Intelligence Testing

There are many reasons for assessing intelligence and they will vary depending on the context.

1. Intellectual Impairment. This condition could be suspected in an individual and proper standardised testing of intelligence is a requirement aspect of determining this diagnosis as per the DSM-5-TR.
2. Differential Diagnosis. For someone who is looking at a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it may be necessary to also assess the individual’s intelligence to determine that their presenting issues are not due to an intellectual impairment. Thus, Intelligence testing can be used for the purpose of what we psychologists call ‘differential diagnosis’, where we’re in the process of working out a clinical diagnosis and ruling in, or ruling out, certain psychological conditions to determine what the correct diagnosis is.
3. Identifying Giftedness. For someone who presents as being of high intelligence, this could be causing difficulties in their life such as finding their school work ‘too easy’ compared to their peers, which could be causing behavioural disruptions in class that other people might be quick to label as ‘ADHD’ or behavioural issues. Understanding the individual’s intelligence will allow recommendations to be made to make learning more effective for the student. Furthermore, if the individual’s intelligence is very high, they may be considered as ‘Gifted’ and be eligible to enter MENSA (https://www.mensa.org.au/) to obtain further support that way.
4. Identifying Cognitive Strengths & Weaknesses. Individuals can benefit from this information to provide more structured help and support in the school, university and work environments tailored to their cognitive strengths and weaknesses. 
5. HR Recruitment Process. Another reason for assessing Intelligence could be that this assessment is part of a job recruitment process for particular employment positions. The employer may wish to understand the candidates’ level of functioning across the various domains of intelligence (working memory, processing speed, verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning). 
6. Vocational/Career Counselling. An individual might be trying to work out what new career path to take up. Understanding their intelligence and their cognitive strengths and weaknesses can be valuable in helping to generate new career path ideas. 
7. Legal and Forensic Assessments. Intelligence tests may be used in legal and forensic settings to evaluate individuals’ cognitive functioning in cases involving intellectual disability, competency to stand trial, or mitigating factors in sentencing. They provide objective measures of cognitive abilities that can inform legal decisions and court proceedings.