How to Join Mensa

We put together this page to help you better understand How to join Mensa. Mensa is an internationally recognized group of gifted intellectuals who accept candidates that qualify for admission by having an IQ score in the top 2 percent for any qualifying test. For example, take the Stanford Binet Intelligence Test and Score at least 132 and you will qualify for Mensa. Remember, the key for qualification is to score within the top 2 percent. There is no single IQ score that gains acceptance for Mensa. A 132 on the Standford Binet is not the same as a 132 on the Otis-Lennon Test.

What is Mensa?

The following is a quote from the U.S.A. Mensa website.

"Mensa was founded in England in 1946 by Roland Berrill, a barrister, and Dr. Lance Ware, a scientist and lawyer. They had the idea of forming a society for bright people, the only qualification for membership was to score in the top two percent of an acceptable intelligence test. The original aims were, as they are today, to create a society that is non-political and free from all racial or religious distinctions. The society welcomes people from every walk of life whose IQ is in the top 2 percent of the population, with the objective of enjoying each others company and participating in a wide range of social and cultural activities."

IQ Required for MENSA

Mensa accepts over 200 different intelligence tests for admission. There is no one fixed number attached to an IQ score. For example, an IQ of 130 may be accepted on one test but not another. This is due to the differences in scoring various types of IQ tests. The IQ required to join Mensa is as follows: Mensa accepts candidates who score in the top two percent of an acceptable IQ test. The following are probably the most recognizable top five intelligence tests that Mensa accepts for qualification.

Stanford Binet Intelligence Test - minimum qualifying IQ score required to join Mensa is 132
Otis-Lennon Test - minimum qualifying IQ score required to join Mensa is 132
Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test - minimum qualifying IQ score required to join Mensa is 130
Wechsler Adult and Children Scales - minimum qualifying IQ score required to join Mensa is 130
Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales - minimum qualifying IQ score required to join Mensa is 132

Can an Online IQ Test Qualify for Mensa?

No. But scoring at least 125 on a high quality online IQ test may be a pretty good indicator that you have the smarts to score in the top 2 percent of any IQ test that Mensa accepts for admission.

Taking only one online IQ test will not be a fair indicator of your intelligence. Most psychologists agree that to arrive at one's true IQ score, one should take 3 different IQ tests and then they can arrive at a true IQ score.

We recommend that you take the Mensa Home Test for a fee of $18.00 USD. It's not cheap but it's probably the best IQ test offered online. However, the test is not meant for ages 14 and younger.

To test the IQ of children, we recommend that you refer to the menu found in the left margin of the page under the title "List of Tests"

We have intentionally omitted dozens of other so called online IQ tests for one simple reason: they are grossly inaccurate and tend to render a score that is often 20 - 30 points above your actual cognitive ability.

Intelligence Tests That Qualify for Mensa

The following is a very short list of popular IQ tests that qualify for Mensa.

California Test of Cognitive Skills - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 132
Differential Ability Scales - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 132
Otis-Lennon Test - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 132
Otis-Gamma Test - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 131
Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 130
Stanford Binet - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 132
Stanford Binet version 5 - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 130
Henmon-Nelson Test - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 132
California Test of Mental Maturity - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 132
Cattell IQ Test - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 148
Differential Ability Scales - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 132
Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 132
Wechsler Adult and Children Scales - Qualifying IQ Score for Mensa: 130

What Kind of People Are in Mensa?

According to Mensa, there are no specific "types of people" that are Mensa members. Their members are not the geeky preconception of nerds with glasses and a pocket full of pens and a slide rule stuffed in their shirt pocket. In Mensa there are gifted children as young as 3, high-school drop outs, plumbers, truck drivers, teachers, carpenters, CEO's, professors, you name the profession, and chances are there are Mensans who work in that respective field. You are never too young or too old to qualify for Mensa.

Military Intelligence Tests That Mensa Accepts

Military Intelligence Tests administered by the following branches of the United States Military will qualify for Mensa and meet Mensa requirements if the score achieved ranks in the top 2% .

U.S. Army
U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Navy
U.S. Air Force

If you do not see the intelligence test (listed below) that you took while in the armed forces, you can contact the branch of military for which you served and request documentation for any intelligence test you took while in the service.

The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) taken prior to October 1980: a score of 98 or higher qualifies for Mensa.
The Army General Classification Test (GCT) prior to October 1980: a score of 136 or greater qualifies for Mensa.
The US Army General Technical Test (GT) taken prior to October 1980: a score of 136 or greater qualifies for Mensa.
The US Navy General Technical Test (GCT) taken prior to October 1980: a score of 68 or greater qualifies for Mensa.

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery or ASVAB is not accepted by Mensa.

Scores from military intelligence tests submitted to Mensa must include an original copy mailed from the testing agency, LSAC. Printouts from Web sites or PDFs will not be accepted by Mensa.

College Prep Tests Accepted By Mensa

Among the many intelligence tests that Mensa accepts are a few college preparatory tests. Please note that many of these tests have changed and these prep tests no longer correlate with an IQ tests.

The American College Testing (ACT) taken prior to September 1989 is accepted by Mensa if the score is 29 or greater.
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is accepted by Mensa if the percentile rank of the verbal plus quantitative score is 95 or greater.
The Graduate Record Examinations Test (GRE) taken prior to May 1994 is accepted by Mensa if the math plus the verbal score is 1250 or greater. From May 1994 to September 30, 2001 the score accepted must be quantitative + verbal + analytic and be 1875 or greater. The GRE taken after September 30, 2001 is not accepted.
For the Henmon-Nelson Test a score of 132 or greater is accepted by Mensa.
For the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) taken prior to 1982, Mensa accepts a score of 662 or greater. Effective 1982 a total percentile rank of 95 or better is accepted by Mensa.
For the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) taken prior to October 2004 a raw score of 66 or greater qualifies for Mensa.
For the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) taken in junior year prior to May 1993, a score of 180 or greater is accepted by Mensa. After May 1993 this test is no longer accepted by Mensa.
For the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) taken prior to September 30, 1977 a score of 1300 or greater is accepted by Mensa. After October 1, 1997 this test is no longer accepted by Mensa.
For the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken prior to September 30, 1974 a score of 1300 or greater is accepted by Mensa. For the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken in the period between September 30, 1974 to January 31, 1994 a score of 1250 or greater is accepted by Mensa. After January 1, 1994 the SAT is no longer accepted by Mensa.

Clarification Notice

Tests listed as no longer accepted by Mensa indicates that after that particular test underwent a change, it no longer correlates with an IQ test and is no longer taken for consideration by Mensa. However, Mensa still considers test scores acceptable if they were achieved in the period of time before that particular test underwent a change. For example, Mensa still accepts the ACT as a qualifier only if the score is 29 or greater and it was achieved prior to September 1989.