
Intelligence Testing - Mensa IQ Test
By Inderbir Kaur Sandhu, Ph.D
Q:
My daughter will be 5 on the 12th of August. She is very good in computer since the age
of 3 and very alert and advance in everything. Just this week, she read one big story book
(it is a Grade 3 story book) by herself loud and clear. Her memory is very sharp and seems
to remember every small incident. Currently she is in kindergarten one. I am planning to
send her for a mensa IQ test. Could you please advice?
A:
Your daughter is rather advanced with her abilities as you have described. She is in the
suitable age range to take the test (Mensa members' age ranges from 4 to 100). Your decision
to have your girl take the Mensa test indicates your desire for her to be a member with Mensa,
which has quite a few privileges of sharing with other members. To be a member, one must
score in the top 2 percent of the general population on an accepted standardised intelligence
test (not only the Mensa test).
As a member, your daughter will have an opportunity to meet/be in contact with other members
who are similar in terms of intellectual capacity internationally. However, you must also be
prepared if she misses out on the cut-off score which can be due to many reasons. Your being
upset may stress her. If this happens, it does not totally determine her intellectual capacity
per se. She may be talented in other areas that are not tested. If she qualifies, guide her to
take advantage of the privileges offered by the association. Therefore, guide her to try her best.
Best wishes.
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