IST – Intelligence Structure Test

The IST is a test battery that can be applied for personnel selection and whenever a broad assessment of intelligence is required. The battery can be administered individually or in a group setting.

The battery contains a basic module measuring Verbal, Numerical and Figural Intelligence as well as Reasoning as a total score. Each content area of intelligence is assessed through three subtests.• The Verbal Intelligence subtests are: Sentence Completion, Verbal Analogies and Similarities.• The Numerical Intelligence subtests are: Numerical Calculations, Number Series and Numerical Signs.• The Figural Intelligence subtests are: Figure Selection, Cubes and Matrices. The inclusion of three subtests in each area means that several different types of items are used to measure each area. Thus the battery avoids the error of simply equating one particular type of item with an individual area of ability. When all nine subtests are administered, an overall score for Reasoning is computed along with separate scores for each ability area. The extended module measures Verbal, Numerical and Figural coded Knowledge as well as a total Knowledge scale. When both the basic module and the extended module are applied, it is possible to compute scores for Fluid Intelligence and for Crystallized Intelligence. Fluid Intelligence represents those parts of reasoning that are rather independent from the acculturational context, whereas the reasoning scale as it is calculated in the basic module represents reasoning as it depends on the culture. The relation between Crystallized Intelligence and the total Knowledge scale is similar: The gc factor score represents knowledge and sophistication of the culture without a substantial influence of reasoning, whereas the total Knowledge scale represents the knowledge as it occurs in combination with reasoning. The IST thus allows intellectual abilities to be assessed in a contemporary and well-differentiated manner.