Mensa is the high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) society that has the longest history and most members. An individual must be among the top 2% of a population as evidenced by a recognized intelligence assessment in order to be eligible for joining the society, which is governed by nearly 50 domestic divisions. Approximately 200 testing tools have been accredited by the division in the United States but the tests have to be conducted in regulated environments where no online systems are permitted. The 5th edition of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and the 4th edition of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, which are discussed in other entries of this blog, are notably two of the tests that satisfy Mensa requirements.
A high IQ is the sole eligibility criterion so diverse demographics in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, occupation and social status are treated in the same manner, hence the Latin name Mensa, which literally means a round table. The members can interact with each other on formal as well as informal occasions for the common good and for directing efforts towards promotion of intelligence on both personal and societal levels. One might be surprised by the fact that IQ can be completely independent of academic achievements; failures at schools should therefore never stop anybody from taking an IQ test. Every member can have a voice in virtually all topics but there is no need for a consensus – it is in fact barely possible to reach one given the often strong opinions.
It might be difficult to convince ordinary people that Mensa’s popularity is in part due to the relatively lenient cutoff IQ for eligibility. The Mega Society, in stark contrast to Mensa, genuinely targets the cream of the crop – the top millionth of a population with regard to intelligence – whilst only 26 individuals have been granted membership to date. The Titan Test is currently the only assessment tool accepted by the Mega Society as former test materials have been leaked for illicit purposes. In spite of the exceptionally difficult access to the society, journal articles have been irregularly issued so that the general public can have a better idea about the elites’ perspectives.
A handful of entities lie between Mensa and the Mega Society in terms of size and cutoff IQ. In theory, one in every 30,000 people is entitled to the membership of the Prometheus Society, which is named after the Greek mythical hero known for his intelligence. The journal is exclusive to the members and subscribers so it is arguably less transparent than the Mega Society’s. The Triple Nine Society is named as such since it recruits individuals who fall within the top 99.9th percentile. It encourages exchanges of information among the members by means of online platforms.