Mensa Workout vs the Mensa IQ Challenge: What Your Score Means

The Mensa Workout is Mensa International's old online practice quiz, and it is no longer on mensa.org under that name. The site now offers the Mensa IQ Challenge: 35 puzzles in 25 minutes. Mensa says neither one counts toward membership. Mensa admits people who score at or above the 98th percentile on a supervised, approved test, so a practice result is not an IQ.

Below: what the old Workout page said, what the new challenge says, what a 98th-percentile score is on three common scales, and what to do if you want a result that counts.

What was the Mensa Workout?

The Mensa Workout was a timed quiz hosted on mensa.org. A copy saved by the Internet Archive on 31 December 2019 shows the page. It said the quiz was "provided for entertainment purposes only; it is not an IQ test" and that the score would not qualify you for Mensa.

The same page set a 30-minute limit and warned that the questions were "biased towards people whose primary language is English". It credited the questions to Dr. Abbie Salny, who holds the copyright. Mensa told readers that its own testing is culture-fair.

The page did not last. A capture from 23 March 2022 shows an "Access Denied" message that asked visitors to log in. A capture from 2 December 2024 shows a "Page not found" error. We found no notice explaining the change, so we cannot say why it was removed.

What is the Mensa IQ Challenge?

The Mensa IQ Challenge is the practice test that mensa.org now links from its home page. Its page says the challenge involves "35 puzzles within 25 minutes" and that the puzzles get harder as you go. Mensa also calls it "pretty tough".

• Length: 35 puzzles in 25 minutes
• Difficulty: the puzzles get progressively harder
• Score: shown at the end; below 100, the page says your score "lies outside the range that the test is currently able to measure"
• Purpose: Mensa says it is for entertainment only and will not qualify you for Mensa
• Next step: Mensa suggests a properly administered and supervised test if you like your result

The format matches the Mensa Norway online test that AI leaderboards use: 35 pattern puzzles and 25 minutes. We could not confirm the two are the same test. Our report on AI scores on the Mensa Norway test shows how a count of right answers becomes a number.

Is the Mensa Workout accurate, and is it an IQ test?

It is not an IQ test. A Mensa Workout score was always a practice result. The old Workout page said so directly, and the new challenge page calls itself entertainment. Mensa's testing FAQ adds that "online tests cannot be used for admission to Mensa" and that Mensa accepts only tests given by qualified people, not achievement tests.

There is a second reason the number is not an IQ. An IQ places you inside a norm group, which is a large sample of people who took the same test under the same rules. The challenge page does not say how its score is calculated or which group it is compared with, so we cannot convert it to a percentile.

Mensa Workout vs Mensa admission test: what score do you need to join?

You need a score at or above the 98th percentile on an approved test. American Mensa puts it this way: a qualifying score means you have "tested at, or above, 98 percent of the general population". The IQ number that equals the 98th percentile depends on the scale the test uses.

Each scale sets its own spread. The standard deviation (SD) is how far scores typically sit from the average of 100. At the 98th percentile, the cut-off is 130.8 with an SD of 15, 132.9 with an SD of 16 and 149.3 with an SD of 24. Mensa's FAQ says a result of 132 on one test can equal 148 on another.

• SD 15 (Wechsler and most modern tests): 98th percentile = IQ 130.8
• SD 16 (Stanford-Binet): 98th percentile = IQ 132.9
• SD 24 (Cattell scales): 98th percentile = IQ 149.3
• A round 130 on SD 15 is the 97.7th percentile, just under the line

Use our IQ percentile calculator to turn any score into a rank. For the full cut-offs by test, read our Mensa IQ score requirements guide and the article on why 130 is not exactly the top 2%.

Why does your score change between attempts?

Mensa warns that "it's common to get different scores on IQ tests", even on the same test at different times, because of mood, tiredness or hunger. On a practice quiz there is a second effect: you learn the puzzle types. Our guide to the practice effect on cognitive ability tests shows what repeat attempts change.

So a second attempt that scores higher does not mean you became smarter. It usually means the puzzle types are no longer new. Keep that in mind before you compare your result with someone else's.

How can you practise for pattern puzzles like these?

Most of the 35 puzzles are likely to be pattern and logic items, because that is how the page describes the test. The same skill shows up in matrix puzzles, number sequences, odd-one-out and analogy questions.

• Matrix puzzles: find the one rule you can say out loud
• Number sequences: how to find the rule
• Odd-one-out questions
• Analogy questions

How do you take a test that counts for Mensa?

Contact your national Mensa office. American Mensa lists test sessions run by Local Group volunteers and a private testing option with the exam given electronically. It also says you may take a test or battery once every eight weeks.

The short version: if you searched for the Mensa Workout, the page you want is now the Mensa IQ Challenge. Enjoy it as a puzzle set, or take the IQ Metrics test to see a percentile. If you want a number that counts, book a supervised test.

Common questions