Mensa is ‘the’ high IQ society. is the largest and most famous High IQ society with 150,000 members worldwide and chapters in 90+ countries. Hopefully, Sri Lanka will have a chapter soon!

It is not an acronym - it is Latin for ‘table’. It denotes a round table where all members are equal.

It is a not-for-profit membership-based organization.

Mensa is a society for like-minded people. Its aims are:

-To identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity

-To encourage research in the nature, characteristics, and uses of intelligence

-To provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members

IQ or Intelligence Quotient is an attempt to measure intelligence. This means many things to many people but generally, intelligence refers to quickness of mental apprehension (or mental agility). It is often confused with knowledge, wisdom, memory, or a myriad of other attributes and in general has a variety of meanings depending on the context in which it is used. IQ invariably refers to the attempt to quantify the attribute in its sense of mental comprehension. There are several scales with which IQ may be measured depending upon which testing mechanism is used. For this reason, the most reliable and consistent value to be placed on IQ is that of the percentile. An IQ of 150 is a meaningless claim unless the testing mechanism is also cited, but an IQ in the 98th percentile (i.e. higher than 98 percent of the population) has consistent meaning.

Mensa was formed in Oxford in 1946 by Roland Berrill, an Australian barrister, and Dr Lance Ware, a scientist and lawyer. The organization later spread around the world

No. Although membership is restricted to the top two percentile of the population by IQ, its members come from all walks of life and backgrounds. They can be young or old, married, single, divorced, separated or widowed, and from any race, creed, color, social or educational background.

Some of the benefits include - • Networking and social activities • Special Interest Groups (SIG) where members can pursue interests and hobbies • National and international magazines. • Local meetings • Online social networking community with WhatsApp chat forums • Weekend gatherings and conferences • Lectures and seminars • Mensa-branded products.

No. While a few members may fit the popular image, the majority of members are ordinary people. What they do generally have in common is enquiring minds and curiosity to learn.

You cannot pass or fail an IQ test – it is a measurement. Putting a number on IQ is not really helpful, as it depends on which particular test you took. There are many IQ tests available and their scoring scales vary – rather like comparing imperial and metric measurements. All Mensans are in the top two percentile by IQ whichever scale their intelligence was measured by, as the Mensa Entrance Test gives a percentile score

Not generally. IQ tests are age-adjusted, basically to take account of youth and inexperience (under 18) or age and diminishing speed. The reason is that, as we get older, diminishing speed and spatial awareness are balanced by having more knowledge and experience to draw on to solve problems. Keeping your mind active as you grow older will help maintain your cognitive faculties, although of course degenerative brain conditions can affect this.

Mensa Supervised intelligence test session costs LKR 2000 if conducted at at a prescheduled, announced time and venue by Mensa authorized personnel. It is a bargain compared to UKp 32 (lkr 8000) in Uk and LKR 3600 in nearby India.

No . Once a member , always eligible for membership.

The minimum age is 14.5 years or older on the date of the test.

No syllabus or preparation is advised. Have a good sleep previous night and come as you are

Please see the section on membership benefits. Further to that, it would be useful to know that Mensa worldwide, is more of a do-it-yourself organisation so being involved in its activities and volunteering in organizing various programs or setting up things would have far more benefit far more than just being a cardcarrying Mensan.

Yes. Initially you will be a Direct International Member from Linconshore , UK as Sri Lanka does not have a chapter yet. Once a chapter is formed , you can become a member of the Sri Lankan Chapter. Once you are a member of Mensa , you can transfer your membership to any chapter in the world.

Please look for specific instructions when you register. However, a typical list would include the following. Dark pencils, eraser, sharpener, pen, and your NIC. Your government-issued NIC or passport id is required. The Test shall last 30-45 minutes once it begins. No syllabus or preparation is needed. There are plenty of practice tests available on the internet..

Each chapter of Mensa is autonomous within the rules set by Mensa International. Most of the time, Mensans interact with each other in meetings and online and discuss topics of mutual concern. Mensans also form Special Interest Groups where those sharing specific interests can come together. This can include Astronomy, Coding, excursions, study tours, cooking sessions, eating out, photography - virtually anything that Mensans feel like doing.

If you are looking for someone to help you kick-start your new venture, or someone to go zorbing with, chances are you will find a Mensan equally excited as you to associate with!

Apart from this, Mensa is also involved in social inclusion and upliftment. The Tribal Mensa Program of Mensa India and the Underprivileged Gifted Child Identification & Nurturing Program, Dhruv, started by Mensa India are two examples of such projects. Mensa should be seen as a club for the brightest, instead of an organisation. Bearing this perspective, joining Mensa can be an exciting adventure. You will certainly get more than what you put in. Go on: take the step to join!