Applicants must qualify for membership, either through a performance exam or by a written thesis on a branch of magic, after which they will be designated Member of the Magic Circle (M.M.C.). Further distinctions may earn them the title Associate of the Inner Magic Circle (A.I.M.C.), and Member of The Inner Magic Circle (M.I.M.C), a select group limited to 300 members. The Circle was founded in 1905, and was male-only until 1991. There is a junior branch, the Young Magicians Club.