IQ, Mensa etc.

reply to post by ErtaiNaGia


lol Yeah, you're right but even though my iq is quite high, I still question whether the tests themselves catch everybody. I spent my life looking for somebody who could keep up with me and went through an unfortunate number of bright boyfriends who complained that I made their head hurt from thinking too much. (There IS a reason for my sig, lol). Took me forever but I finally found someone who could keep up. The irony? He struggled as a kid learning how to read and still isn't that good at it. Other than that, he has a very quick and able mind capable of immense mental depth and thought. Problem is, if you're not good at reading, iq tests are going to inherently penalize you for it.

Groups like MENSA--absolute pass. I was invited to be in a MENSA like group at my uni long ago. Uni really wanted me in it and I passed on that, too. I figured it would be pretty boring and filled with people who are full of themselves. Revolting really. PASS. Also, my grandpa once told me to beware think tanks and although MENSA isn't a think tank, it's still basically another collection pool of resident smarty pants to pull from that people are dumb enough to willingly sign up for and even pay dues to. Can't be that smart to pay $70 annually for something like that...Definite pass.

If you're wanting to join MENSA send me a PM with a question you may have, and I'll try to answer. What are you hoping to get out of MENSA by the way? If that is why you are posting.

By the way, if you plan on joining, you'll learn just how annoying " smart " people are. Most of the people who attend events will argue with a brick wall .. literally, even if they are wrong.

There are a few perks in being with MENSA: job opportunities ( government - education opps), being able to review new thesis papers before publishing, intelligent discussions, pizza, interesting group challenges, and pizza again. I like events, but I'm one of the those people who will argue with a brick wall.

reply to post by HomoSapiensSapiens


i did a mensa test some years ago and scored 154 and was offered mensa membership
and im as thick as two short planks at times .so i personally think they dont really give a
good account of ones intel/aptitude

and in another test i scored 126 so go figure

reply to post by maryhinge


Well, you could have an IQ of 95 and have an iq of 120 the next year. You can train your brain to work and think in certain patterns, but particularly those patterns you train. Look up IQ test booklets, start taking them and understanding the concepts behind the answers. Do this for a year, and your thought process will adapt without requiring active thought adaptation. It will recognize the patterns you train for.

At least, that is the way I understand how the brain works from what little I have actually explored in dealing with intelligence. If I remember correctly, most humans can operate at near genius levels in whatever particular ... gifts they have.

I think it's funny how every time I see an IQ or Mensa thread, the majority of responses are about the poster's own IQ - which, btw, is ALWAYS at, or near, genius level. It's as if people see the topic and immediately have to come up with something to respond, just so they could include just how intelligent they are.

I won't include my own IQ, so not to be a hypocrite. lol

Anyway, carry on.

reply to post by SourGrapes


You could have an IQ of 190 and still be as dumb as a gopher looking at a rock.

( sorry, gopher looking at a rock is a inside thing, no idea why used that instead of " as dumb as a box of rocks " )

reply to post by SourGrapes


lol very true. I saw it and had to give my $.02. However, I did avoid posting my iq (this time lol). Score for me!

IQ smyQ

Mine's 148, but I got booted from school in ninth grade. I drive a semi truck for a living.
Yesterday I left my car running for my entire shift at work...and during family functions
I have to ask my wife what the names of my nieces and nephews are....

But I can kick a crossword puzzle's ass, and spell Poughkeepsie, Albuquerque and
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Originally posted by Phage
Anyone notice a bit of...um...bitterness...in these posts.

Come on...fess up...who applied and didn't make it?
Or, possibly worse, who is a member?

I was a member until I stopped showing up and paying dues. It's really not what it's built up to be, pretty boring. Just a bunch of people talking about being better than other people. Serves no purpose in my opinion.

reply to post by SourGrapes


my response was to show how accurate or the lack of, not my genius (example)

of which im far from

also im sure that the IQ test is no longer a valid test

Originally posted by seentoomuch
Used to go to the meetings in Austin, owl on the meeting table at a beer hang-out, lots of OCD discussion, no questions allowed unless you wanted to go to the mat with a debate, not my style. I prefer my family, friends, neighbors and my hobbies which are developing better methods of organic gardening with aesthetic qualities and also live music in the home and in town, along with lots of travel off the beaten track. Most of the people I met at the meetings found it difficult to communicate, rarely traveled and were easily upset. I don't mean to put them down, they are great people with great minds and hearts but I just didn't fit in.

edit on 2/13/2013 by seentoomuch because: (no reason given)

Yeah, really boring. It was like a meeting of congress only without the stupidity that makes it interesting (not very interesting, but better than a mensa meeting anyway).

Everybody sit and listened to the debates and didn't socialize at all. They tried to use fancy dialogue to beat the opposing side instead of using substance.

It was kind of like a cock-fight without the violence, just a bunch of peacocks showing off their feathers.

They would go on and on and on about things and forget the important, small details of human nature that completely answered the questions. Everything was completely academic with no common sense used at all.

Originally posted by ADVISOR

Originally posted by JibbyJedi
There has to be a better form of measuring intelligence overall.

I agree, there should be.

So, perhaps an aptitude test, similar to the asvab, then based on the results a format of IQ test selected and refined based on cumulative results?

They do flag the GRE and send you an invitation to take the mensa exam if you score a certain level. That's how I got my invitation ... and was dumb enough to take the exam and join before they bored me to death and I dropped out.

Intelligence is steered by interest. Depending on what your interests are, you will usually do good in that direction if you really want to no matter what your IQ. Some people with average intelligence will blow away someone of higher intelligence in a certain subject they have interest in because they devote all their perception to what they have that interest in. High intelligence takes broad form realization of the world around us along with an extremely large short term memory to hash out things that you observe before entering it into long term memories. Memorizing something doesn't need comparison to present knowledge, it is like a computer that has data entered into it. Having knowledge is good if you totally understand the possible applications that the knowledge applies to.

The IQ tests are flawed because they fail to recognize the intelligence of people is reliant on interest or curiosity at the time. A person who scores average in school can gain interest later on in life and then blow their old score away. On the flip side, multiple things can happen and a persons intelligence can drop like a rock. With our present system of intelligence monitoring we fail to examine this, an extremely small stroke can cause a lot of comprehension problems and the person still possesses the credentials to show he/she is superior which is not the case.

To join an organization like MENSA you would need to possess a need to be recognized as intelligent. I thought of applying but don't have that need for recognition. Everyone wants to be appreciated for their knowledge and experience that they have but a piece of paper doesn't mean anything in reality. What group of people you personally care to please is the issue. If you come from a community of farmers than your underlying desire may be to please these people and gain recognition in the community. This may steer your life. Everyone has different desires, that makes this world interesting.

MENSA is just an organization that is looking for others of their kind to join. Just like joining a knitting group or an organization that organizes charities. Something to give you self confidence and the ability to mingle with others of similar interests. I don't understand why people would be using their membership as evidence that they are better than others, that is a sign of insecurity and a characterization of lower intelligence.

I managed a behavioral health clinic previously and the psychologists were trained to take the Mensa test. Many psychologists took and had their Mensa certificate on their office wall. Therefore, I don't believe Mensa is a good indicator of intelligence if you can game the test.

Originally posted by Phage
Anyone notice a bit of...um...bitterness...in these posts.

Come on...fess up...who applied and didn't make it?
Or, possibly worse, who is a member?

I have been in Mensa since I was about 12, not sure of actual age as it was a while ago....36 now. Had to do with the school I was in. They required IQ testing from pre-k through 6th grade. My folks thought it would be beneficial for me to be a member. I have kept up my membership dues on and off over the years mainly for resume purposes and benefits from membership....they are pretty good for discounts and random other benefits.

Originally posted by ErtaiNaGia
God, this thread is embarrassing.... people debating intelligence as if it was a meaningless concept....

"It's just a measurement!"

Yes... and so is temperature.

Yes it IS a rather meaningless concept if it is looked at as by using those stereotypical tests.

There seems to be a concept what makes intelligence (respective IQ)..and if you look at those tests you will see they are always a combination of certain sub-tests, like ability to visualize shapes, math/numbers, "logic", language and whatever other stuff there is. Who *decides* the relevancy of this?

Someone could be a genius in some other field, like a painter etc...but "fail" in math..or simply doesn't have an interest in math...does it make him "less intelligent" aka "retard" since he/she doesn't meet the requirements of those tests? While..on the other hand there might be super-"intelligent" people with an IQ of 160 in the Mensa test which are too stupid to put a nail in a wall with a hammer. YES THEY DO EXIST.

That way of measuring "intelligence" is outdated as others pointed out.

.

As others in this thread I too scored very well on their tests .. but

I had a 17 year old high school friend who scored very low practically a moron .

My first car was a clunker that ran like crap .. I was clueless ..

He listened to it for a minute and told me it was my carb ..

He then pulled it put it on his kitchen table and in an hour plus parts rebuilt it .

He re installed it .. and tuned it ...it purred like a kitten

You should have seen the upright piano he pulled from the trash and rebuilt and tuned ..

never having been exposed to one before ...true story

So who is the moron .

The tests while able to show certain socially acceptable aptitudes are grossly inefficient at revealing a persons true intelligence .

Mensa ..no thanks .

.

after 60 years of life, i have learned that it's not the intellect, but, the "passion" for which you are engaged in. when one is passionate about an activity, it is not work, but a joy to do it well, continuely. when the desire for an activity wanes and becomes rote, creativity and excellence follow.

reply to post by HomoSapiensSapiens
When I was a much younger woman I knew several people that were in MENSA. They talked me into testing and invited me to a few of their gatherings (more like house parties for dull people). The folks were all pretty nice- albeit VERY boring- but after many conversations I came to the conclusion that whilst they may have genius levels of intelligence most were extremely lacking in the common sense department (as well as in the fashion sense department). They also tended to be either Athiests or Scientologists. Even as a big nerd myself I felt uncomfortable as while they were all polite something about them felt cold. Needless to say at the end of the evening I was thrilled to make my getaway and though various members tried many times to talk me into joining and attending more functions I washed my hands of MENSA.

Since ones IQ does not determine how well one can apply that intelligence, it is a test of limited use and meaning. I have long thought that intelligence can be seperated into two vital categories. Some people possess academically viable intelligence, and are able to perform well in examinations and so on. Some others possess what I call physical intelligence, and are able to perform fantastically well in trials of not only strength, but dexterity and agility as well. Some rare people even possess both.