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Mensa is an international organization with only one requirement for membership -- a score on a standardized I.Q. test higher than 98% of the general population.
American Mensa now has nearly 50,000 members; another 45,000 members belong to national Mensas in over 98 countries throughout the world. Columbus Area Mensa has over 400 members.
Mensa has three major purposes: To identify and foster intelligence for the benefit of humanity; to encourage research in the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence; and to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members.
Mensa is Latin for table. We are a round-table society that makes no distinctions as to race, color, creed, national origin, age, or economic, educational or social status. Only intelligence matters.
In many ways, other than intelligence, Mensa is a self selecting group. Mensa membership gives you some assurance of meeting others at your own intellectual level. Mensa dares you to use, exercise and, ultimately, expand your intellectual potential. The entire organization is structured for that purpose.
Mensa has hundreds of SIGs -- Special Interest Groups -- composed of members with personal or professional interests in common. SIGs are started and maintained by members and cover a vast range of topics. Many SIGs have newsletters of their own. If your special interest doesn't have a SIG, it's easy to start your own.
Unless there's a specified theme at a particular meeting, pretty much the same things people everywhere talk about -- current events, sports, sex, the future, music, politics, art, computers, the economy, kids, cars, values. It isn't so much a question of "what". It's more a matter of "how."
A national convention or Annual Gathering (AG) is held every June or
July -- in a different city each year -- where over 1,000 members
attend workshops, participate in seminars, attend social functions,
renew old friendships and start new ones. The AG is a special, never to
be forgotten experience.
Regional Gatherings (RGs) are held annually in various parts of the
country with most of the excitement and activities (both intellectual
and social) of the AG on a smaller scale.
The Mensa Annual Colloquium is sponsored by the Mensa Education and
Research Foundation. It is designed to provide a stimulating
intellectual forum where members may meet with experts to spend a few
days discussing a chosen topic.
The Mensa Bulletin, published ten times a year, is sent to members as
part of their membership. It incorporates the International Journal,
and these publications contain views and information about Mensa as
well as contributions by Mensans on a wide variety of subjects.
Local newsletters, ours is called Col/M, are
published by almost every local group, informing members of local
activities and events and other items of interest.
Interloc (also published ten times annually) is free to officers and to
other active members on request. It contains news and information about
various society, administrative and internal matters.
The Mensa Research Journal, published periodically by MERF, reports on
Mensa-supported research. It also publishes original articles in
diverse fields of interest and is available for a subscription fee.
Isolated-M is a popular and informative newsletter published by the
Isolated M SIG. It is sent to those members who are geographically
isolated from a local group and is available to other members by
subscription.
The Mensa Register, or other membership directory, published
periodically, lists all the members and may include such information as
geographic location, areas of expertise and/or interest and other
professional and personal data.
There are many paths to membership. Our Proctor coordinator tries to
schedule IQ tests every 4-6 weeks. She will help you to get signed up
to take the IQ test and may invite you to attend a local Mensa event in
the meantime. You will be invited to take our supervised tests, which
requires prepayment of the $40 cost and are administered by one of our
proctors at a convenient location. Should your score on one of the
proctored tests indicate your IQ to be in the top 2% you will be
offered membership in the Society.
Not sure you want to take the test yet, may we suggest you begin with a
valid, at-home IQ test. These tests are not accepted as proof for
admission, but they can give you a good idea as to how you might do on
the proctored test.
Absolutely not, you can qualify for membership by submitting prior evidence, over 200 standardized tests are accpted as an alternate path to admission. A score in the 98th percentile or higher on one of many standardized IQ tests -- if approved by our Supervisory Psychologist -- previously administered in school, the armed forces, or by any licensed psychologist, is satisfactory evidence of qualification for membership.
Yes, there are membership dues and part of your dues is returned to the local groups to provide a greater range of activities and benefits for the members on a local level. Mensa is a not-for-profit organization. You do not need to register for access. You will need to be current on your membership as well as having your member ID ready and the password assigned to you by national. If you have forgotten your password you can find it on your most recent renewal letter or go to the National Website to have it sent to the email address they have on file for you.