Question
Is a Mensa test an IQ test?
Short answer
Yes, in effect. Mensa admits people who score at or above the 98th percentile on an approved, supervised standardized intelligence test. Because tests use different scales, the qualifying number changes: Mensa UK quotes 148 on Cattell III B and 132 on the Culture Fair test, both the same 98th percentile.
Want your own number? The test is 25 visual puzzles, about 12 minutes, no sign-up.
What Mensa actually requires
Mensa's rule is a percentile: a score at or above the 98th percentile, the top 2%, on an approved, supervised standardized test (Mensa International). That is a statement about rank, so any intelligence test with good norms can, in principle, show it. The specific tests accepted are set by each national Mensa.
Why the qualifying score looks different
Mensa UK quotes qualifying scores of 148 on Cattell III B and 132 on the Culture Fair test, and notes that both are the 98th percentile on those scales (Mensa UK). Scales differ in their standard deviation: the Cattell scale uses 24, while modern Wechsler-type tests use 15 (Wikipedia: IQ classification). On a standard deviation 15 scale, the 98th percentile is about 131. Same rank, different printed numbers. See why IQ scores differ between tests.
Try one · Pattern Recognition
Which tile comes next?
Tap the option you think is right, or show the answer.
Show the answer
The missing tile shows a very large hatched hexagon (option 1).
How to solve it
- Compare neighboring tiles and name what changes each time.
- From tile to tile, the hexagon gets bigger.
- The fill cycles hatched, solid and outline, then starts again.
- Everything else stays the same from tile to tile.
- The last tile shows a large outlined hexagon. Apply each change once more.
- So the missing tile shows a very large hatched hexagon.
That was 1 puzzle. The full test has 25.
Supervised is the key word
An unsupervised online test, however careful, cannot confirm who took it or under what conditions, so it cannot be used for admission. IQ Octopus gives an estimated IQ for your own information. It cannot be used to apply to Mensa.
Preparing for a supervised test
If you plan to sit a supervised test, getting familiar with nonverbal formats helps you show your real ability. Matrix puzzles are a staple of nonverbal testing. Try the Mensa-style practice test or the matrix puzzle library, and read what IQ you need for Mensa for the numbers on each scale.
Sources
- About us. Mensa International. www.mensa.org/mensa/about-us
- IQ tests. British Mensa. www.mensa.org.uk/iq-tests
- IQ classification. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_classification