They do send out interesting stuff TK, although much of it is too high-brow for me. I like the puzzles and so forth. Some of them really are flipping difficult though. It's a bit like membership of the Institute of Advanced Motorists imo - harmless mail that occasionally drops through the letterbox.

 

Hmm, maybe I should look into joining. I've considered it in the past, but never really seen the point.

 

[whisper mode]

TK - Its for people with high IQ's

[/whisper mode]

 

LMAO

Gee fast bloke, really? I hadn't realised!

 

I always liked Private Eye's response to the Mensa snobbery - they advertised for members of Densa, where you could socialise with like-minded stupid people, and be proud of it.

 

Joined in '93 at the tender age of 29 with 156. I did the tests just to see if I was good enough. Don't get a deal out of it apart from a monthly mag with the occassional interesting bit. As Telboy says some of it is a bit high brow.

It's just one of many ways of measuring intelligence or capability.

 

My son was officially tested as 147 at age 8. He's now 11 and a right little clever git.

Just came top in entrance exam to top college.

Apparently he inherited it from me but many years of alcohol abuse have seriously eroded my score.

He got his good looks from his blonde mum and his brains from me. Thank god it wasn't the other way around.

 

177 officially proven by Mensa (took the test in Manchester).

[brag mode on]

I was asked to do the test after I got the highest 11+ mark for my year in the north west

[brag mode off]

Why join Mensa? - Unless you're middle aged and like crosswords etc I wouldn't bother. The only time it's ever come in useful for me is when I put it down on my UCAS form.

Andy.

(edit: still can't spell though! )

[Edited by andym172 - 3/26/2003 11:38:57 PM]

 

Well, I *do* enjoy crosswords and logic problems.

And I feel middle aged!

 

you'll fit in nicely then tk

Paul

 

It has been argued that a true test of intelligence has not yet been devised, either by Mensa or whoever, given that you can improve your scores on these things by practising them, much in the same way as you can get better at crosswords by practising them/getting used to the puzzler's individual style/learning more words. You haven't become more intelligent, you have just become more practised.

An IQ test should also not be a test of how much you have learnt (as in I've done lots of maths therefore I've become more intelligent ); it should be a test of how efficiently your brain processes newly perceived information.This is where the perceived bias towards First World/scientific background versus say Third World/arty background in terms of inequitable scores comes in as well.

Some people can order/sort input extremely quickly whether verbal, visual,numerical or spacial etc and some cannot do it as well. For instance, Michael Schumacher probably hasn't got a educational qualification to his name (apologies if he has..) but he is commonly described as a genius because of his ability to process phenomenal amounts of information be it from the seat of his pants, his ears or eyes etc better than most other gifted drivers.
Psychologists believe that you are born with a level of intelligence and that this level does not change across your lifetime, alowing for senility etc.. You can accumulate more knowledge and experience (which granted may make you appear more intelligent by allowing you to meet challenges more quickly than the before) but it doesn't affect your actual level of intelligence.

I guess the bottom line is that if there was a test that worked across ethnic/cultural, environmental and educational differences and we were only allowed to do it once without having seen anything like it before then it would at least be a level playing field. Howver no-one has been able to define such a test yet.

Having said all that, and having been heavily coached by my schoolteacher, I was "encouraged" to do a Mensa test in school when I was 12 (1973) and passed with 154, but I feel like I peaked too soon and have now definitely dropped to probably half of that - too many years of surfing SN perhaps

 

More like too much beer and pizza at lunch time I reckon

 

Damn, if only my brain hadn't already rotted, I'd have remembered that as well

 

What IQ do you have to have to join MENSA? I did a proper MENSA test ages ago and got 142. I seem to remember that to join you had to have an IQ of 150 or above. This still true?

 

From what I remember () you have to be in the top 4% of the population - and so there isn't a set IQ score that guarantees entry.

But I agree with Fat Boy - the IQ test is flawed.
A better test IMO is the one that was seen on Jeremy Clarkson's 'Speed' programme - the one where he has to do calculations etc while there are colours moving across the screen. I did a similair test at an RAF in the north west and found it much harder than the IQ test - still got in the top 2% of all time scores though

 

In reply to the original question...

"Only if you are an Amoeba!"

Mak (152)

 

<snigger>

 

andym172,

I done the raf test at the ripe old age of 15 and passed too

Didnt really find it that difficult tho, everything was fresh in my mind as I was about to do my exams. Mind you, if i were to do it now I would fail miserably

Loo

[Edited by Scooby_Loo - 3/29/2003 10:55:02 PM]

 

I smell lotsa BS here Einsteins!

I got 136 with MENSA but cheated as I ran out of time for the last 3 questions and just guessed - clever ehh Think they said that was top 2% at the time - that too is BS, most of my mates could have done the test, and probably better than me as I aint good at mental math!

It's all self agrandisement (big word)BS and pose and nosing about a superiority complex, but that's fine by me as kids in shops cant give you change of a £pound without using a calculator these days...

D

 

I would have to agree with Diesel. Although I have a fairly high ranking, I find it is more to do with mathmatical ability than anything else. I suppose the question boils down to 'What is intelligence' The more important question is 'Can I make myself happy' What good is an IQ of 6000 (Katana next week) if you are still sad and insecure (Katana next week)

 

Thanks fast bloke. Made me smile this morning.