What is Mensa?
Mensa is a society for those who score high on intelligence quotient (IQ) tests. Invented in 1946, the group is the oldest society for high IQ-scorers in the world. Mensa operates on both international and local chapters and attempts to foster learning and programs for the gifted as well as conducting research and forming special interest groups to study pressing issues. In 1946, the organization was founded by an Australian barrister named Roland Berrill and Dr. Lancelot Ware, a British layer and scientist. Their goal was to create a group based solely on testable intelligence; one that would have no social, racial or political requirements to join. It was meant to encourage social exchange between some of the smartest people on the planet, to create, in effect, a world-wide think tank of geniuses. Admission to the organization is based on IQ test scores. Traditionally, membership is limited to those who score in the 98th percentile of specific tests, including the Stanford-Binet and
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 of which was a high IQ. 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% of the population, with the objective of enjoying each other’s company and participating in a wide range of social and cultural activities. What are Mensa’s goals? Mensa has three stated purposes: to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity, to encourage research in the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence, and to promote stimulating intellectual and social opportunities for its members. How many members does Mensa have? Today there are some 100,000 Mensans in 100 countries throughout the world. There are act
