High IQ society
Encyclopedia
A high IQ society is an organization that limits its membership to people who are within a certain high percentile
of Intelligence quotient
(IQ) test results. The oldest, largest and best-known such society is Mensa International
, which was founded by Roland Berrill and Dr. Lancelot Ware
in 1946. Other early societies are Intertel
, founded by Ralph Haines in 1966; the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry
, founded by Dr. Christopher Harding in 1974; Prometheus Society
, Mega Society
, Top One Percent Society, One-in-a-Thousand Society, Epimetheus Society, and Omega Society, founded by Dr. Ronald K. Hoeflin
.
The ceiling of most standardized (validated and normed) intelligence tests is at around the 99.9th percentile. Measurements above this level need—for a credible result—a calculation, extrapolation and interpretation (including observations during the tests and sub-tests) by psychometricians experienced in high IQ testing, and at least two differently designed standardized tests (among these at least one supervised) should be performed. Measurements above 99.9th percentile are dubious as there are insufficient normative cases upon which to base a statistically justified rank-ordering. In 2010, the U.S. population's normal expectation for the number of persons with IQ over 175 (sd15) is about 90 persons.
Some notable examples, which include widely known ones, like Mensa, that will accept the results of standardized tests taken elsewhere, are listed by percentile (assuming IQ
is normally distributed with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 IQ points):
Percentile
In statistics, a percentile is the value of a variable below which a certain percent of observations fall. For example, the 20th percentile is the value below which 20 percent of the observations may be found...
of Intelligence quotient
Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
(IQ) test results. The oldest, largest and best-known such society is Mensa International
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
, which was founded by Roland Berrill and Dr. Lancelot Ware
Lancelot Ware
Lancelot Lionel Ware OBE was an English barrister, biochemist and co-founder of Mensa.Lancelot Ware's main claim to fame is co-founding Mensa, the international society for intellectually gifted people, with the Australian barrister Roland Berrill in 1946...
in 1946. Other early societies are Intertel
Intertel (group)
Intertel is a high IQ society specifically for people who test in the top one percent of IQ. Intertel believes that highly-intelligent people have special intellectual, emotional, and social needs which remain with them throughout life. Its theme is "participation and excellence" both within the...
, founded by Ralph Haines in 1966; the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry
International Society for Philosophical Enquiry
The International Society for Philosophical Enquiry is a global scientific and philosophical high IQ society founded in 1974. ISPE is dedicated to advanced enquiry, original research and original contributions. Members harness their abilities to enhance the growth and development of enlightened...
, founded by Dr. Christopher Harding in 1974; Prometheus Society
Prometheus Society
The Prometheus Society is a high IQ society, similar to Mensa International, but much more restrictive. The entry test is designed to be passable by 1 in 30,000 of the population; Mensa entry is achievable by 1 in 50...
, Mega Society
Mega Society
Founded in 1982 by Ronald K. Hoeflin to facilitate psychometric research, the Mega Society is a high IQ society open to people who have scored at the one-in-a-million level on a test of general intelligence claimed to be able to discriminate at that level...
, Top One Percent Society, One-in-a-Thousand Society, Epimetheus Society, and Omega Society, founded by Dr. Ronald K. Hoeflin
Ronald K. Hoeflin
Ronald K. Hoeflin is a philosopher by trade, creator of the Mega and Titan intelligence tests. In 1988 Hoeflin won the American Philosophical Association's Rockefeller Prize for his article, "Theories of Truth: A Comprehensive Synthesis." His article argues for the interrelated nature of seven...
.
Entry requirements
High IQ societies typically accept a variety of standardized intelligence tests.The ceiling of most standardized (validated and normed) intelligence tests is at around the 99.9th percentile. Measurements above this level need—for a credible result—a calculation, extrapolation and interpretation (including observations during the tests and sub-tests) by psychometricians experienced in high IQ testing, and at least two differently designed standardized tests (among these at least one supervised) should be performed. Measurements above 99.9th percentile are dubious as there are insufficient normative cases upon which to base a statistically justified rank-ordering. In 2010, the U.S. population's normal expectation for the number of persons with IQ over 175 (sd15) is about 90 persons.
Some societies
The entrance criteria for IQ societies varies considerably across both the kinds of tests accepted (i.e., whether the tests are either numerically, spatially, verbally, etc. slanted and are proctored or not) and how high one must score in order to acquire membership.Some notable examples, which include widely known ones, like Mensa, that will accept the results of standardized tests taken elsewhere, are listed by percentile (assuming IQ
Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
is normally distributed with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 IQ points):
- Top 2% (98th percentile; 1/50; IQ 131 sd15 / 133 sd16; +2σSigmaSigma is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, and carries the 'S' sound. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 200. When used at the end of a word, and the word is not all upper case, the final form is used, e.g...
):- Mensa InternationalMensa InternationalMensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
- Mensa International
- Top 1% (99th percentile; 1/100; IQ 135 sd15 / 137 sd16):
- IntertelIntertel (group)Intertel is a high IQ society specifically for people who test in the top one percent of IQ. Intertel believes that highly-intelligent people have special intellectual, emotional, and social needs which remain with them throughout life. Its theme is "participation and excellence" both within the...
- Intertel
- Top 0.1% (99.9th percentile; 1/1,000; IQ 146 sd15 / 149 sd16):
- International Society for Philosophical EnquiryInternational Society for Philosophical EnquiryThe International Society for Philosophical Enquiry is a global scientific and philosophical high IQ society founded in 1974. ISPE is dedicated to advanced enquiry, original research and original contributions. Members harness their abilities to enhance the growth and development of enlightened...
- One-in-a-Thousand SocietyOne-in-a-Thousand SocietyOATHS Society,,, is an international society for people who have a documented IQ score of at least 150 sd16 from standardized, professional tests of intelligence. This means that membership is open for the top 0.1% of people, percentile 99.9 along the IQ spectrum, or roughly 1 in 1,000 people...
- Triple Nine SocietyTriple Nine SocietyThe Triple Nine Society , founded in 1978, is a voluntary association of individuals who have scored at or above the 99.9th percentile on specific IQ tests under supervised conditions, which generally correlates to an IQ of 149 or greater...
- International Society for Philosophical Enquiry
- Top 0.003% (99.997th percentile; 1/30,000; IQ 160 sd15 / 164 sd16):
- Prometheus SocietyPrometheus SocietyThe Prometheus Society is a high IQ society, similar to Mensa International, but much more restrictive. The entry test is designed to be passable by 1 in 30,000 of the population; Mensa entry is achievable by 1 in 50...
- Prometheus Society
- Top 0.0001% (99.9999th percentile; 1/1,000,000; IQ 172 sd15 / 176 sd16):
- Mega SocietyMega SocietyFounded in 1982 by Ronald K. Hoeflin to facilitate psychometric research, the Mega Society is a high IQ society open to people who have scored at the one-in-a-million level on a test of general intelligence claimed to be able to discriminate at that level...
- Mega Society
See also
- Intelligence QuotientIntelligence quotientAn intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
- Levels of Measurement: Ordinal Scale
- The Bell CurveThe Bell CurveThe Bell Curve is a best-selling and controversial 1994 book by the Harvard psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and political scientist Charles Murray...
- The Mismeasure of ManThe Mismeasure of ManThe Mismeasure of Man , by Stephen Jay Gould, is a history and critique of the statistical methods and cultural motivations underlying biological determinism, the belief that “the social and economic differences between human groups — primarily races, classes, and sexes — arise from inherited,...
- PsychometricsPsychometricsPsychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personality traits, and educational measurement...