Why join South Texas Mensa?
Members join for different reasons. Some like the social aspect of the organization, which includes everything from local game nights to the Annual Gathering. Others enjoy intellectual events such as speaker meetings, Colloquiums or CultureQuest®.

Whether in person or online, Mensa offers intellectually gifted people a place to share their ideas. More than 150 Special Interest Groups allow members to pursue their interests — from astronomy to quilting — with other Mensans.

Many members enjoy the opportunity to serve their communities through our service programs. Mensan volunteers also work with the Mensa Education & Research Foundation to award scholarships to more than 150 college students each year.

Members have access to special member benefits that include discounts on travel and financial products and American Mensa's magazine, the Mensa Bulletin.

Each new member of Mensa adds something new and special to the organization. We invite you to pursue membership today.

Joining Mensa is a simple process, use a previous test score for entry or take the admission test. Detailed information on joining American Mensa, testing procedures, and any restrictions can be found on the Join Mensa pages of American Mensa. Locally, we have these steps for you:


GENERAL INFORMATION - MENSA TESTS
(email our Testing Coordinator at testing@southtexas.us.mensa.org)

STM administers the Mensa admissions tests in five cities: Corpus Christi, Harlingen, McAllen, Kerrville, and San Antonio. (currently only San Antonio) The specific dates for our tests depend on availability of both the space and the proctor. If we have your email address, our proctor will send you the exact dates for our scheduled tests, when they become firm (and usually a reminder). Alternatively, you might want to use scores you made on other tests to qualify. Please read the paragraph below which begins with "What If:" for more information on this.

Reservations are needed, and made with me at the above email address or by phone to (210) 637-6161, as are confirmations of your being able to attend, done the Thursday or Friday before the test. Please send or call me with any questions you might have. Hope you can take one of the tests, and do know that we mean what we say: We want you in Mensa, and want to work with you to make it so.

  • Remember, reservations are essential, as that's how we know which proctors to schedule and when.
  • You may live in the South Texas Mensa area but go to school elsewhere. We can usually help you be tested by, or perhaps even join, the local group wherever you are.

Two chances: Our usual test is in fact two tests, the Mensa Admission Test and the Wonderlic, given with a short break between them. A score at or above the 98th percentile on either of them will qualify you for Mensa membership. You can take either of these tests only once. If you did not pass one of them but did not take the other, you can take that other test at a regular test session, but please let us know in advance.

NON-ENGLISH TESTS
Spanish language test: We can administer a two-part Mensa qualification test set, one of which, the Wonderlic, is in Spanish. The English-language test given in this test session is the regular Mensa Admission Test, and the Wonderlic is similar to the English-language one so taking this test set is not an alternative if you took and did not achieve a 98th percentile score on the regular Mensa Admission Test battery. Passing the Spanish part will qualify you for Mensa membership. Not all the proctors speak Spanish, a requirement for giving the test, so please contact our Testing Coordinator if you want to take such a test. As an interesting point, South Texas is the first local Mensa group in the country to offer the test in Spanish.

Non-language tests: If you feel that a standard test might be unsuitable for you, or if your main language is not English, you may request our three-part non-language battery of tests, also called the Culture Fair series, which will be given at a separate test session. To arrange for this set of tests, please contact us to schedule a specific date and time for them. As with our two-part test, passing any part will qualify you for Mensa. Despite the title, the brief instructions for each of these three tests are written in English.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST AND WHAT SHOULD I BRING?

  • Cost: $60 for either test set. You need a $60 check or money order payable to American Mensa, or a MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express credit card. Please do not plan to pay with cash, since we can not mail cash to American Mensa.
  • Identification: A photo ID is required, but for those who do not yet have one, birth certificates or passports are quite acceptable.
  • Under 18 years old: A special Testing Consent Form must be signed by your parent and brought to the test. If you are under 18 please let our Testing Coordinator know so that he or she can send you one of the forms.
  • Under 14 years old: We cannot administer the Mensa tests to prospective members under 14, but such prospects are eligible for membership. Qualification is accomplished by achieving acceptable results on any one of a large number of tests. Please see the American Mensa website or contact our Testing Coordinator for more information. The general procedure for qualifying an under-14 applicant is very similar to that in "Other Ways" below.

RESULTS
You should receive your results within two to three weeks after that, by regular mail or at your option, by email. American Mensa will send you the raw score that you achieved on the tests, and whether you qualify for Mensa membership. You will also receive information on how you can interpret your scores.

  • What if: A small number of those who take the test do not "pass", and you can take each test series only once. We want you in Mensa, so if this happens to you, let's work together to try to get you in.
  • One solution: You can take our non-language test series, discussed above, for an additional $40, and if you “pass” one of the three non-language tests in this series, you are qualified for Mensa admission.
  • Other ways: Look at the American Mensa website, www.us.mensa.org, and link through the tab "Qualify for Mensa" to "Submit Test Scores", in fine print on the top left side of the "Qualify..." page. The process is described there, and has two links-the "Qualifying Test Scores" page lists many of the acceptable tests, and there are others shown in the linked pages. If you have done well on one of listed tests, follow the procedures described there; if not, but you did well on another IQ-type test, call or email our Testing Coordinator and we will try to find out if the test, the date you took it, and your score are acceptable. We'll need that information in order to check for you. If you have not taken such a test, you can take one and hopefully make a score that will qualify you for membership.

FUZZINESS
One thing remains fuzzy about submitting other test results: Your score must be on an official document of some type, and that can be a problem. For some tests, you have to submit a report signed by the administering psychologist, but where the test is graded by the proponent company, the publisher of the test, that company, will also have your results, and can provide them directly to you. It depends. Contact us.

Good luck on the test and we look forward to meeting you!




Have prior evidence of testing?
Prospective members can apply by submitting evidence of scores from prior intelligence testing. This includes various tests administered school districts, colleges, military, and private psychologists.
Detailed information can be found on American Mensa's web site to first see if your test is accepted, and then submit an application to join.

Ready to take the Mensa Admission Test?
If you do not have evidence of prior testing, and are age 14 and older, you can take a supervised, standardized test in your South Texas area with one of our certified member volunteers. To speed the process, use the link below for the most current contact information with South Texas Mensa's Testing Coordinator.

If you live in South Texas and are looking for a local proctor, follow this link. A proctor in your area will respond to your request as quickly as possible to let you know the dates and times of the next testing session in your area. Most commonly, tests are held in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Harlingen, and McAllen. A test is scheduled in San Antonio every month.

Please note that a nominal testing fee payable by check or credit card is due on site at the time of the test. You should expect to stay approximately 2 1/2 hours for the test.