Wiz isnt in Mensa already?
i would have assumed his IQ was over 130 and was already in Mensa.
Wiz, why did you wait till now to take the IQ test?
As mentioned in my upcoming newsletter, I have a $100 bet that I don't meet the Mensa requirements. I choked on the memory section of the test and was not impressed with myself on others that required doing very easy tasks fast. What is sad is I think I'm generally good at taking tests, so I can't use that excuse. Plus, I have failed the 130 requirement before, but I don't know by how much.
I am not well rounded in my abilities at all. For example, I am awful at word puzzles. The average three-year-old could probably beat me at Concentration. Getting my excuses in a row for when I fail...again.
I honestly don’t think it means much, or at the most is just a small part of what makes someone “smart”. I’ve met a lot of people who purportedly high IQ yet not very functional, and some fairly successful people who I think are kinda dumb.
I would imagine IQ means more at the lower end of the spectrum. An IQ of 90 might mean difficulty learning to read, while an IQ of 50 means trouble learning to talk.
I’d also guess that returns on IQ probably diminish very quickly after 115 or so.
Quote: WizardCongratulations are making 145! I am not surprised.
As mentioned in my upcoming newsletter, I have a $100 bet that I don't meet the Mensa requirements. I choked on the memory section of the test and was not impressed with myself on others that required doing very easy tasks fast. What is sad is I think I'm generally good at taking tests, so I can't use that excuse. Plus, I have failed the 130 requirement before, but I don't know by how much.
I am not well rounded in my abilities at all. For example, I am awful at word puzzles. The average three-year-old could probably beat me at Concentration. Getting my excuses in a row for when I fail...again.
I'm not in Mensa, but I have some friends who are in. Forget about strange. Mensa has hot babes -- that's what counts!
Anyway, some advice. I took a boatload of IQ tests when I was a kid (not my choice). One was out there or, as I always say, I may be misremembering and conflating it with my best bowling average year. The others had a wide variance. Now I never practiced or took practice tests, so these were all proctored IQ tests. Literally, I had almost a 30-point variance, and that's not counting the bowling average test. My point is -- one test does not mean much, especially if you have a range of motivation and stress associated with taking the tests at different times.
So even if you sucked previously, I think pure variance will give you a shot.
The thing about being older -- I am not gonna retake an IQ test, or at least not without a lot of practice. I am terrified to find out how much my IQ has dropped over 40 years. Also, motivation is part of it. When you are young, you can muster up the laser concentration needed to care about and focus for the length of the test and pretend it means something. As you get older, amping yourself up and focusing gets tougher to pull off. I liken it to Ender's Game stuff.
Anyway, good luck, and don't fret if you fail. You can always retake and variance may get you home. The folks I hang with -- I'm low man on the IQ totem poll. I prefer it that way. If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.
I joined for a year, but after that I just went to meetings once in a while and paid the $5 charge.
And as others have said, most of the people are pretty strange. And I never experienced this, but apparently there is a lot of sex going on during annual gatherings.
Quote: redietzI'm not in Mensa, but I have some friends who are in. Forget about strange. Mensa has hot babes -- that's what counts!
Anyway, some advice. I took a boatload of IQ tests when I was a kid (not my choice). One was out there or, as I always say, I may be misremembering and conflating it with my best bowling average year. The others had a wide variance. Now I never practiced or took practice tests, so these were all proctored IQ tests. Literally, I had almost a 30-point variance, and that's not counting the bowling average test. My point is -- one test does not mean much, especially if you have a range of motivation and stress associated with taking the tests at different times.
So even if you sucked previously, I think pure variance will give you a shot.
The thing about being older -- I am not gonna retake an IQ test, or at least not without a lot of practice. I am terrified to find out how much my IQ has dropped over 40 years. Also, motivation is part of it. When you are young, you can muster up the laser concentration needed to care about and focus for the length of the test and pretend it means something. As you get older, amping yourself up and focusing gets tougher to pull off. I liken it to Ender's Game stuff.
Anyway, good luck, and don't fret if you fail. You can always retake and variance may get you home. The folks I hang with -- I'm low man on the IQ totem poll. I prefer it that way. If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.
I also was given quite a few IQ tests, through public school.
I am not sure what I scored on the first one, when I was really young. Maybe 8 years old. It must have been under 130 though as I was not placed into the “gifted program”. I don’t really remember too much about the test, only that I was confused as to why I was being pulled out of class without much explanation. I probably thought I was in trouble or something, which probably effected my performance.
All tests after that in my teenage years were in the mid-130’s.
I also think my IQ has probably gone down in the past decade or so since I was last tested. Not sure if I would bother getting tested again, how much does it cost?
I'm not sure I'd qualify for Mensa right now. I'm 62 and my memory ain't what it used to be. The idea that I was "smarter" when I was 12 kind of irks me, so I'm not looking to take any more IQ tests in my life. I hate the whole IQ test stuff and the trivia exams. Something like the spelling bees drive me up a tree. Kids should be taught how to think critically, how to reason. Not how to do well in trivia contests.
My friend took the test too. About 2 weeks later, the principal came to talk to me and said “now we know you’re not stupid...”. My friend got a talk that day about how stealing is bad.
they don't mean very much. For
instance Isaac Asimov was obviously
a genius. At one point he had over
200 books in print at once. He could
write a science book in 10 hours.
Yet he was very hard to test and get
a correct result. They finally concluded
his IQ was so far off the charts there
was no test for him. There was
nobody smart enough to write the
test. Asimov was vice president of
Mensa, but had few good things to
say about it. He considered himself
very smart in some ways and dumb
as a rock in others.
"IQ isn't everything, but it isn't nothing either." Isaac Asimov
Quote: EvenBobI've read that IQ tests are all wonky,
they don't mean very much. For
instance Isaac Asimov was obviously
a genius. At one point he had over
200 books in print at once. He could
write a science book in 10 hours.
Yet he was very hard to test and get
a correct result. They finally concluded
his IQ was so far off the charts there
was no test for him. There was
nobody smart enough to write the
test. Asimov was vice president of
Mensa, but had few good things to
say about it. He considered himself
very smart in some ways and dumb
as a rock in others.
"IQ isn't everything, but it isn't nothing either." Isaac Asimov
I've heard a number of times that emotional intelligence is more important to a person's success than intelligence.
ok Forrest. :)Quote: onenickelmiracleI was tested at 75 but my mom seduced the superintendent to get me into normal schools. She sure does care about my education.
Quote: MintyI've heard a number of times that emotional intelligence is more important to a person's success than intelligence.
Asimov was a weirdo. If his wife
was one minute late getting home,
he'd fall apart with stress and worry.
He'd have panic attacks that she
got hit by a bus or a falling piano.
He had a bad rep as a 'handsy' guy
at parties and gatherings. He was
always copping feels and stroking
the butts of women. His wife said
she had spoken to him about it
many times, and he said he tried
to control it but always failed.
That kind of stuff is frightening,
so smart yet he had no impulse
control.
It takes six machines eight hours to produce ten units. How many units can one machine make in half an hour?
My friend and I got the same answer; he got 10/96 and I got .104 — that’s correct, right?
Quote: smoothgrhIn the Wizard’s latest newsletter, he mentioned this example Mensa test question:
It takes six machines eight hours to produce ten units. How many units can one machine make in half an hour?
My friend and I got the same answer; he got 10/96 and I got .104 — that’s correct, right?
I'd just reverse engineer it, personally.
You get a total production of ten units in sixteen half hours, so first:
10/16 = 0.625
You divide that by six machines, and: .625/6 = 0.10416666667
So, we agree on that part.
Although, I don't trust it not to be a trick question with the answer actually just being zero. Perhaps they would say it's not possible to have less than one unit. For a hypothetical, if the unit is a car...how do you quantify a percentage of a car? It would also assume that all parts of the car are considered equal, which is untrue, for obvious reasons.
Also, answering the question the obvious way assumes that all six machines aren't necessary for one complete unit. As in, the machines might need to work together to produce a unit rather than separately, in which event, one machine could never make an entire unit in the first place. If the machines do work together, then they could theoretically not have uniform output rates.
So, I'm either going to say, '0,' or, 'More information needed,' unless it's multiple choice.
Quote: MintyI've heard a number of times that emotional intelligence is more important to a person's success than intelligence.
I imagine much of that chatter comes from people who didn't score as high as they anticipated they would. I took some sort of Mensa test in college and of about forty people one passed it. I and a few others were encouraged to take it again, which gave me the impression we were close. My three male cousins were all in Mensa and for two of them, that would be pretty much all they accomplished in their lives.
I had a customer in a bar I bought who was called The Professor. Everyone said he was a genius but I never quite saw it. He died a few years later and in his obit it said he graduated HS at 12, and had two PHDs by 25. While working at Bell Labs he created something in his spare time that he sold to them and retired early. It said he had written a dozen textbooks for college-level math courses. I heard his children were shocked at the size of his estate. Evidently he was pretty good at picking stocks.
Quote: billryanI imagine much of that chatter comes from people who didn't score as high as they anticipated they would. I took some sort of Mensa test in college and of about forty people one passed it. I and a few others were encouraged to take it again, which gave me the impression we were close. My three male cousins were all in Mensa and for two of them, that would be pretty much all they accomplished in their lives.
(Quote clipped, relevance)
That's basically how I feel about it. Getting into Mensa would make me no less intellectually underwhelming, or less underwhelming, in general, so I really don't see the point. I imagine that I would have a realistic probability of success, but I really don't see what being in Mensa would do for me other than being able to say that I'm in Mensa...which isn't something I'd run around advertising in the first place.
I also think it would be something of a worst house in a great neighborhood situation, in the sense that I'd probably be one of the dumbest members Mensa would have. I'd be like the third-string QB equivalent, or maybe even practice roster.
Quote: Mission146\
Although, I don't trust it not to be a trick question with the answer actually just being zero.
…
Also, answering the question the obvious way assumes that all six machines aren't necessary for one complete unit.
…
So, I'm either going to say, '0,' or, 'More information needed,' unless it's multiple choice.
I didn't consider those aspects! Even if it's not what they're getting at, that's a great change of perspective.
Quote: smoothgrhIn the Wizard’s latest newsletter, he mentioned this example Mensa test question:
It takes six machines eight hours to produce ten units. How many units can one machine make in half an hour?
My friend and I got the same answer; he got 10/96 and I got .104 — that’s correct, right?
Given my phrasing, I agree. However, I know the answer I came up with at the time was different. Let me give you some other parameters, to get to what I arrived at.
Four machines can produce 16 units in three hours.
How many units can one machine make in half an hour?
I will say that the look on the examiners face suggested I got it wrong and perhaps misunderstood the question. I really wish I could remember the exact wording.
I realize there are probably not hard scientific answers to those questions, but I am curious what people think.
And it’s mathematically amusing that you got assigned that specific value!
Quote: smoothgrhBased on the end of the Wizard’s newsletter today, I believe congratulations are in order.
And it’s mathematically amusing that you got assigned that specific value!
Link? I do not see a new newsletter
Quote:Finally, in last week’s newsletter I spoke of taking an IQ test in hopes of scoring in the top 2% and qualifying for Mensa. I am happy and pleasantly surprised to report that I made it, barely. The minimum “full scale” IQ for Mensa is 130, which is exactly what I got. I bury this at the end because I don’t like to toot my own horn, but feel I had to follow up from last week. Shortly after receiving the good news I submitted my scores to Mensa and am awaiting to hear back. I look forward to participating at their in-person events as soon as it’s safe.
Quote: WizardI wrote about something else, but added the following at the end.
Congratulations!
Quote: gamerfreakCongratulations!
Thank you!
Just remember, to paraphrase Groucho, you should never join a club that would have you as a member...unless there are hot babes.
Quote: WizardForgive me for tooting my own horn, but my application was approved!
Are you going to buy the ring?
Quote: redietzJust remember, to paraphrase Groucho, you should never join a club that would have you as a member...unless there are hot babes.
How original! See my Jul 14 post. :-)
Quote: Wizard...
Congratulations!
Quote: ChesterDogCongratulations!
Thank you!
Quote: WizardThank you!
I took an IQ test once. I was at the top of the bell curve, with all the smart people.
I've often been asked to be a member of "Best Doctors in America" which I think is really "pay us and we will put your name on this list".
Quote: SOOPOO
I've often been asked to be a member of "Best Doctors in America" which I think is really "pay us and we will put your name on this list".
I have seen those in the airline magazines and I always assumed they were just paid advertisements. Also the airline magazines always have the "10 Best Steakhouses" and it seems also like a paid advertisement.
Congratulations! Now if you could only get yourself into the unicycle Hall of Fame you'll have conquered your world.Quote: WizardForgive me for tooting my own horn, but my application was approved!
Perhaps you can just find solace in the fact that less than 1% of population has even learned how to ride a unicycle and probably .1% of those people can actually juggle while doing so.
On a related note: A local sports talk radio host recently died, and his obit (a full-page in the newspaper)—obviously written by him—claims that he was a member of Mensa by virtue of his “high SAT score.”
