About Tests

The history of tests and the ways they have been used for professional selection in human society have developed gradually since ancient times.

In Ancient Egypt, candidates for the priesthood were assessed based on their appearance, level of knowledge and ability to remain silent, and they were also subjected to trials involving fire and water.

In Ancient Babylon, those who wanted to become scribes had to demonstrate a wide range of skills, including knowledge of law, mathematics and even the ability to play music.

The commander Gideon selected alert soldiers according to the way they drank water, while Alexander the Great is said to have believed that soldiers whose faces turned red when angry were brave and therefore accepted them into his army.

At the end of the 19th century, Francis Galton and James Cattell began some of the first scientific studies of human reaction and memory, while the word “test” came into wider use.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Binet and Simon developed special questions to measure intellectual ability. This later made testing considerably easier to apply in education, the military and professional selection.