I’ve been thinking a lot about the difference between testing intelligence and testing for knowledge. To me, they serve very different purposes.

One example of an intelligence test is Raven’s Progressive Matrices. It shows a series of patterns with a missing piece, and you have to figure out which piece fits best. I like that it doesn’t rely too much on language or memorization—it’s really about problem-solving and reasoning.

• What works well: It can give insight into how someone thinks and approaches problems, which is useful when trying to understand learning needs.
•  The downside: It doesn’t capture creativity, motivation, or real-world skills, and I think it could feel limiting if used as the only measure of someone’s ability.

Knowledge tests, on the other hand, check what a learner has actually been taught—like quizzes or performance tasks. They’re more appropriate when the goal is to see if students understood specific lessons.

For me, the big takeaway is this: intelligence tests should guide support, not determine success, while knowledge tests should measure mastery without labeling potential. Both can be helpful, but only if we use them with care and purpose.

Here’s a quick link to see what Raven’s test looks like:

•  Raven’s Progressive Matrices https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven%27s_Progressive_Matrices