So I decided to take the MENSA acceptance test today. I must say that I was a bit nervous, and surprisingly there was quite allot of candidates attempting the entrance test. So it starts of with a Math word problem test, if I have never mentioned how I hate math word problems, let me highlight it again. I Hate them… and this test just happened to point that out again.
So how it works, is there is 2 tests, you only have to pass one of the tests to be able to get membership into MENSA, and according to the general guide, this also indicates an IQ of above 130, the exact number is not allowed to be revealed, since some complexity in some legislation results in unsuccessful candidates risking depression etc.
The first 45 minute test is a comprehension math word test to measure your ability to comprehend complex written word. it was a test out of 45 and I only scored 26, given the fact that I only completed about 65% of the questions in the given time, and then totally loosing my ability to concentrate when the exam monitor started counting down the time from a t – 5min . For some reason from that point my ability to focus was absolutely smashed, given the fact that I have(not suffer) a serious case of AD(H)D, I added the “H” in braces, cause hyperactivity is not always part of the situation. Therefor in retrospect I actually did not do bad based on what I had completed, but this is where I identified a underlying problem, which I will get to later. The requirement was that on had to score at least 40 on this test… 26…40. Oh my this had me concerned that I was gonna crash and burn.
So after the first test, we had a 15 minute break, giving the psychologist time to mark the test. I think there was only 3 people who passed the first test, but the interesting part was that the chairman of local branch of MENSA was also present at the testing, and mentioned that every test day is different, some days most people find the first test the easiest, and some days, the most people find the second test the easiest. On this day, there was a clear indication that most had found the first test not in their book of favorites.
The second 30 minute test is the more common IQ test where ones ability to recognize and identify the mathematical patterns in a bunch of shapes and identify the missing sequence. Now the interesting part of this test was that, your age had an impact on your result, as was explained by the psychologist facilitating the test. In this test, the younger you are, the higher your ability should be to identify the patterns. To put this in context, I was the oldest on this day to take the test at 34, and the youngest was a Jesus like looking guy, who was 19. For the 19 y.o, the psychologist said had to score 44 out of 45 for this, where as I had to only get 40 out of 45. this seamed a bit unfair, but who am I to judge. I was however concerned that If I did pass the second test on the margin of my age, that this little mental thought will forever be stuck in my head.
So with some serious doubt I started with the second test, and for some reason this test was just flying. at the en I had two questions which I was not sure of between two answers, but I had identified my most likely choice and after completing all the questions, returned back to these two question. Yes I know… there was almost 5 minutes left to review. I decided to stay with my initial answers and closed the book and the test ended. back outside we went for a break, and the psychologist called each candidate one by one and spoke to each individually. It seamed that all the candidates managed to have passed the test. this really made me more nervous, cause was the psychologist working from best to worse? so finally the second last person was called, all had left – cause they got there results, why would they stick around – and I was left for LAST.
So the guy before me happened to be the 19 y.o, and he returned and told me to make my way to the psychologist, and as I walked off, I could hear him say “NO.” to the chairman. This had my heart sink into my shoes an I knew this was going to be an explosive end to my ego trip. I sat down next to the psychologist and immediately, belted out my concern, and even mentioned that I suspect that the hangover I was dealing with must have been the result of my total lack of concentration and that I will come back for the next testing. To this he replies that the MENSA process requires one to wait 9 months before retaking the tests, but why would I want to retake the test if I have passed. My hart nearly exploded…
I had passed? how??? So he shows me my score and it turns out, not only did I pass, but I was the only one that day that had scored 100% on the second test. WTF???
So with this, I now have full authority to display this on my page:
