Mensa-Accepted IQ Tests: Which Scores Qualify

Which tests Mensa accepts, and the qualifying score

The table below lists commonly accepted tests grouped by where they're usually given, with the qualifying score American Mensa published as of 2026. Important caveat: the exact list and the exact cutoffs vary by national Mensa (American, British, Canadian, and others keep separate lists) and they change over time as tests are revised. Always confirm against your own country's current Mensa list before submitting. Approximate any older test against the cutoffs below only as a rough guide.

The numbers are approximate equivalents of the 98th percentile on each instrument, and several entries carry hard date cutoffs. Confirm your specific edition and test date against the official list.

The catch on older admissions and military tests

This is where people trip up, so read carefully. Many older college-admissions and military tests were historically accepted, but only if you took them before a specific date. The tests were later re-normed or re-designed in ways that broke the clean link to a single intelligence percentile, so Mensa drew a line.

A few concrete examples from American Mensa's current list, as of 2026:

• SAT is not accepted at all if taken after January 31, 1994. Before that date it qualifies, with the cutoff depending on when exactly you sat it.
• GRE is not accepted after September 30, 2001, and the qualifying score changed for the 1994-2001 window.
• ACT counts only for tests taken before September 1989.
• AFQT, Army GCT, Navy GCT, and GT military scores are accepted only if earned before October 1980. The modern ASVAB is not accepted at all.

So a strong SAT from your college applications last decade will not help you, but a strong SAT from the 1980s might be your ticket in. If your test predates these cutoffs, it's worth digging the record out of storage.

How to submit your evidence

If you have a qualifying score, submitting it is straightforward, though it is a paper process, not an instant online upload. American Mensa's prior-evidence route works like this:

1. Gather documentation. It must be the original or a notarized copy of the original. For a psychologist's assessment, that means letterhead documentation showing your name, the test date, the test name, the Full Scale IQ, the percentile, the psychologist's signature, and their license number. School and military records have their own accepted formats (a sealed transcript, a signed guidance-office letter, or a notarized copy from the National Personnel Records Center).
2. Match the name. The name on your documentation has to match your Mensa application exactly.
3. Send it in. You can mail the originals, mail notarized copies, or have the testing service send scores directly to Mensa. Reported evaluation fees for prior-evidence review run roughly in the $40-$60 range depending on chapter and current promotions, so check the current fee before you send.

Compare that to Mensa's own admission test, which is the path for anyone without prior evidence. Both roads end in the same place. Prior evidence just lets you use work you've already done.

One honest note about "practice." Our own site's test is free to take and gives you an instant, statistically-scaled estimate of where you'd land, which is a useful gut-check before you invest in a supervised, notarized assessment. But be clear-eyed: an online screener, ours included, is a warm-up, not evidence. Only a properly supervised test on Mensa's approved list will actually qualify you.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is the minimum IQ to get into Mensa?

A: There is no single number, only a percentile: the top 2%, or 98th percentile. On Wechsler tests that's a Full Scale IQ of 130; on Stanford-Binet 5 it's also 130; on the Cattell scale it's 148. All three mark the same rank measured on different scales.

Q: Does Mensa accept online IQ test scores?

A: No. Mensa only accepts scores from tests administered by a neutral, qualified third party in a supervised setting. Free online tests, including ours, are fine for a rough self-check but are never accepted as qualifying evidence.

Q: Can I use my SAT or ACT score to join Mensa?

A: Only if you took it before the cutoff date. American Mensa accepts the SAT only if taken before January 31, 1994, and the ACT only before September 1989. Scores from after those dates do not qualify, because the tests were later re-designed.

Q: How many tests does Mensa accept?

A: Roughly 200 different standardized tests, spanning professionally-administered instruments like the WAIS and Stanford-Binet, school cognitive batteries like the CogAT and OLSAT, and certain older admissions and military tests. Each national Mensa keeps its own list, so confirm yours.

Q: Do I have to take Mensa's own test if I already have a qualifying score?

A: No. If you hold a qualifying score on an approved test, you can submit it as prior evidence and skip the admission exam. Mensa's own test exists mainly for people who don't already have documentation.

References

• American Mensa - Qualifying Test Scores
• American Mensa - Join Using My Past Test Scores
• American Mensa - Qualifying Score FAQ

Last updated: July 13, 2026