Mensa International

The word mensa ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɛ|n|s|ə}}, {{IPA|la|ˈmẽːs̠ä|lang}}) is Latin for 'table', as is symbolised in the organisation's logo, and was chosen to demonstrate the round-table nature of the organisation: the coming together of equals.{{cite web |last=Mensa International |title=About Us |url=https://www.mensa.org/mensa/about-us |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.mensa.org |publisher=}}

Australian Roland Berrill and Lancelot Ware, a British scientist and lawyer, founded Mensa at Lincoln College, in Oxford, England in 1946, with the intention of forming a society for the most intelligent, with the only qualification being a high IQ.{{Cite web |last=Mensa International |title=A Brief History of Mensa's International Structure |url=https://www.mensa.org/mensa/history |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.mensa.org}}

The society was ostensibly to be non-political in its aims and free from all other social distinctions, such as race and religion. However, Berrill and Ware were both disappointed with the resulting society. Berrill had intended Mensa as "an aristocracy of the intellect" and was unhappy that the majority of members came from working or lower-class homes,{{cite book | title=Mensa - The Society for the Highly Intelligent | author=Victor Serebriakoff | publisher=Stein and Day | year=1986 | isbn=978-0-8128-3091-0 }} while Ware said: "I do get disappointed that so many members spend so much time solving puzzles."{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E3fkLVpsb1wC&pg=PA40| first1=Daniel| last1=Tammet| title=Embracing the Wide Sky: A Tour Across the Horizons of the Mind| page=40| publisher=Simon and Schuster| date=2009| isbn=978-1416570134| access-date=4 September 2017| archive-date=29 December 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229031820/https://books.google.com/books?id=E3fkLVpsb1wC&pg=PA40| url-status=live}}

American Mensa was the second major branch of Mensa thanks to the efforts of Margot Seitelman.{{cite book | title=Mensa - The Society for the Highly Intelligent | page=73 | author=Victor Serebriakoff | publisher=Stein and Day | year=1986 | isbn=978-0-8128-3091-0 }}

Mensa's requirement for membership is a score at or above the 98th percentile on certain standardized IQ or other approved intelligence tests, such as the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales. The minimum accepted score on the Stanford–Binet is 132, while for the Cattell it is 148, and 130 in the Wechsler tests (WAIS, WISC).{{cite web |last=American Mensa |title=Join Mensa Using My Past Test Scores |url=https://www.us.mensa.org/join/testscores/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.us.mensa.org |publisher=}} Most IQ tests are designed to yield a mean score of 100 with a standard deviation of 15; the 98th-percentile score under these conditions is 130.8, assuming a normal distribution.See Normal distribution#Quantile function.

However, American Mensa does not provide a score comparable to scores on other tests; the test serves only to qualify a person for membership.{{Cite web |last=American Mensa |title=Take the Mensa Admission Test |url=https://www.us.mensa.org/join/testing/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.us.mensa.org |language=en}} In some national groups, a person may take a Mensa-offered test only once, although one may later submit an application with results from a different qualifying test. The Mensa test is also available in some developing countries such as Brazil, India, Indonesia and Pakistan.{{Cite web |last=Mensa International |title=National Mensas |url=https://www.mensa.org/contact/national-groups |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.mensa.org}}

File:National Mensas.svg

Mensa International consists of around 150,000 members in 100 countries and in 54 national groups. The national groups issue periodicals, such as Mensa Bulletin, the monthly publication of American Mensa,{{cite web |last=American Mensa |title=Mensa Bulletin |url=https://www.us.mensa.org/read/bulletin/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |work=www.us.mensa.org}} and Mensa Magazine, the monthly publication of British Mensa.{{cite web |last=British Mensa |title=Mensa Magazine |url=https://mensa.org.uk/mensa-magazine/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |work=mensa.org.uk}} Individuals who live in a country with a national group join the national group, while those living in countries without a recognized chapter may join Mensa International directly.{{Cite web |title=Contact Us |url=https://www.mensa.org/contact-us/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=Mensa International |language=en}}

The largest national groups are:{{Cite news |author=Stanislav Dimov |date=22 October 2011 |title=Thinking lessons introduced at school |publisher=Europost |url=http://www.europost.bg/article?id=2921 |url-status=dead |access-date=13 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714210354/http://www.europost.bg/article?id=2921 |archive-date=14 July 2014}}

• American Mensa, with more than 50,000 members{{cite web |last=American Mensa |title=About Us |url=https://www.us.mensa.org/learn/about/ |access-date=2023-05-06 |website=www.us.mensa.org |publisher=}}
• British Mensa, with about 18,000 members in the UK and Ireland{{cite web |last=British Mensa |title=About Us |url=https://mensa.org.uk/about/ |access-date=2023-05-06 |website=mensa.org.uk |publisher=}}
• Mensa Germany, with about 17,000 members{{cite web |last=Mensa in Deutschland |title=Über Mensa in Deutschland |url=https://www.mensa.de/about/ |access-date=2023-05-06 |website=mensa.de |publisher=}}

Larger national groups are further subdivided into local groups. For example, American Mensa has 134 local groups, with the largest having over 2,000 members and the smallest having fewer than 100.

Members may form special interest groups (SIGs) at international, national, and local levels; these SIGs represent a wide variety of interests, ranging from motorcycle clubs to entrepreneurial co-operations. Some SIGs are associated with various geographic groups, whereas others act independently of official hierarchy. There are also electronic SIGs (eSIGs), which operate primarily as email lists, where members may or may not meet each other in person.{{Cite web |title=Mensa Special Interest Groups |url=https://www.us.mensa.org/connect/sigs/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=American Mensa |language=en}}

The Mensa Foundation, a separate charitable U.S. corporation, edits and publishes its own Mensa Research Journal, in which both Mensans and non-Mensans are published on various topics surrounding the concept and measure of intelligence.

File:MensaInternationalAthens.jpg

Mensa has many events for members, from the local to the international level. Several countries hold a large event called the Annual Gathering (AG). It is held in a different city every year, with speakers, dances, leadership workshops, children's events, games, and other activities. The American AG is usually held during the American Independence Day (4 July).{{Cite web |title=American Mensa's Annual Gathering {{!}} July 2-6, 2025 |url=https://ag.us.mensa.org/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=ag.us.mensa.org |language=en}}

Since 1990, American Mensa has sponsored the annual Mensa Mind Games competition, at which the Mensa Select award is given to five board games that are "original, challenging, and well designed".{{Cite news |url= https://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-21-mensa_x.htm |title= Mensa still plays mind games after 60 years |access-date= 16 January 2007 |first= Tracy |last= Loew |date= 21 May 2006 |work= USA Today |archive-date= 7 January 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070107230511/http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-21-mensa_x.htm |url-status= live }}{{Cite news |url= http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/22/news_pf/Northoftampa/Brainiac_Central.shtml |title= Brainiac Central |access-date= 16 January 2007 |first= Anne |last= Arsenault |date= 22 April 2005 |work= St. Petersburg Times |archive-date= 11 January 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090111021838/http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/22/news_pf/Northoftampa/Brainiac_Central.shtml |url-status= live }}

In Europe, since 2008 international meetings have been held under the name EMAG (European Mensa Annual Gathering), starting in Cologne that year.{{Cite web|url=https://emag-mensa.eu/en/emag-history|title=EMAG|website=emag-mensa.eu|access-date=2019-06-22|archive-date=22 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622174018/https://emag-mensa.eu/en/emag-history|url-status=live}} The next meetings were in Utrecht (2009), Prague (2010), Paris (2011), Stockholm (2012), Bratislava (2013), Zürich (2014), Berlin (2015), Kraków (2016), Barcelona (2017), Belgrade (2018) and Ghent (2019). The 2020 event was postponed and took place in 2021 in Brno. The next meetings were in Strasbourg (2022), Rotterdam (2023) an Bucharest (2024). The EMAG will be in Cardiff in 2025.{{cite web |url=https://members.mensa.ch/emag |title=EMAG - European Mensa Annual Gathering |website=members.mensa.ch |access-date=4 July 2019 |archive-date=5 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705024345/https://members.mensa.ch/emag |url-status=live }}

In the Asia-Pacific region, there is an Asia-Pacific Mensa Annual Gathering (AMAG),{{Cite web|url=https://www.mensa.org/public/annual-asian-pacific-mensa-meeting-2018|title=Annual Asian-Pacific Mensa Meeting 2018 {{!}} Mensa International|website=www.mensa.org|access-date=2020-02-03|archive-date=3 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203120430/https://www.mensa.org/public/annual-asian-pacific-mensa-meeting-2018|url-status=live}} with rotating countries hosting the event. This has included Gold Coast, Australia (2017),{{Cite web|url=https://www.mensa.org.au/events/event/AMAG-AMC-2017|title=Asian Mensa Annual Gathering + Australian Mensa Conference + Kids Conference 2017 - Australian Mensa Inc.|website=www.mensa.org.au|access-date=2020-02-03|archive-date=3 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203134940/https://www.mensa.org.au/events/event/AMAG-AMC-2017|url-status=live}} Cebu, Philippines (2018), New Zealand (2019), and South Korea (2020).{{Cite web|url=https://members.mensa.ch/it/amag|title=AMAG - Asian Mensa Gathering|publisher=Mensa Svizzera|website=members.mensa.ch|date=2014-04-26|language=it|access-date=2020-02-03|archive-date=3 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203123428/https://members.mensa.ch/it/amag|url-status=live}}

The governing body of Mensa International consists of:{{cite web|url=https://www.mensa.org/officers-appointees/|title=Officers|publisher=Mensa International|access-date=2024-07-18}}

• International Chair: Therese Moodie-Bloom
• International Director - Administration: Robin Crawford
• International Director - Development: Eivind Olsen
• International Treasurer: Jovana Kostic
• International Director - Smaller National Mensas: Sorana Burcusel
• American Mensa: Lori Norris
• British Isles Mensa: Ann Rootkin
• Mensa Germany: Peter Fröhler

All national Mensa groups publish members-only newsletters or magazines, which include articles and columns written by members, and information about upcoming Mensa events. Examples include the American Mensa Bulletin, the British Mensa Magazine, Serbian MozaIQ,{{cite web |last=Serbia Mensa |title=Publikacije |url=https://www.mensa.rs/sr/publikacije/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.mensa.rs |publisher=}} the Australian TableAus,{{cite web |last=Australian Mensa |title=TableAus |url=https://www.mensa.org.au/member-centre/tableaus |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.mensa.org.au |publisher=}} the Mexican El Mensajero,{{cite web |last=Mensa México |title=Actividades |url=https://mensa.org.mx/02/index.php/actividades/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=mensa.org.mx |publisher=}} and the French, formerly Contacts, now MensaMag.{{cite web |last=Mensa France |title=Mensa France |url=https://mensa-france.net |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=mensa-france.net}} Aside from national publications, some local or regional groups have their own newsletters and websites.{{Cite web |last=New Mexico Mensa |title=The New Mensican |url=https://nmmensa.org/index.php/new-mensican |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=nmmensa.org}}{{Cite web |title=Greater New York Mensa |url=https://www.gnym.org/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=GNYM |language=en}}

Mensa International publishes a Mensa World Journal, which "contains views and information about Mensa around the world". This journal is generally included in each national magazine.{{cite web |last=Mensa International |title=Mensa World Journal |url=https://www.mensa.org/publications/mensa-world-journal |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.mensa.org |publisher=}}

The Mensa Foundation publishes the Mensa Research Journal, which "highlights scholarly articles and recent research related to intelligence". Unlike most Mensa publications, this journal is available to non-members.{{cite web |last=Mensa Foundation |title=Mensa Research Journal |url=https://www.mensafoundation.org/what-we-do/mensa-research-journal/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.mensafoundation.org |publisher=}}

All national Mensa subsidiaries accept children under the age of 18.{{cite web | publisher=International Mensa |title=The Constitution of Mensa |url= https://www.mensa.org/system/files/the_constitution_of_mensa_2020.pdf |access-date=2023-02-22 |website= mensa.org}} However, some national Mensas do not test the children themselves; many offer activities, resources, and newsletters specifically geared toward gifted children and their parents. Kashe Quest, the youngest member of American Mensa;{{cite web |url= http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/article_0ec29a81-aaa0-5dd8-a82a-f59472499fa0.html |first=Haley |last=Ringle |title=2-year-old joins group for high IQs |work=East Valley Tribune |date=26 May 2009 |access-date=18 August 2010 |archive-date=13 November 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111113064655/http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/article_0ec29a81-aaa0-5dd8-a82a-f59472499fa0.html |url-status=live }} Adam Kirby, the youngest member of British Mensa;{{cite news| last=The Times|title=The two-year-old whose parents have to study to keep up with|url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/spain/the-two-year-old-whose-parents-have-to-study-to-keep-up-with-lcqbbds5r99|newspaper=The Times|access-date=15 June 2013| date=2013-06-15|archive-date=15 June 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130615042907/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article3791876.ece|url-status=live}}{{cite news| url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/10121175/Two-year-old-becomes-youngest-boy-to-join-Mensa.html|title=Two-year-old becomes youngest boy to join Mensa |date=14 June 2013|newspaper=The Telegraph|access-date=18 June 2013| archive-date=18 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618090032/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/10121175/Two-year-old-becomes-youngest-boy-to-join-Mensa.html|url-status=dead}} and several Australian Mensa members joined at age two.{{Cite web| url= https://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/child/child-development/is-my-child-really-gifted/news-story/e8056aff6b58f9df1ba21f03de24bf06|title=Is my child really gifted?|last=Greaves|first=Laura |first2=Madeline |last2=Hoskin |date=April 11, 2016 |website= Kidspot |access-date=2020-02-03|archive-date=8 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508234939/https://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/child/child-development/is-my-child-really-gifted/news-story/e8056aff6b58f9df1ba21f03de24bf06?nk=b6b84fd8176b5f0f39af3f2c840e5053-1620517779|url-status=live}} Elise Tan-Roberts of the UK and Miranda Elise Margolis of the US are the youngest people ever to join Mensa, having gained full membership at the age of two years and four months.{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7475796&page=1 |title=Meet the World's Smartest Kid |publisher=ABC News |date=2009-05-01 |access-date=2015-09-17 |archive-date=14 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614124956/https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7475796&page=1 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url= https://newspaperarchive.com/dover-new-philadelphia-times-reporter-mar-18-1996-p-2/ |work=Dover New Philadelphia Times Reporter |url-access=subscription |via=NewspaperArchive |title=2-year-old Girl Joins Mensa |date=1996-03-18 |access-date=2023-08-17}}

In 2018, Mehul Garg became the youngest person in a decade to score the maximum of 162 on the Mensa IQ test.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05wxx52 |title= In Short, 10-year-old boy outscores Einstein on Mensa IQ test |website=BBC Radio 5 live |date=2 February 2018 |access-date=19 January 2020 |archive-date=27 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127000346/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05wxx52 |url-status=live }}

American Mensa's oldest member is 102,{{cite web |title=Demographics and Figures |url=https://www.us.mensa.org/learn/about/demographics/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=American Mensa }} and British Mensa had a member aged 103.{{cite web |title=FAQs - Full list |url=http://www.mensa.org.uk/about-mensa/faqs/full |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714190822/http://www.mensa.org.uk/about-mensa/faqs/full |archive-date=14 July 2014 |access-date=13 July 2014 |website=British Mensa }}

According to American Mensa's generational classifications and published demographics (as of 2023), its membership is 8 percent from the Silent generation (born 1924–1942), 37 percent Baby Boomers (born 1943–1960), 30 percent Gen-X (born 1961–1981), 10 percent Millennial (born 1982–2000), 12 percent Generation Z (born 2001–2020) and the remaining 3 percent other. The American Mensa general membership identifies as 64 percent male, 32 percent female, 3 percent unknown, and less than 1 percent gender non-conforming or other.

• List of notable Mensans
• List of Mensa Select recipients
• IQ classification
• IQ Award
• {{annotated link|Triple Nine Society}}
• {{annotated link|Intertel}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite news |last1=Goodwin |first1=Lee David |title=Making Sense of Mensa: The Club for the Super-Intelligent Thinks About a Bright Future |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_boston-phoenix_1982-11-16_11_46/page/n32/mode/1up |access-date=October 2, 2024 |work=The Boston Phoenix |date=November 16, 1982}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website}}

{{High IQ}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1946 establishments in England

Category:Organizations established in 1946