When we think about the toughest exams, we imagine long syllabuses, years of studies and a nation-wide phenomenon. But there is a test that is different but as hard as it can get. It is a short exam but only the top 2% people can pass it. That is why it is regarded as one of the toughest exams in the world.

Mensa IQ test.

Mensa is an international society for people with high intelligence. It was founded in Oxford, England in 1946 by Roland Berril and Dr Lancelot Lionel Ware. Their idea was to create a club where the only requirement for entry was a high IQ score. So, you do not need any academic degrees, money or age limit. Only intelligence. CBS News called Mensa “the exclusive club that only welcomes people with an IQ of 132 or above.”

Today Mensa has national groups in many countries. Members join in events, take part in discussions and share similar interests.

There are two ways to qualify for Mensa. If you have already taken a recognised IQ test like WAIS or Stanford-Binet and score in the top 2%, Mensa will accept it. However, most people choose a different option which is to sit for the Mensa supervised test. Test sessions are held in different countries throughout the year. You register on you national Mensa website, pay the fee and sit for the exam in a supervised room. The whole process takes about one to two hours including the instructions.

For this exam, you do not need have any academic knowledge or memorise anything. Instead, it measures how you think. The questions are mostly pattern-based puzzles, logical reasoning, shape and sequence problems and some verbal or numerical reasoning. Many questions look similar to the famous pattern recognition test called Raven’s Progressive Matrices.

People of all ages can sit for this test. Some do it out of curiosity, some want to challenge themselves and others enjoy puzzles and want to see how far they can go. This is the interesting part about this test. You will often find news reports about young children who ace this exam. For example, in 2025, joseph Harris-Birtill, a two-year-old boy from UK became the youngest ever Mensa member, breaking Guinness World Record.  Yes, a two-year-old child.

So, you might think that the test is not hard. But it is. The questions are abstract, puzzle bases. There are no formula or equations to memorise. No subject to study, it only measures your pure reasoning, thinking and solving skills.

If you pass, you are invited to join the Mensa Club. Members get access to meet-ups, workshops, discussion groups and so much more. You will also be internationally recognized as one of the people with the highest IQ in the world.

Sadly, Bangladesh still has no official Mensa national group. I strongly feel that we should contact Mensa international because I am sure many high IQ people are hidden in our country. Many students, professionals, children and youngsters may have the exceptional IQ but no platform to show it. They do not get the chance to take the official test and receive the recognition they deserve.

The bright minds of Bangladesh should not be overlooked.