What IQ Do You Need to Be in Mensa?

You can take a qualifying in-person test given by Mensa members. You’re able to sign up for a test directly through Mensa as long as you take it at one of their test centers. Just search on the Mensa site to find your nearest local branch and check their schedule for when they’re running the next testing session. You can choose to either wait for a group testing day where multiple people take the exam, or schedule a private test session with an administrator. It all just depends on what type of testing environment you prefer best.^[2]

• Unfortunately, you cannot qualify for Mensa using an online test you’ve taken at home.

Certain IQ and cognitive ability tests are also approved by Mensa. The Mensa site lists all of the approved tests and scores you may have already taken, so scroll through them and check if you’ve already qualified. If you’re able to use your outside test, just mail an original or notarized copy of your scores to your local Mensa Admissions office and pay the $40 USD fee. They’ll verify your scores and send you an acceptance letter if you qualify. Some common tests and qualifying scores are:^[3]

• Cognitive Abilities Test: composite score of 132
• Differential Ability Scales: GCA 132
• Otis-Gamma Test: IQ 131
• LSAT: 95 percentile ranking
• Henmon-Nelson: 132
• You can find other approved tests and their qualifying scores here: https://www.us.mensa.org/join/testscores/#qualifying-scores.
• Unfortunately, you cannot use composite ACT or SAT scores if you took them after 1989 and 1994 respectively.

Mensa tests are confidential, but the practice tests ask logic questions. Mensa doesn’t post or publish copies of their official tests, so the questions you get are different with each exam. However, practice tests and quizzes on the Mensa site ask multiple questions about choosing the next shape or number in a logical sequence.^[4]

• You can take free Mensa practice tests here: https://www.mensa.org.au/membership-information/practice-tests/practice-tests.
• You can play the Mensa IQ Challenge quiz game to get an idea of questions that might appear on the admission test. You can find the game here: https://www.mensa.org/public/mensa-iq-challenge.

A culture fair test asks about how shapes relate to one another. The culture fair test is a nonverbal option that you can choose if you aren’t fluent in English or if you don’t want to take the standard test. It tests if you can determine pattern recognition and the relationships between different figures and shapes. Simply request the culture fair test when you sign up so you’re given the right exam.^[5]

• You can only take a culture fair test if you attend a group testing session.

The test can be pretty challenging if you aren’t prepared. In order to get into Mensa, you need to answer enough questions correctly to score in the top 2% of the general population.^[6] The tests usually start with some easier questions, but they get more difficult as you get further on.^[7] The test takes around 1–2 hours to finish completely.

• Even though it may seem intimidating, taking your time with each question and double-checking your answers can help you do well.

You can buy a practice test to get an idea of your final score. Even though the practice test won’t qualify you for a membership, you can get an accurate estimation of how you’ll do on the real exam. The practice test lasts about 30 minutes and you’ll instantly see your score as soon as you finish.^[8]

• The practice test costs around $10 USD and can be found here: https://www.us.mensa.org/join/mht/.