Is Joining MENSA Worthwhile?

[Lewdog]

So I was poking around the MENSA website, and I took the practice test because it was on sale for only $1 in January. It said that I would be in the percentile to qualify for MENSA and that I should check out what scores qualifies a person to be a member. One of the scores is the AFQT. It says a score of 98 or 99 qualifies someone, but that the ASVAB doesn't count. On my military enlistment contract it list I got a 99 on the AFQT... but I thought I took the ASVAB. I'm not really sure what the difference is, but I sent it in to MENSA as my qualifying score anyway.

So my question is, other than EverCurious who says she is a MENSA member with over a 200 IQ... is anyone else a member of MENSA and is the $70 a year membership worthwhile? Does the ability to list on a resume you are a MENSA member make a difference?

 

[Tresha91203]

No. I quit paying after 2 years. It means nothing on a resume. It turned out to be more of a novelty than anything useful.

 

[Chuz Life]

So I was poking around the MENSA website, and I took the practice test because it was on sale for only $1 in January. It said that I would be in the percentile to qualify for MENSA and that I should check out what scores qualifies a person to be a member. One of the scores is the AFQT. It says a score of 98 or 99 qualifies someone, but that the ASVAB doesn't count. On my military enlistment contract it list I got a 99 on the AFQT... but I thought I took the ASVAB. I'm not really sure what the difference is, but I sent it in to MENSA as my qualifying score anyway.

So my question is, other than EverCurious who says she is a MENSA member with over a 200 IQ... is anyone else a member of MENSA and is the $70 a year membership worthwhile? Does the ability to list on a resume you are a MENSA member make a difference?

Save your money.

They are nothing but a bunch of pedantic bloviating blowhard narcissists who can not hold a conversation about anything else besides how smart they THINK they are.

 

[westwall]

Yeah, no. The people I met in the meetings were long on patting themselves on the back but there were precious few who actually did anything interesting. I was bored out of my gourd after three meetings.

 

[Lewdog]

Yeah, no. The people I met in the meetings were long on patting themselves on the back but there were precious few who actually did anything interesting. I was bored out of my gourd after three meetings.

The group has been around quite a long time, there has to be something good about it for it to last so long right? I'm already a member of LAE which is a Law Enforcement fraternity. What groups do you think looks best on a resume? In your experience in life, is there a group that you are a member of that a recruiter looked at and thought it was important?

 

[westwall]

Yeah, no. The people I met in the meetings were long on patting themselves on the back but there were precious few who actually did anything interesting. I was bored out of my gourd after three meetings.

The group has been around quite a long time, there has to be something good about it for it to last so long right? I'm already a member of LAE which is a Law Enforcement fraternity. What groups do you think looks best on a resume? In your experience in life, is there a group that you are a member of that a recruiter looked at and thought it was important?

I am sure that some groups are beneficial. I never happened to meet them. The majority of Mensa members I have dealt with were very quick to tell me they were members but when it actually came to work they left a lot to be desired. Obviously there are exceptions but I really got the impression it was a group to meet with and talk about how great they were.

 

[there4eyeM]

Very interesting who, and how few, have answered here. Sorry not to have any personal story to contribute; never looked into it.

 

[anotherlife]

Too few answers? Okay, here is one. At college, you can meet all sorts of smart asses and manipulative asses. They have their many groups. But I think street smartness is the only real smartness. I am a math student, people call me smart, they told me to apply for Mensa too, but I was suspicious. I would say join Mensa or any of those other groups if you want to play them by their tails when you want to sell them something like a used car. The two groups that I know have power is the skull-and-bones and the Freemasons, although the latter is probably not really. If you want to play a real game of intelligence, then piece together the hidden higher layers of power structures in banking and politics, that control presidents, armies, and public sentiment.

Oh and as for a resume, carrier advisors say here that resumes are usually read by $4/hour secretaries before they make the cut, then the HR teams may read a few lines and add a % if they catch it, then the hiring managers forget it. I can imagine though that in certain specific jobs they are important, for example I think Mensa would be important if you take a job for television game show design and research.

 

[waltky]

possum thinks so.

 

[Lewdog]

I found out today that even though it says AFQT Score on my enlistment paperwork it is actually the ASVAB score and the AFQT score only qualifies a person if they took it pre-1980. I might just take the test in person to see how I do after all these years, who knows.

For those interested though, if you have an old test that would qualify you, this month they are doing a special where they wave the $40 prior test review fee, and if accepted you would just have to pay the yearly dues.

 

[depotoo]

Stories such as this kept me from joining-
Talk Nerdy to Me: My Year in Mensa | Washingtonian
don't mention your Mensa membership — Ask a Manager

So I was poking around the MENSA website, and I took the practice test because it was on sale for only $1 in January. It said that I would be in the percentile to qualify for MENSA and that I should check out what scores qualifies a person to be a member. One of the scores is the AFQT. It says a score of 98 or 99 qualifies someone, but that the ASVAB doesn't count. On my military enlistment contract it list I got a 99 on the AFQT... but I thought I took the ASVAB. I'm not really sure what the difference is, but I sent it in to MENSA as my qualifying score anyway.

So my question is, other than EverCurious who says she is a MENSA member with over a 200 IQ... is anyone else a member of MENSA and is the $70 a year membership worthwhile? Does the ability to list on a resume you are a MENSA member make a difference?

 

[Tresha91203]

Yeah, no. The people I met in the meetings were long on patting themselves on the back but there were precious few who actually did anything interesting. I was bored out of my gourd after three meetings.

The group has been around quite a long time, there has to be something good about it for it to last so long right? I'm already a member of LAE which is a Law Enforcement fraternity. What groups do you think looks best on a resume? In your experience in life, is there a group that you are a member of that a recruiter looked at and thought it was important?

Rotary

 

[Cecilie1200]

So I was poking around the MENSA website, and I took the practice test because it was on sale for only $1 in January. It said that I would be in the percentile to qualify for MENSA and that I should check out what scores qualifies a person to be a member. One of the scores is the AFQT. It says a score of 98 or 99 qualifies someone, but that the ASVAB doesn't count. On my military enlistment contract it list I got a 99 on the AFQT... but I thought I took the ASVAB. I'm not really sure what the difference is, but I sent it in to MENSA as my qualifying score anyway.

So my question is, other than EverCurious who says she is a MENSA member with over a 200 IQ... is anyone else a member of MENSA and is the $70 a year membership worthwhile? Does the ability to list on a resume you are a MENSA member make a difference?

I found it to be an entry point to discussing "I'm very smart and have an incredible learning curve" as one of my qualifications for a job, but honestly, it wasn't important enough to me to justify the membership dues. I can find other ways to introduce that, if I need.

 

[Unkotare]

You could join Menses. It only meets once a month.

 

[Toro]

I wrote the test twice when I was a teenager. One needed an IQ of 140 to be admitted.

On the first letter I received from Mensa after I wrote the test, it said I had an IQ of 138. On the second letter I received from Mensa after I wrote the test, it said I had an IQ of 138.

So I either had an IQ of 138 or Mensa had a very kind rejection form letter!

 

[Lewdog]

I wrote the test twice when I was a teenager. One needed an IQ of 140 to be admitted.

On the first letter I received from Mensa after I wrote the test, it said I had an IQ of 138. On the second letter I received from Mensa after I wrote the test, it said I had an IQ of 138.

So I either had an IQ of 138 or Mensa had a very kind rejection form letter!

Are you sure 138 wasn't part of your address?

 

[psikeyhackr]

They are nothing but a bunch of pedantic bloviating blowhard narcissists who can not hold a conversation about anything else besides how smart they THINK they are.

I joined with a friend back in the 80s because she didn't want to take their IQ test by herself. I let my membership expire after the first year, she stayed in. It is a social club for people trying to prove how smart they are to each other, but what does the organization actually accomplish? I talked to one woman about making a public reading list and she looked at me like I was crazy. There are useful books and there is lots of junk.

This is the best book on economics I know of:

The Screwing of the Average Man (1974) by David Hapgood
http://www.buildfreedom.com/tl/rape10.shtml
The screwing of the average man: David Hapgood: Amazon.com: Books

I have never heard any economist mention it. If "the smart people" in this society really wanted to spread good information fast it should not be that hard. MENSA is mostly an ego trip for MENSANs.

Your IQ score is supposed to be in the top 2% to get in which is about 133 or higher. It is a bit of a statistical delusion. What IQ test measures musical talent?

IQ Test Scores: The Basics of IQ Score Interpretation

psik

 

[Cecilie1200]

They are nothing but a bunch of pedantic bloviating blowhard narcissists who can not hold a conversation about anything else besides how smart they THINK they are.

I joined with a friend back in the 80s because she didn't want to take their IQ test by herself. I let my membership expire after the first year, she stayed in. It is a social club for people trying to prove how smart they are to each other, but what does the organization actually accomplish? I talked to one woman about making a public reading list and she looked at me like I was crazy. There are useful books and there is lots of junk.

This is the best book on economics I know of:

The Screwing of the Average Man (1974) by David Hapgood
http://www.buildfreedom.com/tl/rape10.shtml
The screwing of the average man: David Hapgood: Amazon.com: Books

I have never heard any economist mention it. If "the smart people" in this society really wanted to spread good information fast it should not be that hard. MENSA is mostly an ego trip for MENSANs.

Your IQ score is supposed to be in the top 2% to get in which is about 133 or higher. It is a bit of a statistical delusion. What IQ test measures musical talent?

IQ Test Scores: The Basics of IQ Score Interpretation

psik

I don't think they're supposed to measure musical talent. Your IQ (intelligence quotient) is basically your learning ability, how quickly you absorb and comprehend knowledge. One assumes that would be any sort of knowledge.

 

[Marion Morrison]

Not worth it. I doubt anyone here's IQ is 200.

 

[Lewdog]

Not worth it. I doubt anyone here's IQ is 200.

Talk to EverCurious.... she swears up and down she increased her IQ from 135 to over 200...