And you were in the 99.9th percentile? Can you calculate what the best possible score would have been? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/35 "2010-09-02T17:26:33Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > > [@Cisco](#): > > > > I scored above the 99.9th percentile on a state administered test in the 3rd grade. This would’ve been around 1990. Would they accept that? > > Wow! You scored a 1990 on a test! And you were in the 99.9th percentile? > Can you calculate what the best possible score would have been? > :dubious: 1990 was a year. It came around, oh, about 20 years ago, give or take a few. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/36 "2010-09-02T20:22:49Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > One of the questions really, really threw me for a loop, and took most of my time. Can you remember what that question was? ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/37 "2010-09-03T02:44:44Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > I quit after a year too and actually never went to a meeting. I got the newsletter and saw that everyone at the meeting was at least 50 and I was in my late 20s. I didn’t mind their age, but I had only taken the test to see if I could get in and saw no reason to show up being the new guy and youngest. There are other benefits to being a member, but after I got in I didn’t see much that I was interested in so didn’t re-up my membership. > > My test way just like Sister Vigilante described except our “paragraph” was a short story that, IIRC, was a page or two long. IIRC again, it was played from a tape or CD instead of by a person. > > That was the only hard part of the test for me because I remembered all the wrong things. I knew perfectly well that Emily rode the older horse on Monday after she had a sandwich for lunch and before going for a swim at 3pm that afternoon, but they wanted to know if Jake or Joe was the older horse. That’s interesting, my “paragraph” was really more than that I guess; it was on greek mythology and nonfiction. Trouble for them was, I know my greek mythology backwards and forwards, and did even before entering the test. John DiFool: I quit because it costs money and all I got was a small magazine where people talked above me and a local newsletter with a calendar where people had meetings nowhere near me. My failure was on the math word problems, which I am sure I failed on every single one. To those who say they spent a lot of time on one specific problem, that was at home right? In the official Mensa test they don’t let you spend extra time on problems. Each section is timed. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/38 "2010-09-03T05:47:50Z")
If all you need is an over 133 IQ (which is the bottom cutoff for the 98th percentile), I might actually look into MENSA. I thought it was a much more exclusive organization. What I mean is, while everyone thinks I’m really smart, everyone I know that has even talked about MENSA is actually smarter than me. Or, at least, they have more knowledge, if not aptitude. ---
**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:** [September 3, 2010, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/39 "2010-09-03T09:46:20Z")
> [@](#): > > If all you need is an over 133 IQ (which is the bottom cutoff for the 98th percentile), I might actually look into MENSA. Different tests have different cutoffs, depending on where the test results fall on the graph. A score of [133](http://www.us.mensa.org/Content/AML/NavigationMenu/Join/SubmitTestScores/QualifyingTestScores/QualifyingScores.htm) might be eligible on one test, but might fall far short of the mark on another test. Being smart doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re able to get a high score on an IQ test, and getting a high score on an IQ doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re smart. > [@](#): > > I have to answer the several snipers regarding how stuck-up Mensa members are. In my observation this is very far from the truth. It is primarily a social organization. The one thing I’ve never heard discussed at a Mensa event is IQ. It’s assumed everyone is basically on a similar level so there’s no point in talking about it. > > It is a fantastic organization if other parts of your life don’t necessarily put you in contact with other intelligent folks. I joined when I was a stay-at-home mom and it saved my sanity. At that time I was also on my local school board, and was very frustrated having to explain to fellow board members what words like “tentative” mean, and why all our kids couldn’t be above average. (Not an exaggeration.) This, pretty much. I’ve had a couple of discussions with Mensans where the topic was IQ tests in general, how they’re administered and how socioeconomic levels might affect them. I’ve never come across anyone who mentions what his/her IQ is. The basic assumption is that if you come to a meeting, you can hold your own intellectually, whether or not you’ve taken the test and paid the money. This applies to spouses, GFs/BFs, friends, kids, everyone. My husband went to a couple of meetings with me, and refuses to go any more, because he’s not much of a reader and he’s not much of a thinker, either. Put him in front of a TV, and he’s happy with most mainstream shows. I mean, he likes COPS and NCIS. Ask him to read something and then comment on it, and he’ll look like a deer caught in headlights. He has some good qualities, and that’s why I married him. But he’s not a deep thinker, he’s really not capable of it. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338/40 "2010-09-03T16:48:27Z")
[In honor of their 50th anniversary, Mensa’s home test is 50% off for September](http://www.us.mensa.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Mensa_Home_Test&Template=/customsource/cfauthnet_sim/forms/mht/mht_1.cfm). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-probability-that-id-get-into-mensa/552338.md?page=3)