As well as its general aims of identifying and fosterering intelligence, for the benefit of humanity, and the encouragement of research into the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence, the society also provides means for its members to interact and communicate with each other on many levels. This creates an environment that can be both stimulating and entertaining.

The society was founded in Oxford, England, in 1946 by two barristers – Roland Berrill and Dr Lance Ware. They started testing their friends and acquaintances to see who might be eligible to join such a society – and through the friendships and associations that arose, the organisation grew over the subsequent six decades into the large network we see today.

The word "Mensa" is not an acronym, it is the Latin word for "Table". It alludes to the fact that this is a democratic "round table society", and that all members are equal. Mensa welcomes members from all walks of life, all social backgrounds, and all races and creeds.

To be eligible to join, prospective members must be capable of scoring higher than 98% of the population in one of a variety of recognised and accredited IQ tests.

For a visual appreciation of what this represents, a graph can be drawn of the spread of results obtained by the whole population, if taking any particular IQ test.

This is known as a Normal Distribution Curve and it indicates the proportion of the population who will achieve particular scores. The area under the curve (green & red) represents 100% of the population. By general convention, the average score for the population in most IQ tests is set at 100. However, the numerical spread of scores varies depending on the type and origin of the test.

This means that the top 2% of the population will score different values depending on which scale is used. This is simply the equivalent of measuring temperatures on different scales - the same temperature having different numerical values if measured using either Celsius or Farenheit. As an example, the scores above which only 2% of the population will score on a variety of popular tests is listed below:

Cattell III B - 148 Culture Fair - 132 Ravens Advanced Matrices - 135 Ravens Standard Matrices - 131 Wechsler Scales - 132

If you suspect you may be eligible, visit the How Do I Join? page, and learn how you could meet other intelligent people just like you.