What is Mensa

What is Mensa?

Mensa is a society of people who have abnormally high IQs, sometimes referred to as the Genius Society. These are the people you knew in high school and college, and you may have been one yourself, that simply excelled intellectually in nearly every aspect, and who enjoyed furthering their knowledge and exploring the world around them in a scientific manner. Mensa is a society that allows these people to continue to explore science, and math, and every intellectual aspect and property that they can. In short, Mensa is the Place of all places for the intellectually gifted. Each year, thousands of intellectuals try to join the ranks of Mensa. And each year, thousands fail to pass the extremely challenging Mensa test. If you have what it takes to pass the test, becoming a member of Mensa can be one of the most fulfilling experiences and opportunities of your life time.

The Mensa Test

Many who have heard of this test look upon it with a feeling of dread. The reason for this is not because the test is impossible, but because it is extremely difficult, has an unnervingly short dead line to complete, and is considered one of the ultimate truths in the level of intelligence of a person. Of course, not all who take the Mensa Test pass. In fact, relatively few do pass the tests, and even fewer pass the test the first time. The most astonishing part about the Mensa Test is that it does not determine, or have any regard for, a person’s IQ at all. In fact, the Mensa test is one of the most unique tests in the world, and it is designed to test more than a person’s smarts. The Mensa test is designed to tests a person’s logical reasoning, as well as their overall ability to problem solve, and to use context clues.
If you are granted the opportunity to take the Mensa Test, know that it is no longer possible to cheat. Over the past ten or so years, many have been taking the Mensa Test by using internet cheat sheets, worming their way in to Mensa without having done any of the hard work that should be required. Mensa has since instated strict measures to ensure that cheaters do not in fact prosper, but are banned from joining Mensa should they ever attempt to apply again in the future.

That being said, as you can see, it is important that you do the work yourself, and improve your own mental capacities. In fact, Mensa encourages this. They even provide something called the Mensa Workout that is designed to help you to prepare for the actual test.

The Mensa Workout

The Mensa Workout is a quiz that is designed to be a Mensa study guide. It was made to help you prepare for the actual Mensa test, however it by no means qualifies you as a member of Mensa. The Mensa Workout contains thirty questions. You have only thirty minutes to complete the questions, but are given the option to skip ones you do not understand, and return to previous questions as well. the amount of time that it takes you to finish the test, if beyond the allotted thirty minutes, does not affect your score. However know that the actual Mensa Test is limited to a specific amount of time, and thus it would be beneficial to you to complete the test in the allotted thirty minutes.

The Mensa Workout is designed to discourage cheaters, and those who try and memorize correct answers by order, as well. The order of the questions is complete random, and it changes each and every time that you perform the Mensa Workout. This encourages you to actually think and answer the question before you, and not to rely on memorizing the correct number or letters to answers.
Note that just like the actual Mensa Test, the Mensa Workout is by no means an IQ test. Completing the Mensa Workout with a high score will not tell you that your IQ score is high. Likewise, completing the Mensa Workout with a low score will not tell you that your IQ score is low.

Why Mensa Matters to Intellectuals

So why does Mensa matter so much that thousands spends countless hours preparing to test and join it each and every year? To pass Mensa is to be accepted in to the largest and most highly regarded intellectual “club” in the world. You will find yourself connected not only with intellectuals in your area but intellectuals from various places in your country, as well as intellectuals all around the world. And if there is one thing that we know, it is that math and science are universal languages that transcend all boundaries of culture.

Joining Mensa can be a life changing experience. Being connected with other intellectuals on the level that Mensa provides, and intellectuals proven to be as gifted as yourself, can further your learning and your knowledge beyond what it has ever been before. Because while you may be a brilliant physicist, your trigonometry may be a bit shabby. Mensa makes it so that you can have a unique learning experience with another member of Mensa specializing in your weak areas, regardless of how far the two of you are from one another. What’s more, you can connect with those who share the same intellectual interests as you do, and further your theories and experiments. Mensa is a wonderful place for those gifted enough to become members. But just because you aren’t a member, does not mean that you are not gifted in your own regard. Mensa is specifically specialized and directed at a specific crowd, and while you may be a brilliant artist, you may simply be cut from a different mold. And that is not a bad thing; there are just as many experiences for you to connect to other artists out there as well.