A GIFTED child smarter than Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein is celebrating after being inducted into a coveted club.

Yashwanth Bandi from Lower Earley has been made a member of Mensa, the high IQ society after achieving an IQ of 162, the highest possible figure from the exam.

The 12-year-old attends Reading School and is hoping to become an entrepreneur, but in the immediate future he intends to pursue his passion for solving puzzles and particularly Rubik's Cubes.

His dad Krishnamohan says his son has always been very bright, but has never been forced to excel academically.

He said: "It is such an incredible thing to achieve. He has the highest IQ possible, which is really amazing.

"Yashwanth has always been a smart and intelligent boy and we see every day how he thinks and approaches tasks.

"We have always made a point of not pushing or pressuring him and we are very keen to make sure he does what he wants to do.

"We never tell him what to do, he just makes very good decisions and is very gifted."

The schoolboy scored in the top two per cent in the Cattel IIIB test and now has the opportunity to join hundreds of other high-achieving youngsters at Mensa.

As well as being academically blessed, Yashwanth is also particularly skilful at solving puzzles and is hoping to take part in a worldwide cubing tournament in Mumbai next year.

Mr Bandi added: "I am really pleased to say that even though he is only 12 he has a really good idea of what he wants to do when he is older.

"He wants to do science and especially interested in chemistry and physics. He would like to be an entrepreneur when he grows up.

"He loves playing with his Rubik's Cube. Not long ago he had never picked one up and now he can solve them in a matter of seconds and he is getting better every day.

"He is very confident and as a parent I have never put any expectations on him. I have always believed in him."