The Mechanics of Joining

The mechanics of joining Mensa are pretty straightforward. You have to do four things:

1. demonstrate that you are in the top 2% of intelligence;
2. fill out the paperwork.
3. pay the paperwork processing fee; and
4. pay the first year's dues when you get the Offer of Membership letter in the mail.

(Some people say that there is a fifth thing to do, considering that Mensa is not a secret society: 5. allow your name, and at least the city and state of your residence, to be published in the membership roster/directory. This is very rarely an issue.)

Reinstatement of lapsed (less than a year of not paying dues) or former (more than a year of not paying dues) membership requires only the fourth thing: payment of dues. No retest! American Mensa will walk you through the very easy steps.

The First Three Things

When you want to join Mensa for the first time, there are two ways in which you can do the first three things :

• by mail; and
• in person.

By Mail ("Prior Evidence")

Go to American Mensa's list of minimum Test Scores of some of the more popular intelligence tests. Remember that you once took that test, and scored high. Dredge up the official test report (yes, go out to the garage and start digging through some very old files), and note that it shows that you scored high enough. Fill out the on-line membership Application Form, print it out, and mail it in to American Mensa (not to San Diego Mensa). Include, in the envelope, the official test report and the required test evaluation fee.

American Mensa imposes no limit on how long ago or how recently you took the prior-evidence test, nor on how many times you took that prior-evidence test. Once qualified, always qualified.

Likewise, American Mensa imposes no limit on how young or how old you were when you took the test. However:

• some tests which once measured intelligence now measure achievement or aptitude;
• some scoring systems change from time to time; and
• some scoring systems explicitly consider how old you were when you took the test.

Double check the year in which you took the test. American Mensa sure will. It is often very significant!

Maybe you took one of the less popular tests, or you don't have an official test report in your possession and need to know where to send off to get one, or you have some other question. Go to American Mensa's Prior Evidence webpage for all the answers. Their Frequently Asked Questions page is particularly helpful.

In Person ("Test")

Take the Mensa Admissions Test. You must be at least 14 years old. Practice tests are available. Mensa also offers a battery of culture-fair, non-language tests.

There are three ways to sign up for the test; use the one which is best for you:

• Send an e-mail to the Margaret Lowery , for the exact date, time, and location of the next test, and for other details (fees, ID, etc.).
• Submit your name and address to American Mensa's Testing Information webpage (but you will get referred to exactly the same Testing Coordinator here in San Diego).
• Print out, complete, and mail in the Test Request Form (which includes many of those details of date, time, place, fees, ID, etc.).

Here in San Diego, we test every month, on a Saturday morning, at varying locations. We accommodate persons with disabilities. We also accommodate persons who can't take the test at a regularly scheduled time or place.

The Fourth Thing: Dues

Whether you applied by mail or in person, you haven't joined until you have paid your dues. You will be invited to do so by an Offer of Membership letter. If you're joining in the middle of the year, you will pay full dues in advance for the first year, and reduced dues next January for the second year. No, that didn't make any sense to us, either. However, that's what the accountant said, so that's what we do.

If you're applying by mail, you have the option of including your first year's dues along with your test-evaluation fee. If you do so, and if your test and score qualify, then your mailbox will receive a membership card instead of an Offer of Membership letter. This will result in your getting the national magazine, and the local newsletter, much more quickly.