Uses and Limitations of Intelligence Tests

 Uses of Intelligence Tests

The following are the important uses of intelligence test: 

1. Understand the Capability of a Child

Intelligence tests are of valuable aid to the educationist as a means of diagnosis of the capacity or efficiency of pupils. The scores of intelligence test reveal the mental age of a child and indicates the readiness of a child for learning.

2. Homogeneous Grouping

A class consisting of students with widely different abilities, is difficult to handle. Thus homogeneous grouping of pupils can be done on the basis of intelligence test results.

3. Purpose of Admission/Selection to Various Courses

It has been known that success in school is to a great extent, correlated with intelligence. While admitting pupils it is desirable to consider their M.A. rather than C.A. Thus, it is an asset (intelligence test) and help the professionals and students to choose the right institutions and right courses.

4. Identifying Gifted and Backward Children

Intelligence tests help in classifying individuals according to their mental make up. On the basis of results the students can be named as gifted, backward and average, and accordingly educational opportunities can be provided.

5. Educational and Vocational Guidance

The results of intelligence tests help in providing educational, vocational and personal guidance to students by teachers and guidance personnel. It gives clue in guiding the students into those courses where they have some likelihood of being successful and suggesting a few other courses and careers. This test is also used as a screening device for selecting suitable candidates from among a large number of applicants and possibility of entering into an occupation in future.

6. Use in Assessment for Promotion, Reporting to Parents and Degree of Responsibility

The results of intelligence tests along with the achievement tests can be successfully used for promotion of students to the next higher grades and help in promotion of people in next higher post. Similarly intelligence test help the teacher to sent progress report to the parents about the mental ability and the achievement level of the students. Sometimes the teacher assigns responsibility, etc., on students on the basis of intelligence test, which is really a praiseworthy activity.

7. Raising the Quality of Teaching

Intelligence test help the teacher to plan his/her teaching-learning activities according to the needs of the child or what the child can learn and how quickly he/she can learn.

8. Use in Research Work

Intelligence tests are very much needed for research in the field of education. Mental measurement is a very important aspect in any study whether it aims at survey or comparison. Intelligence test help us to know the general level of intelligence of a particular country or race.

Limitations of Intelligence Test

1. Results of intelligence tests should not be considered final because sometimes it may not give accurate results. In such cases interpretation of intelligence of the individual becomes wrong.

2. Intelligence tests are constructed and standardised on a definite population. In such cases accurate results may not be predicted in another population. 

3. Intelligence test becomes unreliable if accurate chronological age is not real.

4. Intelligence tests especially individual tests are too costly and teachers cannot make use of it. 

5. Sometimes intelligence test by itself or in combination with others cannot measure the true psyche potential or mental functioning of an individual or the real cognitive ability of an individual.

6. Sometimes it is quite surprising and rather confusing when a child scores very high on one test and very low on another. This may be quite misleading.

7. The I.Q. scores of the testes are highly influenced by the conditions prevailing at the time the intelligence tests are administered.

8. There is every possibility of language difficulty, poor test questions and vague instructions, etc., in the intelligence test, which may not give accurate ideas of the students.