Mensa is, according to their website, has 110,000 members and is “the high IQ society” that “provides a forum for intellectual exchange among its members. There are members in more than 100 countries around the world.”
Ok, that doesn’t sound like more than a bunch of people grabbing coffee talking politics.
However, it’s more than that, and Mensa is not for everyone:
“Membership of Mensa is open to persons who have attained a score within the upper two percent of the general population on an approved intelligence test that has been properly administered and supervised.”
Are you in this 2 percent?
You can find out this week.
On Wednesday at the Sheraton Boston Hampton Room, and on Saturday at the Sheraton Boston Constitution Room, American Mensa Admission Test Proctors will administer the Mensa test for $25.
It is a two hour test and if you end up in the 98th percentile, YOU will get that Mensa invite you’ve been waiting for.
Though the Mensa conference is only for those with a Mensa membership number, the general public can join in on the annual Colloquium on July 1 called Crime Scene Intelligence. Colloquium “provides Mensans and the public alike with the opportunity to gather with industry experts, noted authors and scientists to take an intense look at socially relevant topics.”
There are a few other highlights for the “AG,” or Annual Gathering as they like to call it.
– Mensa Marketplace
: a forum where Mensans can purchase DIY items from fellow Mensans.
– Spark!
: structured programming for Mensans’s children by age group, so that their parents can attend events.
– Colored dots on badges
: Apparently a green dot sticker means you want a hug, a yellow dot means ask first, and a red dot means no hugs please. “Mensans are very respectful of hug dots.”
This year’s keynote speaker is Bob Ryan, a Boston Globe sports columnist and ESPN analyst.
Take an online Mensa Workout quiz here.
Megan Turchi can be reached at megan.turchi@globe.com. Follow her @meganturchi
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