Ninety-Second Brainteasers: Mensa

This book is an official American Mensa puzzle book. Mensa is a national organization where a high IQ, in the top two percent, is necessary to become a member. As the title implies, the goal is to prove that you too belong in Mensa by solving the puzzles in ninety seconds or less. All of the puzzles are word puzzles, in some cases you must identify words where some letters are missing, others are word chains formed by changing one letter at a time. My favorites are those where a word is to be found that can be split into parts with a different meaning. One set of such problems involves the leading letter a, words such as "a bout" and "about." Another set of problems uses words such as "mystery", which can be split into "Mister E." At the end of many of the problems the percentage of Mensa members who solved the problem in ninety seconds or less is given, which makes it one of the most interesting IQ tests ever published. Solutions to all problems are included at the end of the book. I found some of the problem sets to be much easier than others, which is consistent with the percentages listed for the Mensa members. At times, the Mensa percentage is seventy percent or higher, but in some cases it drops as low as thirty percent. If you are looking for a mental challenge where you can compare yourself to those ranked at the top of the intellectual measuring stick, then this book is for you.Published in the recreational mathematics e-mail newsletter, reprinted with permission.

Allan Stillson has put together a wonderfully fun and amazingly challenging collection of quick brain-teasers. The book is a sort of potpourri for the intellect, that excercises the brain's analytical muscle, while still remaining fun. This book is suitable for all ages, and will be especially enjoyed by those who like puzzles.