What is Mensa?
- Mensa is an international society in which the sole qualification for membership is a score at or above the 98th percentile on any of a number of standardized intelligence tests. Visit our Mensa Membership page if you would like information about joining American Mensa.
- Mensa is a not-for-profit organization whose main purpose is to serve as a means of communication and assembly for its members. Mensa has no opinions - although its members usually do!
- Mensa is registered at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as the collective mark of an international membership organization.
But what is Mensa REALLY?
To many members, Mensa is much more than just an organization. It is family, with all that word implies.
Mensa Benefits
Why do people join Mensa? For a wide variety of reasons, of course, but here are some aspects for you to consider:
- Social activities - this is a huge draw for many Mensans. From Regional Gatherings to Games Nights to Culture Quest competitions, Mensans enjoy playing!
- Special Interest Groups (AKA SIGs - and yes, Mensans love TLAs, that is, Three Letter Acronyms!) SIGs are groups formed at the national level around a topic of interest to members, with there being really no limit on the interest. Current SIGs (of which there are over 140) include: Ancient Cryptography, Animal Law, Fantasy Sports, Gardening and Philosophy - to name just a few! The complete listing can be found here. Some SIGs are open to non-Mensans and/or international Mensans.
- American Mensa, Ltd. publishes the Mensa Bulletin which has a Mensa International Journal section. Subscription is included with American Mensa membership.
- The Mensa Education and Research Foundation (M.E.R.F.) is also associated with Mensa. Its purpose is to foster research into areas concerned with learning and intelligence. M.E.R.F. publishes a journal, the the Mensa Research Journal, 3 times a year. Subscription is $21.00 (US) per year.