What IS “Mensa”, Anyway?

Sometimes referred to as the “High IQ Society”, Mensa is a worldwide organization with nearly 150,000 members in over 100 countries on every continent except Antarctica. To qualify for membership, candidates must score in the top 2% on one of around 200 approved and certified Cognitive Assessments (what were once called “IQ Tests”). For more information on the organization and on what tests can be used for qualification, follow this link: About Mensa

And what does Mensa do?

As an organization, Mensa supports programs that help foster intelligence for the good of all. We do this through Gifted Youth Programs, scholarships and encouraging research into the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence. On a personal level, we try to offer a satisfying and stimulating way for intelligent people to interact socially. That ranges all the way from conversations around the coffee table at a local cafe to huge events like the “Annual Gatherings”, with thousands of Mensa members coming together for several days of guest speakers, panels and even games!

So, What is “Smoky Mountain Mensa”?

American Mensa consists of over 140 individual Local Chapters, and Smoky Mountain Mensa is the Local Chapter for East Tennessee, from the Plateau to the far eastern stretches of the state. As you might imagine, with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and fine institutions of higher learning like the University of Tennessee in our area, there are a lot of really smart people living and working in that region. We do our very best to give every one of them an opportunity to interact with other intelligent people, professionally, educationally and socially. We meet for lunches at various local establishments around the area at least a couple of times a month and have family-friendly gatherings like our Summer Picnic and Winter Christmas Party. Because we cover such a huge geographical area, we hold monthly ZOOM meetings so some of the people who can’t attend in-person events can still participate with the group.

How Does Someone Go About Joining Mensa?

Some people have already qualified for Mensa membership and may not be aware of it! There are over 150 existing “IQ Tests” Mensa International recognizes for qualification purposes. Some of these are administered as part of placement into certain educational programs or job positions. Some are administered by professional psychologists/neuropsychologists to assess cognitive abilities. So, some people have taken these tests before for some reason besides joining Mensa, but if their score was in the top 2%, they qualify.

How Do I Go About Taking Such a Test?

There are a variety of places where professionals will administer these tests on request, but they can be rather expensive. However, Mensa has trained, validated Test Proctors and Coordinators who conduct periodic test sessions. These aren’t “Mensa Tests”; qualified and certified Mensa Proctors simply administer standardized tests provided by nationally recognized, Mensa-approved testing authorities. Tests are then sent to those authorities for scoring. Mensa is then notified whether the examinee scored high enough or not; however, we do not receive actual scores or details about how high or low the examinee’s IQ is.  The actual results can only be shared with the examinee by a licensed psychologist.

The good news is, these Mensa-sponsored tests are significantly less expensive than private testing, and at least once a year we have a “half-price” special on testing.  And, if a person takes one of these Mensa-sponsored tests and scores high enough, that person will receive automatically receive an invitation from Mensa to become a member.

NOTE: Due to age restrictions, Mensa is unable to administer these tests to individuals under the age of 14.

How Do I Know If It’s Worth My Time and Money Taking the Test?

Through the American Mensa website, for $10, you can purchase and take an on-line “Practice Test”.  Although this practice test won’t qualify you for membership, it can give you a pretty good idea of how you might score on the actual test. You can find information about purchasing the practice test her: https://www.us.mensa.org/join/mht/

Ready to Test?

Visit https://www.us.mensa.org/join/testing/ for more information.  Smoky Mountain Mensa will conduct a Testing Session in Knoxville on Saturday, March 14^th, 2026. 

For details about the March 14th Test Session, contact Smoky Mountain Mensa’s Membership Chairman, John Alexander at stude6161@gmail.com.