Mensa

[James]

I believe it decreases the validity of being in mensa that they take tests like the SAT and LSAT.

Those are both aptitude type tests that are easily studied for and your score can increase drastically.

I am not sure that preparing for one of those tests increases your real world aptitude.

For example: If you scored 1250 plus on the SAT between 1974 and 1994 you qualify for Mensa. If you scored 1300 plus on tests before 1974 you qualify for mensa.



But isn't that only really accurate for people that didn't do the prep courses? If you took a prep course to teach you the test, or did a lot of practice work . . how is that score a measure an accurate measure of your natural giftedness?

After the test we renormed in a politically correct way, mensa won't accept its scores anymore.

Same thing applies to the LSAT. A friend of mine scored a 173 on it . .. after two prep courses, prior to the competion of the prep work he was scoring like a 154.

He's not stupid or anything by far, but he isn't an effortless learner. He works hard for what he gets. Certainly not genius.

[kstar]

Originally posted by James
I believe it decreases the validity of being in mensa that they take tests like the SAT and LSAT.

Those are both aptitude type tests that are easily studied for and your score can increase drastically.

Actually before they reformed those tests, they were of a different format that also tested intelligence, not just aptitude. Before they had sections that were similar in structure to the Otis-Lennon Test, which is an IQ test, highly used in schools to identify their gifted students.

They stopped taking those test scores when the tests were changed.

[sugar and spice]

Also -- I've only taken one legitimate IQ test, but I would not be surprised if you could bump up your score by practicing that, too. Not to the extent that you can bump up your score on, say, the SAT, but you could still definitely raise it.

[pinkyphimu]

just from the teacher side of the fence....most schools are not using IQ tests to place children in gifted classes as they did when the majority of us on gc were school aged. the trend is to focus on one area (writing or math for example) and take children who excel in that area. some programs i have seen for children in programs that focus on writing included writing and illustrating a book (3rd graders) or putting together newspapers (4th graders). additionally, just because you were in a gifted class one year, does not automaticly qualify you to be in the next year's gifted program. the entrance requirements vary by the program and year, but few use an IQ test.