Intelligence tests focus on an individual's ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend ideas, learn, understand complex ideas, and adapt to the environment. Scores on an intelligence test comprise a major part of a comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation and impact educational classification, placement, interventions, and opportunities provided to an individual.

History of Intelligence Testing

As far back as 220 BCE, efforts were made by Chinese officials to assess the abilities and skills of potential government workers. However, the origins of contemporary individual intelligence testing are often credited to the work of the British polymath Sir Francis Galton in the 1880s. Galton believed that individuals with the most acute sensory functions would demonstrate superior cognitive abilities. Therefore, in the 1880s, Galton developed and administered individual tests, ...

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