ABSTRACT
Introduction Howard Wainer (1987) reminds us that ability testing has a long and illustrious history, stretching back 4000 years to when the Chinese used a form of ability testing to select for their civil service. He also notes a biblical reference to forensic assessment of ability (Judges 12: 4-6). This is hardly surprising, for few areas of psychology have proved of such practical usefulness as the capacity to measure human abilities. The accurate identification of which individuals will best be able to benefit from an advanced course of education or which job applicants are likely to perform best if selected (rather than selecting randomly or on the basis of time-consuming and potentially unreliable procedures, such as interviews), brings important financial and personal benefits. Tests of ability are also useful for identifying other forms of potential and problems, e.g. to identify outstanding musical talent or to help in the diagnosis of dyslexia and some types of brain disease.
