ABSTRACT
'How bright is she?' was the eager question asked often of the writer and subsequent testers of the girls at the Classifying School, by the Instructresses and other staff, who, in realistic terms, were in a better position to judge. The long sessions in the 'testing room' were held in considerable regard by the participants and non-participants. This was partly a result of the meticulous care taken over the arrangements; House Instructresses were briefed that girls doing housework near the room had to be quiet, and beds in the dormitory above would have to be moved before a session started. Access to the testing-room was taboo. These stringent precautions were taken largely because of the distractable, basically unwilling nature of the testee.
