Indian-origin teenager with Einstein-like IQ joins Mensa

Thirteen-year-old Niraj Kumar, whose parents own a corner shop in Birmingham, has been admitted into the high IQ society Mensa after he scored 160 in its test, which put him on par a with the IQ of Albert Einstein and Bill Gates.

According to Mensa, the average adult IQ score is 100 and those topping 140 are considered to be geniuses.

A spokesman for Mensa said: "I can confirm Niraj Kumar scored 160 on the Cattell III B IQ test which makes him eligible to join Mensa."

Delighted at the news, Niraj Kumar told the local media in Birmingham: "I was really happy when I found out I had been accepted. It is a great honour. I enjoy school and my favourite lesson is maths. I want to go to Oxford University but I haven't decided what to study yet."

Son of Sandeep and Sejal who own the Lichfield Road news shop in Aston, Niraj showed rare brilliance since his early years.

His mother, Sejal, said he would help out in the shop often: "You couldn't stop him helping. He used to hand over the change to customers and everything. He has always been very bright since he was very young. I always thought he was special but I didn't know just how much."

First Published: Dec 30, 2013 21:30 IST