Whether you just want to satisfy your curiosity or to brag about it later, these are 8 Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa, and you are free to try to answer it correctly. A bit of the self-validation won’t do you any harm if you are planning to take the real qualifying test. If not, read about this high IQ society, find out something new and exercise your brain power.
From a two-year-old who potty-trained himself, to an intelligent centenarian, from the Ivy Leagues to high school dropouts, whether they are from NYC or Kathmandu, Mensa collects them all under one and only condition: they must be geniuses or at least to have an IQ score that is in the top 2 percent of the world’s population. In the post-war era, two British intellectuals, Roland Berrill and Dr. Lancelot Lionel Ware revived this idea of an apolitical, international, interracial and non-religious society intended to gather world’s smartest in one place. Don’t let these numbers scare you. Although it sounds unachievable – to be smarter than 98% of all humans out there – really, it’s not. The world population has reached almost 7.5 billion and still counting. How much is 2% of 7.5 billion? Do the math. It’s one hundred fifty million. So, it’s not like you have to be Einstein to pass the test. You probably do have what it takes to become a member of Mensa, and so do the other 149,999,999 potential members. However, don’t get your hopes up too high, it isn’t an easy task either. To this day, there are around 134,000 Mensa members in 100 countries.
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But wait, let’s back up a little to those high school dropouts we mentioned. How were they smart enough to join Mensa, but apparently, not smart enough to finish the high school? Are they just being lazy and irresponsible, or is there something else to it? To find an answer we read various scientific studies, and one particular study, published in the Journal of Health Psychology provided us with evidence that smart people tend to be lazy. Allegedly, the amount of physical activity is directly proportional to the time one spends thinking. Meaning, the more you think – the less you move. Abstract thinking while sitting in one place is boring for ‘doers,’ while ‘thinkers’ would rather juggle big and tricky thoughts than shoot hoops. It seems that clever lazybones have their problem-solving mechanisms that enable them to figure out solutions faster than others. Hence, their focus is changing quickly; they lose interest in a bit, which consequently can lead to the lack of social interaction. After all, it’s not like your first neighbor is going to be a genius too. And, there you have it – one of Mensa’s purposes. To collect all sharp-minded and quick-witted because great minds think alike, right? However, if sportsmen are more ‘doers’ than ‘thinkers’ how to explain all those boxers, like Bobby Czyz and Henry Milligan, on the list of prominent Mensa members? Are they an exception that proves the rule? To spice things up – have you heard about Asia Carrera, a former porn star and another member of Mensa society? She was intelligent enough to use all her qualities to succeed. Of course, if you measure success with many zeros on the bank account. And, there is great Geena Davis, another A-list Mensa member, and her memorable role of Thelma. The more you think about it, the more likely is that the human mind is too abstract to be observed from the viewpoint of the science only.
So, do you think that you’re exceptionally smart as well? Moreover, do you want to become a certified genius? First, answer the questions below, and get a slight insight into what’s expecting you. Then, boost your self-confidence by taking the Mensa Workout quiz. This test score will not get you into Mensa, but it will help you to prepare better. If nothing else, you are going to be familiar with problem-solving strategies, and you will have the right approach to any task given. Not to mention avoiding the mistakes you would otherwise make by practicing. Does that mean that your test score will be better if you ‘do your homework’? Furthermore, by doing it, can you increase your IQ score? Well, considering latest trends in cognitive psychology, the answer is yes. Wait, don’t raise your eyebrows yet – this information didn’t come from thin air, PNAS published the study that claims that “fluid intelligence is trainable to a significant and meaningful degree.” Meaning, one can practice logical reasoning to become more intelligent. Also, it doesn’t hurt to improve the ‘crystallized’ intelligence as well – the capability to use and apply learned knowledge and skills. To which extent and how one will use it is, in fact, the measure of intellectual potential.
Another study focuses on the elderly population and the problem of the cognitive decline, many of them are experiencing. Supposedly, activities that require intellectual engagement prevent drastic changes in cognitive abilities. We don’t need Hercule Poirot and his ‘’little gray cells’’ to figure out that with proper training brains will stay strong and live long. Meanwhile, check out Lumosity and HAPPYneuron, grow that gray matter of yours, and take Ginko Biloba once in a while. In that way, timed tests, pattern recognition, and Raven’s matrices will not give you a headache.
And, here we are! How does one join Mensa? Whether you are submitting an IQ score from another intelligence test, you have already done, or you are taking the Mensa test, being among that 2 % is the precondition. Either way, contact the nearest Mensa office so you can obtain all necessary information. For the U.S. citizens, all needed is $40, two hours of spare time, and a high IQ. Although the test score is standardized, the test by itself is different in various countries due to multicultural diversity. Since we are talking about the world’s smartest, check out which are the 15 Countries With Highest Average IQ in the world.
To get a full insight into Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa we have taken the Mensa Workout quiz, and frankly, it wasn’t easy at all, although the results were pretty good. Also, we searched for some first-hand experiences of Mensa members on Quora and Reddit and took them into consideration as well. As for the examples of the 8 Mensa IQ test questions, anyone can answer to join it – we obtained them from websites such as 123 test. There you can find a variety of different intelligence tests that examine cognitive skills as well as verbal and non-verbal reasoning. We have chosen test questions that resemble the most to questions from Mensa Workout quiz. Write down on a piece of paper your answers to the following questions. We provided solutions on the last page, in case you want to check out how well you did it. These questions on this list of Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa are for entertainment purposes only and aren’t the accurate measure of your intelligence.
On your mark, get set, go!
8. Verbal reasoning – verbal analogies
A key concept for understanding this type of question that starts our list of Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa is to draw parallels between two relations. For example, “a woman without a man is like a fish without water” or “a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.” Or, maybe it’s the other way around? Opinions are divided. But, what is the conclusion? That some women can’t live without men and some of them would rather be devoted to teaching a fish to ride a bike than to a man? Joking aside, you got the point! By using one logical, already existing relation, we are trying to describe the other. So, try it out yourself.
butcher…………..is to……………knife
as
hairdresser……………is to……………………..?
a) scissors
b) hair
c) curls
d) blond
Source: 123test
7. Verbal reasoning – unscrambling letters
Here’s one from our list of Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa for the Scrabble geeks. What you are supposed to do is to rearrange the letters in the word or phrase given to produce a new one. Such words and phrases are called anagrams. If we rearrange let’s say ‘Clint Eastwood’ we can get ‘Old West action’. Ok, this was entirely predictable, right? Nevertheless, it’s fun. There is also another version where you get a sequence of random letters that you have to put in the correct order to form a meaningful word. Therefore, unscramble the letter sequence below.
redsini yekonm
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
6. Numerical reasoning – mathematical task
And now, a little bit of number crunching on our list of Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa. If you hate doing it, we are sorry! There is no way to avoid it if you want to join Mensa. Therefore, we had to include math in these 8 Mensa IQ test questions which one must answer to become the member. So, read it carefully, and get a correct result.
“Clock A was correct at midnight. From that moment it began to lose four minutes per hour. The clock stopped one hour ago showing clock B. What is the correct time now? The clock runs for less than 24 hours.”
Source: Daily Mail Online
5. Numerical reasoning – mathematical pattern
At first sight, it’s a bunch of numbers ‘arranged’ in line. What do they have in common? Are they arranged in a way to follow a rule? The title says it all. It’s a pattern, a sequence. It’s not necessarily Fibonacci’s sequence – with all due respect to The Da Vinci Code fans – where every next number is the sum of the previous two numbers. In fact, that’s the catch – to recognize the pattern and to figure out the missing link (number) that will complete the sequence. So, you can divide, multiply, add, and subtract, just pick the right answer. Try to answer the question number 4 on our list of Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa.
21 20 18 15 11 ?
a) 26
b) 17
c) 8
d) 6
Source: 123test
4. Non-Verbal Reasoning – Figure Reasoning Test (FRT)
Figures can be used as the ‘lingua franca’ when it comes to intelligence testing since a triangle – although it doesn’t sound identical – looks identical to the both Chilean and Japanese. The same is with different age and education levels of the respondents. This type of questions puts logical and abstract thinking to the test. With question number four on our list of Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa your verbal skills are not of great use. Usually, there is a matrix with one figure missing, and the task is to complete it with the right figure chosen between the four alternatives offered.
3. Non-verbal reasoning – Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM)
This test, number three on our list of Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa – the brainchild of John C. Raven – measures fluid intelligence; the ability to understand the complexity of the situation, to store information obtained and to consequently reproduce them. There are three different models available regarding respondent’s ability. The third option, the Advanced Progressive Matrices test (RAPM) contains 48 problems that get progressively more challenging, and it’s mostly in use for those with above-average intelligence. Similar to FRT, there is an incomplete matrix of geometric figures presented, and the task is to complete it by selecting the correct figure offered below. Although this test alone is not a ‘go-card’ for Mensa membership, this type of questions is, practice it with our example.
Source: ResearchGate
2. Spatial reasoning
We are continuing our list of Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa with this one. Picture a pyramid. Using your visual-spatial abilities only, answer the question: how many sides does it have, if the base of it is a square? What are you doing now in your head, is finding the solution by mental manipulation of a three-dimensional model of the pyramid. Are you done yet? It has five sides, four of them are triangular, and one is square. Ok, this was easy! Let’s bring in some Mensa material.
Which cube cannot be made based on the unfolded cube?
Source: 123test
1. Logical reasoning
And finally, the last one of 8 Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa! Read the following statements: “Mensa is the high IQ society. Jane is the member of Mensa, so Jane has high IQ.” If A=B and B=C, then A=C. Does this make sense? By using logical thinking, in this case, deductive logical reasoning, we have drawn a conclusion from two true premises. We moved from one to another related thought and came up with a third one that logically follows the first two. Now, we are going to avoid numerical and verbal reasoning, since we already covered them earlier, and encourage you to use pure logic and your cognitive skills to observe and recognize the rule and pattern among following pictures and therefore to chose among pictures below the correct one.
Source: 123test
Answers:
8. a
7. insider monkey
6. 8 p.m.
5. d (The last number minus 1, then the last number minus 2, then minus 3, etc.)
4. b (The figures in the first column grow in size each step to the right)
3. 3 (Rowwise – add the black parts of the first and second element to obtain the third one)
2. b 
1. b (The dots make up 2 moving shapes. The first is a horizontal line made up of 3 dots, moving one cell to the right each step. The second shape is a diagonal in the upper left corner made up of 2 dots, rotating 90 degrees each step)
7-8: You are Mensa material
5-6: You have good chances to qualify for Mensa
Below 5: Try again, it’s not your day!
So, how did it go with these Mensa IQ test questions you need to answer to join Mensa?
