Multiple Intelligences Test: Discover Your 8 Intelligences

What This Test Measures

Most school systems reward two kinds of ability: language and logic. Psychologist Howard Gardner argued that people can be capable in many other ways too, such as with music, movement or understanding others. This test gives you a profile across his eight intelligences, so you can see which you lean on most.

How The Test Works And How It Is Scored

You rate 40 statements, five for each intelligence, from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”. They are presented in rounds of eight, so each intelligence comes up once per round.

Answers score 0 to 4. Your score for each intelligence is shown as a percentage, and the highest is your strongest intelligence.

All statements were written by PrismaTest. Note that this is a self-report test: it measures what you enjoy and believe you do well, not your measured ability.

The Model Behind It

Howard Gardner, a developmental psychologist at Harvard, published Frames of Mind in 1983. He proposed seven intelligences and added the eighth, naturalistic, in 1999. He chose them using several criteria, including evidence from brain injury cases (where one ability is lost while others remain), the existence of prodigies and savants, and the idea that each ability has its own developmental path.

The theory was quickly embraced by teachers, because it suggested every child has strengths worth developing.

What The Research Says

Gardner’s theory is popular in education but contested in psychology:

• Many abilities are correlated. Decades of research find that people who do well on one kind of mental test tend to do well on others. This shared factor, often called “g” or general intelligence, is not part of Gardner’s model.
• Some “intelligences” may be talents or personality traits. Critics argue that musical or bodily abilities are better described as skills, and interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence overlap with personality and emotional intelligence.
• Learning styles are a different idea. Gardner himself has said his theory does not mean students learn best when taught in their “preferred” style. Research does not support matching teaching to learning styles.

So use your profile to understand what you enjoy and where you feel confident. It is a helpful map of interests and strengths, not an IQ test.

All Possible Results

Linguistic (Word Smart)

Thinks in words. Strong at reading, writing and explaining. Often drawn to writing, law, teaching and media.

Logical-Mathematical (Number Smart)

Thinks in patterns and logic. Strong at reasoning and problem solving. Often drawn to science, engineering and data.

Spatial (Picture Smart)

Thinks in images. Strong at visualising and design. Often drawn to art, architecture and design.

Bodily-Kinesthetic (Body Smart)

Thinks through movement. Strong coordination and hands-on skill. Often drawn to sport, crafts and physical professions.

Musical (Sound Smart)

Thinks in sound and rhythm. Strong ear for music and tone. Often drawn to music and audio work.

Interpersonal (People Smart)

Understands others well. Strong at communication and teamwork. Often drawn to teaching, care and leadership.

Intrapersonal (Self Smart)

Understands themselves well. Reflective and self-motivated. Often drawn to writing, research and independent work.

Naturalistic (Nature Smart)

Notices the natural world. Strong at observing and classifying. Often drawn to biology, ecology and animal care.

How To Use Your Profile

• Look at your top three. Combinations are more telling than one score. Spatial plus logical often points to engineering or architecture; interpersonal plus linguistic often points to teaching or communications.
• Use strengths to learn harder things. If you are strongly spatial, drawing a diagram can help you understand a difficult text, even though you still need to read it.
• Do not write off low scores. Abilities grow with practice. A low musical score just means music is not where you naturally go first.

Frequently Asked Questions

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