In educational assessment, testing intelligence and testing knowledge represent two quite distinct approaches. Testing for knowledge measures what a learner knows — the facts, procedures, concepts learned and retained. It focuses on content mastery and is appropriate when the aim is to evaluate whether specific curricular goals have been achieved. By contrast, testing intelligence aims to measure a learner’s capacity — their ability to think, reason, solve unfamiliar problems, and apply cognitive skills.

Each approach has its appropriate uses. Knowledge tests are very appropriate when you want to check whether students have mastered a body of content, for example at the end of a unit or semester. Intelligence-type tests can be useful when assessing broader potentials — for instance in psychological diagnostics or gifted education settings. They may however be inappropriate in many classroom contexts: intelligence tests risk misinterpreting cultural or educational background, and knowledge tests can unfairly penalize learners who understand concepts but are tested in unfamiliar formats or pressured conditions. Additionally, using intelligence testing in place of content assessment may neglect the specific learning goals of a course.

In sum, educators should select the type of assessment aligned to the purpose (content versus capacity) and the context (curriculum, learner background, equity) if the assessment is to be meaningful and fair.