A high IQ society is an organization that celebrates intelligence and welcomes an elite collective of members who have achieved a specific score in a standardized IQ test. Only those who score in the top 2% of the population in a MENSA IQ test, for example, can qualify for membership. Typically, to qualify, you must be able to answer the majority of the IQ test questions correctly and under specific test conditions. There are many high IQ societies, most notably MENSA International, each with its own criteria for membership. Practice IQ test questions can help to improve your performance and prepare you for an official entrance exam. If you are interested in applying for membership or simply evaluating your intelligence, then an IQ test can provide a good indication of where you stand.

We asked a MENSA member what originally motivated him to take the MENSA IQ test, he claimed that it was a

“combination of factors. On one hand I had always been wanting to take the step to check my IQ due to curiosity and on the other hand I wanted to see if the disparity in feedback I got at different workplaces was factual or opinion based.”

What type of IQ test questions should you expect from a MENSA IQ Test?

The MENSA IQ test is not available online, because it is supervised at the MENSA organization itself. The MENSA IQ test consists of 36 questions. Each IQ test question has eight possible answers to choose from and a 3 x 3 image grid system, where the last field in the lower right-hand corner is left empty. The candidate must find the solution by working out the pattern or the sequence of the question. Each question weighs differently depending on its difficulty level—the harder the question, the more it is worth. At the beginning, the IQ test questions are relatively simple, but they gradually become more complex and the candidate must carefully consider the answer options by examining all possible outcomes. The difficulty of the question is, for example, increased by combining images together, increasing the intensity of the patterns, or implementing more complex rotations.

The IQ test is designed to measure a candidate's logical, spatial and mathematical reasoning skills. The test also helps to identify a candidate's strengths and weaknesses by showing them how they scored in each category of testing.

“I actually enjoyed it a lot, I like challenges in general. I took one of the certified and accepted tests called RIAS IV. It measures 5 different aspects of the intelligence and hence some parts were suiting me more and others not so much. For each of these 5 intelligences there were 2 parts: linguistics, memory and so on. So, the final IQ result is balancing out the 5 regions measured in the testing exercises.”

Yes! You can improve your IQ test score by solving IQ test-type questions

“I obviously had done some IQ tests before the MENSA IQ test…”<br>

It has been proven that IQ scores can increase with regular brain training exercises such as solving IQ test type questions. Many tests provide IQ test answers alongside the test, and by figuring out where you went wrong, you can easily train your brain to start to recognize the connection between certain shapes and patterns.

Take a look at this example IQ test question. In this instance the answer is “C” because it is the only shape that doesn’t appear in either the horizontal or vertical line —and all shapes must appear at least once in each line.

The benefits of being a part of a high IQ society

“It really is beneficial to know that there are meet ups. That they are open to anyone that is interested in them. Above everything else, what I value about MENSA is their divulgation work about high capacity individuals.”

There are many reasons you might want to join a high IQ society! They:

• Provide a stimulating and intellectual environment for members

• Encourage collaboration through research

• Inspire members to exchange knowledge

• Offer support via peer groups and online forums

• Encourage members to socialize at events and attend conferences

• Bring a sense of community by staying in touch via emails and newsletters

Learning to ‘fit in’

Many members of high IQ societies report that they were either placed into accelerated learning classes as children, or the opposite; that they did not perform well at school at all!

“I was placed in the underperformers class when I was 7 to 9 years old. I was in this type of school where underperformers or “troublemakers” were put aside. Later on, in a different school, I can say I was always encouraged to do better. However, back then I was happy by having average marks at school but having a lot of social life and being outdoors all the time… I have never had any privilege due to my IQ nor have I ever felt that disclosing it would bring anything good to me.”

Scoring high in an IQ test could mean that you are highly gifted, extremely intelligent or have talent - but it could come with its own challenges as well.

“I scored high even among high IQ standards. And there are a lot of stereotypes and prejudices that come with it. It (is) bitter-sweet, I guess. It is like being tall—if you are really tall there are fewer sneakers, trousers or shirts that suit you or even are produced for people as tall as you.”

Throughout history, there were many gifted people who made important contributions to the advancement of humanity, and many of those won prizes and awards for their achievements. However, many of them were also school dropouts who struggled to fit into the molds that society had cut out for them.

While it can be challenging to be smart, there is something that nearly all gifted people have in common and that is an innovative mind that is able to think outside the box. A gifted person must be able to adapt to different circumstances, think both intellectually and creatively and be able to understand the big picture.