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 List compiled and maintained by Bill Bultas. This is not a complete list. Contact me if you would like to have your group added to this page, or would like to add to or detract from what I have written here. To receive periodic announcements of new materials added to this site, send a blank e-mail to iqsocieties-sub@puzz.biglist.com and then click the link in the confirmation e-mail you receive. To jump to specific topics on this page, use the Navigation feature on the sidebar. News, Articles, Interviews, Documentaries & More: Chris Langan ("Smartest Man in America") wins $250,000.00 on 1 vs. 100 game show - The show aired on 1/25/08. Vain Validation Interactivity Index of Prominent Personalities (VVIIPP) - This highly unusual (and humorous) test measures interactivity among members of the high IQ community. The test cannot be scored without all 42 answers. There is a reward for completing the test. Meet the Smartest Man in America - To my surprise, this aired on my local news on 11/15/06. This news item focuses on Chris Langan, who at the time of the report lived on a farm in Missouri (and now evidently lives in Montana). Chris has been involved with a number of the high IQ societies (sometimes in a highly controversial capacity). Chris is well known for his Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe (CTMU).
Interviews with Rick Rosner and Chris Langan in Errol Morris' "First Person" - Disc 3 contains the interviews "One in a Million Trillion", which is the story of Rick Rosner, and "The Smartest Man in the World", an interview with Chris Langan. These 2 individuals are current and former (respectively) members of the Mega Society, with Rosner being the first and only person to achieve a perfect score on the extremely difficult Titan Test. While very interesting, both interviews also reveal the worst of what many people believe they'll find in the high IQ societies.
Village Voice article about High IQ Societies - Article focuses on Ron Hoeflin, a name you'll find mentioned several times below.
7/11/06 interview with International High IQ Society President Nathan Haselbauer by Forbes Magazine - Note that the contest discussed in the interview ended 10/31/06, but the interview may still be of interest.Back to top Societies & groups with no specific test requirements: The Smart Life - A social networking membership site created by a Mensan. "The world needs a place for us smarties to get to know each other, and to share our smart lore; the best websites, books, music, movies, TV, games, places, food & drink. For members of Mensa and invited friends only, 18+ years old. Please join us!" Ancient Cryptography Group - This is a Mensa SIG (Special Interest Group) that is totally free and of course 100% online. You do not have to be a member of Mensa to join. However, at the request of the group's administrator, I provide a brain teaser that you need to answer in order to find the actual link for the group. VINCI - "VINCI is a fun and friendly online group for anyone with an interest in creating and solving novel and unusual puzzles as well as a passion for creativity in general. Founded in the spring of 2003 it has blossomed into a community of over 200 members from all over the globe." Please note that Vinci is NOT a high IQ society. National Puzzlers' League - Recommended for SERIOUS word puzzle enthusiasts. Not an IQ society, but most if not all League members surely would qualify as "high IQ". This is an inexpensive and excellent group for word puzzle fans (cryptic crosswords, cryptograms, anagrams and much more). The NPL has excellent online features, including puzzle solving tools, a print newsletter (The Enigma) with puzzles and answers, and regular gatherings. "The NPL was founded in 1883, and is the oldest surviving organization of puzzle enthusiasts in the world." Science Fiction and Fantasy SIG - The Science Fiction and Fantasy SIG (Special Interest Group) of American Mensa has been in existence since 1976. The group's publication is the InterdiMensional Journal, which costs $10.00 for 8 issues ($16.00 in US funds if you are outside of the USA). Mensa membership is not required to subscribe to the Journal or participate in the SIG.
The InterdiMensional Journal is loaded with book, movie, and television reviews, artwork, poems, and short stories. It's just a lot of fun, and you really can't beat the price. Acephalic Swine & Stupid Parrots - Satire/parody-oriented free e-mail discussion list maintained by Richard May, who is an active member of the Mega Society and other groups. You must be age 21 or over to join this group. As with the Ancient Cryptography Group, I have created a brain teaser that you must solve in order to get to the group's main page. The list is extremely active, with 5469 messages in 1/08 as an example. I am told that somewhat anti-semitic remarks are occasionally made in this forum, unfortunately. International Lewis M. Terman High-IQ Society - The International Lewis M. Terman High-IQ Society encompasses four high IQ Societies founded by Ronald K. Hoeflin, Ph.D.: Top One Percent Society (99%ile), One-in-a-Thousand Society (99.9%ile), Epimetheus Society (99.997%ile) and Omega Society (99.9999%ile). See below for individual listings for each of these groups. While each group has its own e-mail discussion list, ILMTHIS has a separate list that is open to any member of these four high IQ societies. NOTE: You cannot join the International Lewis M. Terman High-IQ Society without joining one or more of these other 4 societies, and if you join one or more of the 4 societies, you are automatically a member of ILMTHIS.Back to top 95th Percentile (1 person in 20): International High IQ Society - Recommended especially for online interaction. Entirely online, except that they have one or more gatherings each year. If you join, you are automatically a life member, which is nice. The message boards and chat rooms are good places to communicate with other members on a variety of topics. There are regular tournaments and other competitions that you can take part in. An excellent and inexpensive place to enter the high IQ world, and a decent stopping point if it fully meets your needs. Note that over half of the membership is from outside of the US (mostly Europe), so expect the political and cultural tone to reflect this.Back to top 98th Percentile (1 person in 50): Mensa - Recommended especially for offline interaction, and for its excellent monthly magazine. Each country has its own branch of Mensa (for example, I am a member of American Mensa). Membership entitles you to both a monthly newsletter from your local group (MSLaneous, the newsletter for Saint Louis Area Mensa, in my case), as well as one from your national group (the Mensa Bulletin, if you are in the US, which is very good). The best part about Mensa is the regular gatherings and meetings on the local, regional (RGs, or Regional Gatherings), and national (AGs, or Annual Gatherings) levels. You can also attend gatherings in other countries! Many local groups have several meetings each month (19 this month in my area for the newsletter I'm currently looking at), covering a wide range of topics. Most meetings are just an excuse for bright and fun people to get together for dinner somewhere. Mensa offers single and multi-year memberships, and Life Memberships (I have been a Lifer for several years now, and have been in Mensa for over 10 years). Mensa was founded in 1946, and is the oldest functioning high IQ society. Mensa has over 50,000 members in the US, and around 100,000 worldwide. See my review of American Mensa's CultureQuest®-ion of the Day (Mensa membership is NOT required to subscribe to the CultureQuest®-ion of the Day). Only scores from supervised tests are accepted for purposes of joining Mensa. Mysterium Fellowship - "Mysterium is beyond outer space, inner space, and cyberspace. Mysterium is a nurturing, stimulating, and inspiring "growth link" to human creativity, ingenuity, and originality that is ungirded by experience and productivity. - Greg A. Grove, Ph.D., Psy.D. (Founder)". Those interested must pass the online Mysterium Entrance Exam 4 which is free, and the results are confidential.Back to top 99th Percentile (1 person in 100): Intertel - Recommended for libertarians and conservatives who enjoy discussions which are politically biased in their favor. Founded in 1966 by Ralph Haines, Intertel is the 2nd oldest functioning high IQ society. Its history through 1988 is contained in the book The One Percent Solution, which Intertel sells (but not through their web site at present). Per current Intertel President Kort Patterson, "authoritarian" approaches to leadership in the early days of Intertel (detailed in The One Percent Solution) "literally destroyed" the organization and produced the current Intertel which has more of a laissez-faire mentality. Intertel is broken up into 8 regions (including 1 International/non-US region), and has a number of elected officers, including a President. Intertel's journal Integra I found to be quite good, and a number of interesting people are in this approximately 1,000 member organization. Intertel has an annual gathering (AGA), and some regions have occasional gatherings. Top1, Intertel's e-mail forum has approximately 100 subscribers and is extremely active. It is dominated by libertarians and conservatives, with these folks rarely having to defend their arguments and those without these views routinely being subjected to a fair amount of bullying if they ever speak up (which is understandably rare). In keeping with libertarian philosophy there are no speech restrictions on Top1, so expect to see some level of nastiness and occasional profanity, at times in the form of insults. Any potential that Top1 might have is undermined substantially by consistent childish behavior. When I indicated to a few Ilians (Intertel members) that I was resigning from Intertel one response was "I have to admit to understanding how you feel, I have only read TOP1 a few times myself, and to be honest it turns my stomach. It is a shame that grown people must resort to intellectual bullying to feel validation in themselves. I got to listen to a couple of them in person at an AGA and to be honest I am not sure I am not going to join you in resigning." I have received similar statements from other current and former Ilians. Having said this, Intertel has many loyal followers who seem to get a lot out of Top1, some suggesting that Top1 is a place to vent their frustrations with media and institutions which they effectively feel bully them. Only scores from supervised tests are accepted for purposes of joining Intertel. Top One Percent Society - Recommended for its e-mail discussion list. Founded in 1989 by Dr. Ronald K. Hoeflin, TOPS started out as a print journal (In-Genius) with aspirations of having regular meetings. This did not happen. However, in recent years TOPS has created a Yahoo Group, with a fairly active e-mail discussion list. While you must pay to receive Termite (Ron Hoeflin's journal for the International Lewis M. Terman High-IQ Society, which is an umbrella organization for TOPS and 3 other Hoeflin groups), you do not have to be an active subscriber to Termite to be a member of TOPS. So, you could join TOPS, which only costs $10 (a one-time fee), and remain a subscriber to the discussion list indefinitely, without paying any other fees. The Yahoo Group shows that there are 104 active Tops group members, but not all group members actually receive the e-mails. Yahoo Groups allow you to modify your subscription status without canceling your membership, which is very nice. Mind Society - Recommended for its e-mail discussion list. "The Mind Society (TMS) is a worldwide High IQ Society open to qualified individuals at the 99th percentile in intelligence. The only purpose of the Society is to gather people for friendly exchange." Founded by Hernan R. Chang, M.D., who is also involved with a number of other groups. There are no fees whatsoever. Application must include a brief personal statement. This society has a focus on civil conduct and apolitical discussions, which is a breath of fresh air to many, but may be somewhat stifling for others. Many members ("Minders") share poetry, music, and stories, so there is also a focus on creativity and member feedback.Back to top 99.5th Percentile (1 person in 200): Poetic Genius Society - There are two membership qualifications for PGS candidates. You must score at or above the 99.5 percentile on any of the tests listed on the site, and your poetry must, at some point in the past, have been published for public consumption. This would include anything from a newspaper to a book of poems to a high school poetry magazine. In some cases, PGS will review the work of candidates who have not yet been published and consider their poetry for publication in Apotheosis. If such an allowance is made, it will meet this membership requirement.
Colloquy - "Colloquy is, to the best of our knowledge, the first high-IQ society based entirely on the Internet. It is created as a forum for the collegial sharing of thoughts, experiences, and creative expression among people of superior intelligence." To join, you must score at or above the 99.5 percentile on any of the tests listed on the site. Only scores from supervised tests are accepted for purposes of joining Colloquy.
Cerebrals Society - 99.7th Percentile (1 person in 333). Cerebrals Society is an international society for people who have a documented IQ score of at least 144 sd16 from standardized, professional tests of intelligence only. Cerebrals was founded in December 1999 by Xavier Jouve who holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology. Over time the society has evolved into a growing organization which keeps providing its members with intellectual peerage and a chance to meet across distances thus reducing the sense of isolation (not at all physical) often present in varying degrees in highly gifted people. There are 222 members as of Sept. 2007. Cerebrals Society is featured on the Beautiful Mind web site in the Genius Resources section. Only scores from supervised tests are accepted for purposes of joining the Cerebrals Society.
Neurocubo - A 99.8th percentile (1 person in 500) society for Spanish-speaking individuals. Co-founder Paul Laurent Miranda, who resides in Spain, is the author of the axis Z visual-spatial test, which is currently scored free of charge, as well as the Symbolic Test, the latter of which is also free, but requires some knowledge of chess, and Plane&Space&Numbers (PSN) (also free), which requires "elementary knowledge of geometry and algebra". Artifex Mens Congregatio ( Artistic Minds Society ) - "The Artifex Mens Congregatio ( Artistic Minds Society ) was founded by Robert Mestre, Walter VanHuissteden and Fivos Drymiotis in an effort to create a forum bringing together in friendship and community artistic individuals from all over the globe. We would like to attract members interested in philosophy, science, poetry, art and puzzle design. There is no fee to join the society. To become a member you must have a score at or above the 99.87 % (IQ 145 SD 15, 148 SD 16 or 172 SD 24), on at least one of our accepted tests."Back to top 99.9th Percentile (1 person in 1,000): ISPE (International Society for Philosophical Enquiry) - Recommended for "high achievement" individuals. Also, I am told that their journal, Telicom, is outstanding. Founded in 1974, the ISPE (originally known as "The Thousand" since the 99.9th percentile is the one-in-a-thousand level) is the 3rd oldest functioning high IQ society. People who join the ISPE enter as "Associate Members" and "qualify for advancement to Member upon demonstrating commitment to the Society's goals via personal achievement and contributions to society". There are several other ranks one can advance to beyond Member. This is very different from Mensa (Mensa means "table" in Latin, suggesting a round table society where all members are of equal standing) and most other societies. With the exception of the ISPE's own unsupervised test, only scores from supervised tests are accepted for purposes of joining the ISPE. Triple Nine Society - Founded in 1979, the Triple Nine Society (or TNS) is the 4th oldest functioning high IQ society. With the exception of a few tests that are only accepted if they were taken before 1995, only scores from supervised tests are accepted for purposes of joining Triple Nine. One-in-a-Thousand Society - Recommended for its e-mail discussion list. Founded in 1992 by Dr. Ronald K. Hoeflin, OATHS started out as a print journal (OATH) only. But as with TOPS, a Yahoo Group now exists, with a fairly active e-mail discussion list. As with TOPS, you must pay to receive Termite, but you do not have to be an active subscriber to Termite to be a member of OATHS. So, you could join OATHS, which only costs $10 (a one-time fee), and remain a subscriber to the discussion list indefinitely, without paying any other fees. The Yahoo Group shows that there are 82 active OATHS group members, but not all group members actually receive the e-mails. Yahoo Groups allow you to modify your subscription status without canceling your membership, which is very nice. Glia Society - Recommended for its unique journal and e-mail discussion list. Founded in 1997 by Netherlander Paul Cooijmans. Paul and I were the first 2 Glia Society members. The society's journal, Thoth, is available in online form free of charge. Material sent to be published in Thoth is not edited, which is also the case with Hoeflin's Termite. Glia has an active e-mail discussion list, which is maintained on Yahoo Groups. The format of posts to the group are fairly restricted with the intention of maintaining a high quality discussion, although this to some extent may stifle spontaneity and creativity. With no fees to join or maintain membership, free e-mail discussion list, and free online journal, Glia is perhaps the best group as far as expenses go. Glia's membership is very diverse, with members all over the world. Thoth and the e-mail discussion list reflect this very much. Yahoo Groups allow you to modify your subscription status without canceling your membership, which is very nice. NOTE: Most other groups allow non-members to subscribe to their society's newsletter or journal for a fee, or at least obtain sample issues. This is not the case with Thoth, which is very explicitly for members only. The minimum requirements for many supervised tests are higher than for some other 99.9 groups, and some tests accepted by most other groups are not allowed at all; this in effect encourages use of unsupervised tests designed by Paul (which are free for members but are not free for non-members) and some others for purposes of joining Glia, in part to prevent cheating (this may sound strange, and it is, but actually makes sense to some extent if you know the particulars ;-). Ludomind Society - "The goal of the society is - without any exception - to present BEAUTIFUL puzzles." Milenija - Society focused on the development of high-range abstract spatial tests. Genius Society - "As we need a measure of creativity, in addition to a High IQ, membership will be open only to individuals who are engaged in scientific research as demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications. The Genius Society aims to foster communication, friendship and cultural exchange among its members." ISI-Society - 99.93 percentile society. "ISI-S was founded with the aim of bringing together intelligent individuals who also value creativity."Back to top 99.991st Percentile (1 person in 11,000): Vertex Society - "Membership is open to any person scoring at or above 3.75 standard deviations above the mean of the general population on a professional, standardized test of intelligence." Only scores from supervised tests are accepted for purposes of joining the Vertex Society.
Back to top 99.997th Percentile (1 person in 30,000): Prometheus Society - "The Prometheus Society was established in 1982 by philosopher Ronald K. Hoeflin, Ph.D. to promote fellowship among individuals with extremely high intelligence." Non-members may subscribe to the online password-protected journal, but there is a fee (for members as well as non-members). With the exception of a few tests that are only accepted if they were taken before 2000, only scores from supervised tests are accepted for purposes of joining Prometheus. Epimetheus Society - Recommended for its e-mail discussion list. Founded in 2005 by Ronald K. Hoeflin, Ph.D. The purpose of the Society is to facilitate the interaction of individuals with very high IQs. Camp Archimedes Society - "An international society founded in July05 with members from 15 different countries that admits individuals on the grounds of scoring in the top 0.0003 -0.00003% on a battery of special exams that reach beyond the scope of traditional intelligence tests. Most of the members of this society no longer possess a corporeal form, rather it is their mind-spirit memeplexe that is present. However, there are parts of the society open to individuals whose incarnate form embodies a certain level of creativity combined with strong logical reasoning ability. One can either join by fulfilling the criteria as set forth on the Admissions page or become one of Sisyphus' Brethren."Back to top 99.9999th Percentile (1 person in 1,000,000): Mega Society - Recommended for its free online journal, with issues dating back into 1989; non-members can view the issues, as there is no password-protected login, and Mega's Editor announces the publication of new issues to some non-Mega groups. The Mega Society was founded by Dr. Ronald K. Hoeflin in 1982. Members of Mega have created and maintain the Adaptive IQ Test, which may be used for admissions purposes in the future. Omega Society - The Omega Society exists for the recognition and encouragement of individuals of extremely high intelligence. It was founded in 2005 by Ronald K. Hoeflin, Ph.D.Back to top 99.9999999th Percentile (1 person in 1,000,000,000 - controversial): Giga Society - "Main goal of Giga Society is to reward high-scoring testees for their contribution to the study of high intelligence, and particularly to the establishment of norms for the very high range. The society was founded in 1996 by Paul Cooijmans (not a member), who has served as its Administrator since." Giga currently has 7 members in the world.Back to top More High IQ Resources: Uncommonly Difficult IQ Tests - Since 1997, this site by Darryl Miyaguchi has been THE site for information about the societies and high-range IQ tests. However, Darryl has been less involved with the site in recent years, resulting in some dead or outdated links and information. Still extremely valuable, and you'll find a wealth of material not found anywhere else. Be sure to in particular read his Short (and Bloody) History of the High I.Q. Societies. High-Range Intelligence Tests - Site run by Paul Cooijmans, founder of the Glia and Giga societies. Links to his tests, statistics and norms, and much more. Kevin Langdon's links & information regarding High IQ Societies - See in particular the 4-part "High-IQ Societies and the Tests They Use for Admission Purposes". Note that some information may be outdated.MORE SOON...Back to top
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