A long time ago, MENSA used the SAT as an entrance criteria. They've since stopped when, in the late 80s or early 90s, ETS changed the test.

ETS claimed that the changes made the test more fair to some certain subgroups of test-takers. They make the same claims with this most recent round of changes.

If this were so, why would MENSA have dropped it as an eligibility criteria?

Now, honestly, I find it hard to claim how good one's brains are based on one taking of one kind test. I'd much prefer seeing a person's performance on that test, or, preferably, on several different types of test, over many takings at many times. That would eliminate the statistical fluke and establish a broadly-based pattern of intelligence.

But since I last looked at the criteria, I guess that MENSA hasn't been smart (or wise, which could conceivably be called different) enough for that. :)

THAT'S why I didn't join. Their criteria are (were) too broad, and for an elitist group who prides themselves on brains, it was dumb. Besides, enough of the MENSAns I've met seem to be either really socially inept/awkward or just plain unlikeable. I just didn't like the crowd.

Funny Note: LJ's spell check flagged MENSAns and provides these as alternatives (not the full list): Manson's, Menses, Mesons, Monsoons, Minoans, Kansans, Mundanes, Ensigns, Mensch's, Mansards(!), Mansions, Meniscus, Mensches, Minivans

Further note: Failure to use a spell check (when available) may be grounds for DISqualification from MENSA, and may even fall to the level of gene pool chlorination (see previous replies).

One good thing I can say for Mensa: it was a real boost to me when I was an ostracized-for-being-too-smart 15-year-old in a small town. It gave me my first opportunity to hang out with people who would treat me decently. Mind, sometime during college I drifted away, but for those few years I was really glad there was a group I could spend time with, elitist or no. (And how elitist can something that accepts 1 in 50 really be anyway? If that's their goal, they're not doing a good job.)

We'd had mandatory IQ testing in junior high school, so I used that test to enter.

I was put in the "gifted" program after IQ testing, But I don't remember if that was in 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade. I do remember entering something called the "IEP Program" that began around the same time, but I can't recall exactly when, or what it stands for.

Thankfully, I wasn't ostracized (much). The funky demographics of my suburban Philly town generated a number of bright kids. I used to think it was the water because it seemed so normal to me that so many kids were "gifted" or in Honors or AP classes.

I didn't realize how sheltered my life was before I went to college and learned how unusual my town really was. Over 80% of those over 25 had an undergraduate degree, and over 50% had a masters or other post-undergrad degree, and a whopping 30% had an MD, JD, or PhD!

This makes some serious differences in a town of 15,000 or so (when I graduated) with only one school for each grade grouping (K-2, 3-4, 5-8, 9-12 when I started and K-3, 4-8, 9-12 now). Since so many people had advanced degrees, they generally had well-paying jobs. This translates into a higher tax base and, because, they could afford more expensive houses, more property tax revenue. This, in turn, translates directly into better funded schools. Good schools and expensive houses gain the attention of other people with lots of education and bigger paychecks, and tends to cause attrition among those who have trouble paying the taxes, so the cycle continues until some other factor gets large enough to intervene.

Side Note: To find the current school info, I went to the School District's Website and poked around. I found that the K-3 chess team(!) is this year's State Champion! (Go Little Lions! :)) Even though there have been some big changes since I graduated, some things appear to still be the same.

I seem to recall qualifying for MENSA on several grounds, and deciding that any group that thought I was qualified was probably not one I'd want to be part of :-) (But really, the LSAT and the GREs that I took were very similar to one another, to the point that there was one question that was the same on both tests (I took GRE on Sunday and LSAT on the next day))

I seem to recall qualifying for MENSA on several grounds, and deciding that any group that thought I was qualified was probably not one I'd want to be part of :-) (But really, the LSAT and the GREs that I took were very similar to one another, to the point that there was one question that was the same on both tests (I took GRE on Sunday and LSAT on the next day))