The concept behind the ALIS test is an interesting one. Go through a series of tests, each exploring a different idea or concept, and get a predicted IB score in the end (based upon your score and how it compares to others who have taken the test previously). A so-called intelligence test, similar to the popular IQ test, or even standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT that claim to measure one’s intelligence.
The question then arises, how accurate are these tests in measuring things such as academic ability, and more generally, the concept of intelligence. In regards to the former, they may, in fact, turn out to be highly accurate. Tests such as the ALIS test or IQ test help measure an individual’s ability to utilize and apply logic to a variety of problems, looking at skills such as pattern recognition, analytical ability, and short term memory – all useful tools to have in an academic setting. Not just in mathematics as some of you may infer, but in subjects such as literature as well (attempting to analyze and breakdown meaning in a particular text). At the same time though, experience in academic and test-taking scenarios should not be underestimated. Consider the SAT – standardized testing for admission to colleges in the USA. In my own preparation for the SAT, simply through repetition and practice in test-taking abilities, I have increased my score by over 100 points and my academic ability or aptitude by a whopping 0. We then refine our definition of the ability of the ALIS test or an IQ test, not measuring one’s academic ability in its current state but rather a measure for the academic potential within an individual.
Does this then mean that intelligence is simply fixed? That one has a set threshold or potential which they cannot breach? Not necessarily. While there may be limitations to the strength of an individual’s logical reasoning and analytical thinking abilities (i.e. “intelligence as per so-called intelligence tests) – the brain, while malleable, is not plastic – these abilities and skills do not form the whole part of the equation in terms of an individuals intelligence. Indeed, the idea of multiple types or variations of intelligence is one that has become more prominent since the late 20th century, American development psychologist popularising the concept with his self-proclaimed “9 types of intelligence” – Naturalist, Musical, Logical-mathematical(the one tested by the ALIS or IQ test), Existential, Interpersonal, Bodily-kinesthetic, Linguistic, Intra-personal, and Spatial.
I want to now give a more concrete example of this idea of the existence and significance of multi-type intelligence. Consider John Von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician considered by many to be the smartest man in history ( infamous for his creation of game theory, a concept with modern-day application in fields such as economics and math, in the span of a taxi-ride). His raw intellectual ability and processing speed allows him to take apart complex mathematical ideas and theorems with ease – allowing him critical insight into several fields (a true polymath). Consider instead Einstein, another ‘genius’ of the 19th century. Einstein was a proponent of the significance and importance of
