Frank Pape

I passed the test, but wasn’t sure whether to join with all the conflicting opinions out there. I’m really just hoping to meet some interesting people and maybe play some board games (why does everyone in my family locally hate board games?). I figure it’s worth a shot, so I’ve just paid the dues for my first year online. If it turns out to be lame, I just won’t renew!

I took the test a few weeks ago on a Saturday morning, with about 6 other people. It took about 90 minutes total.

There were actually two tests. The first was a standardized test apparently used by companies to evaluate potential employees, and the second was the “Mensa” test. Scoring in the 98th percentile on either test will qualify you for membership.

The second test started off with the reading of a story, followed by several timed sections that lasted around five minutes each. The final section asked questions about the story.

I was surprised at the poor quality of the Mensa test. The questions seemed dated and several were ambiguous. For example, one section instructs you to choose the “opposite” of a given illustration, but they really want you to choose the picture that is the most different. A fellow test-taker mentioned this at the beginning of the section, and the proctor didn’t seem to understand the issue. A little disappointing!

Neither test had particularly difficult questions, but the hard part was that you have to answer them quickly. But don’t fret too much—I only made it to the end of three sections, but I still did well enough to qualify.

I would love to become a better writer, but frequently have trouble motivating myself. So I’m setting myself up for success by taking it public (and starting with some very short stories!).

I’d love to get feedback on my project, especially once the stories start getting longer: Word Plus One