Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world, founded in England in 1946 by attorney Roland Berrill and scientist Lance Ware
. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardized, supervised IQ test
. Mensa has around 150,000 members of all ages in 90+ countries worldwide
. The society aims to identify, understand, and support intelligence, encourage research into intelligence, and create and seek both social and intellectual experiences for its members
. Some key aspects of Mensa include:
- Activities : Members can participate in discussion groups, social events, and annual meetings. Mensa International offers around 200 special interest groups (SIGs) devoted to various scholarly disciplines and recreational pursuits
- Gatherings : Mensa organizes events for members, ranging from local to international gatherings. Several countries hold large events called Annual Gatherings (AG), which feature speakers, dances, leadership workshops, children's events, games, and other activities
- Mensa Research Journal : The Mensa Foundation, a separate charitable U.S. corporation, edits and publishes the Mensa Research Journal, which features both Mensans and non-Mensans writing on various topics surrounding the concept and measure of intelligence
- Membership : To become a Mensan, the only qualification is to report a score at the 98th percentile on an approved intelligence test that has been administered and supervised by a qualified examiner
Mensa is a non-political and free organization, open to all ethnicities, colors, creeds, national origins, ages, politics, educational, and social backgrounds
. It provides its members with diverse and exciting opportunities for social, cultural, and intellectual interaction, fostering a lively exchange of ideas through lectures, journals, and special-interest groups, as well as stimulating discussions and debates at local, regional, national, and international gatherings
