Mensa

[iMav]

For years (decades, actually), I have been annoyed by the occasional run ins with Mensa members who seemed to hold their membership up as some sort of proof that they were intellectually superior.

Since Mensa represents the top 2% (1 in every 50 doesn't seem that elite), it has been my contention that MOST of my professional peers could easily qualify for membership.  Of course, to back up that statement, I needed to show some sort of proof...I toyed with the idea of taking a qualifying IQ exam for years, but never cared enough to follow through.

A month or so ago, my company mandated that all employees take an IQ and personality test online.  The results were not to be shared with us, but most-definitely put into our personnel file.  Although I felt I did well, I didn't like the idea of a set of tests like that being tied to me...when they were not properly administered/proctored.  I decided to seek out a proctored test to take for my own edification...and to provide to HR for placement into my personnel file.

The cheapest option?  The Mensa Admission Test...

On November 9th, I showed up in Madison, WI to take the MAT.  I was one of three folks that sat for their two exams (either of which would qualify one for membership)...one was a fairly standard IQ test and the other was the Wonderlic.  (No one knew what I was talking about when I asked if it was the same version of the Wonderlic that was administered at the NFL combine each year.)  During some chit chat before the exam, the other folks seemed inclined to defend their reasoning for being tested.  One participant said, "I always felt like I didn't fit in."  The other participant made the asinine statement, "I've been told I was too intelligent to get along in normal society."  :eye roll:  I simply said I thought it would be fun to take the test(s).

I won't go into the specifics of the exams...but I will say that, at the end of the testing, I felt like I had absolutely crushed it.  I wondered if that meant I actually did well or if I was a bigger idiot than I thought.    

On November 23rd I got my answer:

Dear Larry,

CONGRATULATIONS! Your Mensa Admission testing has been scored and, based on the percentile rank, you qualify for admission to Mensa.

I won't receive my official scores for a few weeks, but know I hit the 98th percentile on at least one of the tests...

[SUPER432]

So, you gonna join? 

[iMav]

I'd be curious to know if we have any members here.

[SUPER432]

There's gotta be at least some. Whether or not they actively post, who knows.

Wait - so were the tests fun to take or not? Hehe

[iri]

triple nine checking in. hello there!

[tp4tissue]

I honestly don't think mensa members are terribly intelligent..

If you have certain capabilities that puts you ahead, then it makes greater sense to keep that ability under wraps, such that your opponents will under-estimate you during conflicts..

Joining mensa is then akin to being a mafia member, then telling EVERYONE you're in a secret-mafia.....

This has made me question if an Openly elitist group is truly "elite"

There is no competitive advantage on part of an openly intellectual individual, because in competition, their abilities if known, can be prepped against..

Does the USA make the best nukes, then tell everyone where they are, or exactly how many they have...  NOooooooo......

[meiosis]

I'd be curious to know if we have any members here.

I know a few people who are "Mensa's" at my school who try to flash their ID card whenever they get the chance, which seems stupid honestly.  Everyone wants to be elitist I guess.. Although apparently for the annual fee you get 10-20% off some weird online bookstores ._.

My advice: If you are smart and know you are, don't need a card to tell everyone else you are. Just do something with it..

The only membership I hold in my wallet is my Starbucks gold card

[tp4tissue]

I'd be curious to know if we have any members here.

I took an IQ test when I was around 8 years old

My dad's basically didn't even go to school..

My sister and lots of professors are really helpful when writing dissertations

I know a few people who  flash their ID card whenever they get the chance, which seems stupid honestly.  Everyone wants to be elitist I guess.. Although apparently for the annual fee you get 10-20% off some weird online bookstores ._.

My advice: If you are smart and know you are, don't need a card to tell everyone else you are. Just do something with it..

The only membership I hold in my wallet is my Starbucks gold card

I looked into this mensa thing..

It's clearly an elaborate ponzi scheme..

They offer you this artificial "status" as an elite member.. where the only benefit seems to be that book discount..

You get into a "group" that produces nothing.. works on nothing.. chat about how great everyone is among themselves..

What is this bs..   how smart is a person, then to fall prey to something like this...

I flipped through their 30question quiz.. yea.. ok.. if that's what they consider the intellectual elite,, amateur monkey math, and pattern recognition..


SCAM.....

[meiosis]

I'd be curious to know if we have any members here.

[WABAM}
I know a few people who are "Mensa's" at my school who try to flash their ID card whenever they get the chance, which seems stupid honestly.  Everyone wants to be elitist I guess.. Although apparently for the annual fee you get 10-20% off some weird online bookstores ._.

My advice: If you are smart and know you are, don't need a card to tell everyone else you are. Just do something with it..

The only membership I hold in my wallet is my Starbucks gold card

I looked into this mensa thing..

It's clearly an elaborate ponzi scheme..

They offer you this artificial "status" as an elite member.. where the only benefit seems to be that book discount..

You get into a "group" that produces nothing.. works on nothing.. chat about how great everyone is among themselves..

What is this bs..   how smart is a person, then to fall prey to something like this...

I flipped through their 30question quiz.. yea.. ok.. if that's what they consider the intellectual elite,, amateur monkey math, and pattern recognition..


SCAM.....

Show Image

First year of college I legit saw someone trying to use that card to pick up a girl.. =.=
(oh and I hate the one where people try to use it as a means of "smarter-than-you" "always correct".
The aforementioned groups Promme/Mega are not really organizations, just recognition so in the end it's free at least.

[tp4tissue]

lets analyze this process..

You pay them money

take the test..

get the discount card..

How many books do you have to buy to get your dues and testing fee back...

Then you interact with the "smart" - "people"..  That's a time cost...

^^^ For all of that trouble... it has no impact on how elite you are, because you are not elite from taking their test,  they give you the test after the fact, that you've already become elite...

They have local chapters... HAHAHA.. you know what else has local-chapters and mandatory fees paid at communal barbeques... Multi-level marketing...



Why am I so angry... I've never even joined one of these things..

hmm... I guess I am just angry at the fact that it's clearly a trick... and people fall for it.. and then because EVERYONE falls for it, they go into group-think and stroke each other off...


This is kinda like the Topre phenomenon...   everyone spends the bigger-bux to buy one..

They get it...  Realize it's not really all that great... Then they start a support group thread.. titled... Topre appreciation.... or HHKB appreciation..


HAHAHAHAHHAA..... I guess these are the same people in Mensa.. 

[meiosis]

Kind of like how Ergodox users are the innovators of this day and age and reaping in the benefits of being smart with Google and Apple

[tp4tissue]

Kind of like how Ergodox users are the innovators of this day and age and reaping in the benefits of being smart with Google and Apple

Compare a Topre thread to an Ergodox thread..

Ergodox Thread:

we ask questions...

How do we improve layout

should the thumb key be closer

what angle should the cluster be optimized for

layouts, one works better because it preserves common keys and minimize wrist travel..


TOPRE thread:

Hi I just spent $300,

Did you spent $300?

F... Yea...I spent $300

W00000, we all just spent $300

Hey user A, user B, I am a n00b, user C

W0000t..  User C,, congratulations on spending $300

User D... for DIM... wow, guys, wish they made more custom caps for topre...  I wantz to Decoratez   like a woman....mmm hmmm...

User E... hay.. that TP4, why he h8in' on TOPRE...

Tp4 doesn't even have Ergodox... he just poor and jealous of the fact that he doesn't have $300...

User F.. hey these feel like rubber dome,, but way..... UPGRADED MAN... HOLY ... w000000

User A,...., E : "W00000" yea.. so stable... omg the case is SOLID.... so solid... plastic all the same, but SO MUCH MORE SOLID...

User G....... dang guys did you  hear about dem' Click Clack..shhhh.... gotta catchum' all.. ..

[kolonelkadat]

i took mensas test years ago as a goof.  either they were jerking me around as a goof, or they just let anyone in. I suspect its the latter.

[tp4tissue]

i took mensas test years ago as a goof.  either they were jerking me around as a goof, or they just let anyone in. I suspect its the latter.

well these groups are unsustainable without enough paying members..  so they have to relax entrance to cover operational costs.. and out of greeeeeed.. also feed the top organizers..

It's essentially like organized religion, only it doesn't even have jesus bread and booze.

[mauri]

i took mensas test years ago as a goof.  either they were jerking me around as a goof, or they just let anyone in. I suspect its the latter.

well these groups are unsustainable without enough paying members..  so they have to relax entrance to cover operational costs.. and out of greeeeeed.. also feed the top organizers..

It's essentially like organized religion, only it doesn't even have jesus bread and booze.

It's the templars

[127001]

We all spend hundreds to thousands on keyboards....

I think that says a lot about whether anyone here is in the top 2%...

[RabRhee]

I once knew a guy that had a card to prove he was sane. And he was a loony. Absolute nutter. But he could prove he was sane, because he 'qualified' from the mental institution he spent years in.

Mensa is a similar  thing. If you need a card to prove you are clever, you clearly can't do it any other way I have met mensa members and I have met some extremely clever people, but never did the two groups cross.

On a separate note, IQ calculations always seemed odd. for one, apparently your age plays a part in it. It is much easier to obtain a high IQ when you are younger. also most of it seems to be based on how well you complete a certain kind of puzzle, which is much like doing crosswords, there are tricks you learn. The concept of intelligence is tricky anyway, some think it is your processor power, some think its how big your hard disk is. A few think its the software and how complex its programming was. Very few seem to think it is how well your machine functions as a whole.

[davkol]

On a separate note, IQ calculations always seemed odd. for one, apparently your age plays a part in it. It is much easier to obtain a high IQ when you are younger. also most of it seems to be based on how well you complete a certain kind of puzzle, which is much like doing crosswords, there are tricks you learn. The concept of intelligence is tricky anyway, some think it is your processor power, some think its how big your hard disk is. A few think its the software and how complex its programming was. Very few seem to think it is how well your machine functions as a whole.

This. I took several IQ tests few years ago... Just out of curiousity. Most of them seemed ridiculously easy to me, because I could see the patterns thanks to higher education in mathematics.

On-topic: I know at least one Mensa member that happens to be a pretty cool guy. Not sure if I've met anyone else apart from him.

[Malphas]

Yes, Mensa is silly. For a start, it doesn't really measure intelligence anyway; which is an extremely broad term. It measures one particular narrow criteria of human intellectual ability (namely, mental arithmetic, written language skills, pattern-spotting), out of a massive range. Secondly, I also suspect that the vast majority of people who potentially could qualify for Mensa membership have no desire to do so or have even contemplated it. So what you're left with is, for the most part, a particular subset of insecure individuals probably lacking in other skills. Finally, I think almost anyone could join Mensa if they wanted. As I mentioned already, it's not an actual measurement of intelligence - it's just a test in a couple of particular subjects, which can be learnt, practised and revised for.

[baldgye]

this covers it pretty well

[tp4tissue]

this covers it pretty well

He just said everything I said..

But he's got that convincing British accent...

[Photoelectric]

So it sounds like at first you didn't like mensa because people acted entitled and flashed their membership, right?  So now that you can get in, it doesn't feel so entitled anymore?   Just putting it in perspective.  I'm with Meiosis on this.  But if you think it might help you on a future job application, then it's something I'd consider adding to my resume (though probably in my field of science, I'd just get a chuckle out of most people seeing it on a resume/CV).

[Findecanor]

also most of it seems to be based on how well you complete a certain kind of puzzle, which is much like doing crosswords, there are tricks you learn.

This! An "IQ test" has puzzles of a certain kind, and solving them is an ability that you can learn. Even if you have never solved an IQ test before, some of these kinds of puzzles are prevalent in our modern society, so you could get many chances at exercise anyway.

I have met two people who were Mensa members. Both were very different.

The first person was a girl. We communicated mostly online. When I met her in real life, I learned that she was deaf, and that she had never learned to control her vocal chords. When she got happily excited, she would jump, clap her hands and scream really loud. If you did not know any better, you could easily believe that she was a retard. But, no retard: she has a Mensa card.

The other Mensa member was also a Freemason. Member of two elitist clubs so that he could feel morally, religiously and intellectually superior ...
You would think that he was a douchebag, but he has never acted in any way like one when I have met him. I knew only because he had newsletters (addressed) from both organisations laying around when I visited his home.

[rowdy]

I've wondered whether these Mensa tests just show how good you are at doing Mensa tests.

[Malphas]

Freemasons are the absolute worst.

[iMav]

So it sounds like at first you didn't like mensa because people acted entitled and flashed their membership, right?  So now that you can get in, it doesn't feel so entitled anymore?   Just putting it in perspective.  I'm with Meiosis on this.  But if you think it might help you on a future job application, then it's something I'd consider adding to my resume (though probably in my field of science, I'd just get a chuckle out of most people seeing it on a resume/CV).

I can't imagine Mensa ever helping me, IN ANY WAY, in my career. 

Freemasons are the absolute worst.

How so?  Freemasonry is no different than Lions, Rotary, Odd Fellows, Elks, Knights of Columbus, etc. The are all simply fraternities.

[SpAmRaY]

Freemasons are the absolute worst.

How so?  Freemasonry is no different than Lions, Rotary, Odd Fellows, Elks, Knights of Columbus, etc. The are all simply fraternities.

That's what they want you to think



grats on passing the test.

[127001]

Freemasons are the absolute worst.

You should read War and Peace if you haven't.

[Hak Foo]

On a separate note, IQ calculations always seemed odd. for one, apparently your age plays a part in it. It is much easier to obtain a high IQ when you are younger. also most of it seems to be based on how well you complete a certain kind of puzzle, which is much like doing crosswords, there are tricks you learn

The age matters because IQ isn't intended as an absolute, level-of-achievement score, but rather a relative "to your age" score.  It should stay relatively flat through your lifetime, so they need to be able to appropriately discount it an absolute "... questions right in ... seconds" score into a constant, comparable number.

At age ten, even if you're no more intellectually nimble than at age five, you'd expect to get more questions correct because you'd be familiar with more concepts being discussed on the test, and have better dexterity for marking the exam form.

[iri]

Freemasons are the absolute worst.

You should read War and Peace if you haven't.

in russian.
a pre-revolutionary edition.

[Input Nirvana]

Mensa, lol

What is it really? Some of you guys covered it more or less in this thread and I generally agree. It's a club loosely based on imprecise and flexible criteria. It's a frat similar to the other organization listed. If you don't agree…please show evidence otherwise. But as far as entitled *******s being members…well, every club, group, organization has it's bad apples, some more than others. Even GH has a few tools.

I've been through several IQ standardized and non-standardized procedures. I've produced a 145 score. But let me personally assure you, I ain't no 145 IQ guy. Ask Kawa, he knows me. I think Kawa has a tennis shoe with more IQ than me. LOL On more focused procedures I manage a 136 range, and I bet if it were to get really dialed in away from a few areas I have hyper-acute awareness and abilities, my results would be even more "average". Not to shoot myself or Mensa down, but a somewhat arbitrary IQ number (they are all arbitrary) isn't much different than playing tennis on concrete, grass, or clay. Different people perform differently with different parameters. I think my participation on GH may have siphoned off a couple points as well, but it's for a good cause.

I had gone to a few "meetings" and had the benefit of hearing the high IQ meatloaf recipes, and anecdotes about some high IQ daily lives. No surprises, and actually in some instances, a turn off. Why you ask? Because these people were sharing the same space for one reason only: They belonged to a club they feel defined them, not what they did or believed in. They weren't friends, most didn't have anything in common. Ask yourself this: Why belong to Rotary? To network for business. Why belong to Shriners? To participate in community and public projects/hospitals, etc. Why belong to Hells Angels? To ride Harley motorcycles and other shenanigans. Why belong to Mensa?…..uhhhh…..Besides, it doesn't matter how fast your car can go…all that matters is how well you drive it at any speed.

Will being a member of Mensa help anyone in any way in the real world? Maybe, but I doubt it. I certainly didn't see any draw. Oh, and for the curious, not a hot chick hang out AT ALL.

And, correct me if I'm wrong (iMav, cover your eyes, cause I'm about to take a cheap body slam on you here)….wasn't there a video of the uber-high-IQ-Mensa-candidate-GH-forum-founder-iMav punching a wall and hitting a framing stud? I'd like to see THAT posted again, you can actually FEEL the pain. Very juicy. Yes boys and girls….Imav…true Mensa material. Welcome to the club, you'll fit right in after you lose the "I'm entitled to not feel entitled" attitude! Ya gotta carry the Mensa "I'm better than you just because" card AND be proud of it. Can you pass THAT test?  Hahahahahhahahahaha

I gotta go now and post in another thread and kill off another IQ point or two…..(Maybe iMav siphons my lost IQ points and collects them for nefarious purposes only he knows….)

[iMav]

To clarify, I didn't hit a stud.  The multiple layers of wallpaper, glue, etc stopped the wall from giving way to the force I exerted on it.  (in the video, you can see the wall flex in that area)  Regardless, it is funny at my expense (and I freely posted it as I thought it was hilarious).

I think everyone can agree that, like any organization, Mensa has it's share of all kinds of people.  The SIG's (Special Interest Groups) are meant to combat that a bit I am sure (birds of a feather and all that).  I am a freemason, and even though our basic goal is to "make good men better", there are a TON of complete tools in the fraternity.  I do not assume anything about someone simply because they are a mason...especially these days when ALL fraternal organizations are scrambling for members.

The Kinesis Advantage has been my daily driver for several years now...I think Input Nirvana will agree that this makes me brilliant. 

[Input Nirvana]

Not a stud? Then prolly didn't hurt as much, which is good. And yes, damn funny!

There's something to be said about dedicated Advantage users....absolute brilliance could be one of them

[tp4tissue]

Not a stud? Then prolly didn't hurt as much, which is good. And yes, damn funny!

There's something to be said about dedicated Advantage users....absolute brilliance could be one of them

   egdx pwnz0rz kinesis

[Input Nirvana]

Kinesis made Ergodox

[Malphas]

Freemasons are the absolute worst.

How so?  Freemasonry is no different than Lions, Rotary, Odd Fellows, Elks, Knights of Columbus, etc. The are all simply fraternities.

Maybe it's different in the US, but in Scotland (and with Freemasonry being a fairly WASP-dominated sphere, is probably more relevant here than anywhere else) it's basically social networking club for SME owners, company directors, police officers (the masons are absolutely rife with police here), judges, local politicians etc. to get involved in skulduggery. From trivial things to traffic offences being "lost" in the system, to major things like a particular civil engineering contractor winning the contract for a government infrastructure project.

I think fraternities and clubs in general are for the weak-minded, and not something a full-grown man should get involved in, to be honest, but that aspect doesn't really bother me - if it were just adult version of a tree-house club (which it kinda is, frankly) and harmless I wouldn't care.

My great grandad was in the masons and found it pretty abhorrent. He gave two pieces of advice to my dad shortly before he died which were to "never get a tattoo" (he was covered in them) and "never join the masons". My dad actually happens to know dozens, maybe hundreds of masons, and running a successful SME himself has been basically flat-out told he should join and it would make his life a lot easier, but refuses to.

[metafour]

Was the wonderlic portion timed at something like 12 minutes?

[Findecanor]

How so?  Freemasonry is no different than Lions, Rotary, Odd Fellows, Elks, Knights of Columbus, etc. The are all simply fraternities.

In many lodges the Freemasons do charity work, and they are very smug about it. It is the smugness that ticks people off.
It is also not easy to join: you have to be recommended by another member (or was it a number of members? I can't remember), so it is indeed an exclusive club.

[tp4tissue]

Kinesis made Ergodox

Sure... A great example where the student has surpassed the master...

[Leslieann]

The old joke is the new Mensa member takes a jab at the janitor sweeping up, and gets told the janitor has a higher IQ than everyone at the meeting. Which probably rings more true than you think.

Some with high I.Q.s prefer to take menial jobs (like the janitor) rather than deal with the stresses of the type of jobs you would associate with someone of that intelligence. Also, just because you have it, doesn't make you smart in every day life. Take my families old neighbor who, while he was a gifted engineer and had an insanely high I.Q.,  could hardly remember to match his socks or take his house keys with him, we kept a spare key for him and his wife paired up his socks when doing his laundry. Others can be ditzy, dyslexic or uncoordinated, yet score incredibly high on I.Q. tests.

Remember, it's scientists who wrote the test, and you are being compare to them. If this place designed a test about keyboards, people here would be great at it compared to a goat herder in Afganistan. It's a silly measurement, which is why some scientists call it scientific racism.




By the way,
Internet based I.Q. tests are usually generous and (like many I.Q. tests) also biased, so don't count on it as being accurate (at all). Most sites earn revenue based on traffic, would you recommend it to others if you scored low?

[Input Nirvana]

I've read/been told that internet based IQ tests prolly don't have much value based on accuracy for a number of reasons. If something that may be that important it would be prolly best to have administered or sanctioned in some way.

In the past I was associated with the founders and crew of Full Tilt Poker. A massive brain trust and IQ scores. Playing poker, a game of some skill and chance. These people are completely dedicated to a crazy degree. They are mostly very educated and successful and all have oodles of money, some of it ill-gotten. Some are Mensa members, lol I mention this only because as a select group of people, it had a very peculiar dynamic. They are pretty much all self-centered and have a lot of the same issues anyone else has.

[eth0s]

lol.  Mensa.  Those dummies. 

[rowdy]

Geekhack: Founded by a Mensa member!

[Input Nirvana]

Geekhack: Founded by a Mensa member!

Kinda makes me feel dirty.

[rowdy]

Geekhack: Founded by a Mensa member!

Kinda makes me feel dirty.

Just soak for a few minutes in denture tabs should clean up fine!

[Input Nirvana]

I'm consulting with Informatica…here's an article (heh heh)

http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/interview/it-life-charles-race-informatica-128623

[TheSoulhunter]

A month or so ago, my company mandated that all employees take an IQ and personality test online...

What!? I'm surprised that something like this is even allowed O.o

[iMav]

A month or so ago, my company mandated that all employees take an IQ and personality test online...

What!? I'm surprised that something like this is even allowed O.o

It's a private sector job...

[rowdy]

A month or so ago, my company mandated that all employees take an IQ and personality test online...

What!? I'm surprised that something like this is even allowed O.o

It's a private sector job...

I wonder what the test results were used for.

[Linkbane]

I'd be curious to know if we have any members here.

I was admitted two years ago or so, I believe. I don't think I've renewed because I haven't found any time to go spend at meetings and have heard generally negative things about other members by a psychologist I used to visit.