Mensa IQ Levels
IQ or Intelligence Quotient is an attempt to measure intelligence. This means many things to many people but generally the attribute of intelligence refers to quickness of mental comprehension (or mental agility). Intelligence is often confused with knowledge, wisdom, memory, or other attributes and in general has a variety of meanings depending on the context in which it is used. The term IQ usually refers to the attempt to measure a person's mental agility.
There are many standard IQ tests in use around the world. On most intelligence tests, average IQ score is 100, but some tests give different numerical values to the level required for entry into Mensa, in the same way that the same temperature is expressed by different numerical values on the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales.
One way of comparing scores from different IQ tests is to convert them to a ranking, or percentile score, which tells you in which band you fit. A percentile score of 99% means that you are in the top 1%, a percentile score of 98% puts you in the top 2% and so on.
Supervised Mensa IQ Test
British Mensa uses two main tests to identify people's IQ scores, the Cattell III B and the Cattell Culture Fair III A.
A score which puts you in the top two per cent of the population on either of these papers would qualify you for membership of Mensa.
An adult can only get a maximum IQ of 161 on the Cattell III B test.
More about Supervised Mensa IQ Test >
Comparison of IQ Tests
As different IQ tests were developed, each was given its own scoring system. Therefore, an IQ of 150 is a meaningless claim unless you know the actual test which was used. In order to compare one IQ test against another, the scores are converted to 'percentiles', i.e. where a person's score falls in comparison to the rest of the population by percentage. Mensa offers membership to anyone whose IQ score places them within the top two per cent of the population, no matter which approved test was used.
A top 2% mark in any of these frequently used tests below qualifies you for entry to Mensa. The minimum test mark to get into Mensa is:
- Cattell III B - 148
- Culture Fair - 132
- Ravens Advanced Matrices - 135
- Ravens Standard Matrices - 131
- Wechsler Scales - 132
BBC Test The Nation
The BBC Test The Nation IQ quiz is not a recognised IQ test and so Mensa is unable to accept people for membership on the basis of their Test The Nation scores. However, achievement of a score of 120 or more in this IQ quiz would suggest you might like to have a go at a full Mensa IQ test.
