KBIT-2 Test
February 16th, 2013

Life, especially school, can be difficult for a gifted child. In addition to feeling ostracized by his peers, a gifted child often performs poorly on schoolwork and tests. This is not due to a lack of intelligence – just the opposite. Many gifted children are so far ahead of their classmates that their regular lessons are boring. They know the information already, usually through self-learning, and therefore see no point in completing their lessons. These children can quickly become bored in class and even feel alienated from their classmates due to a lack of camaraderie built around schoolwork.

Unfortunately, in many cases, this results in extremely bright children going unnoticed or, worse, placed in remedial classes. The gifted child’s talents are then wasted, and he is never given a chance to put his outstanding abilities to good use.

The KBIT-2 test, thankfully, is a quick method of determining whether your child is truly struggling in class or just bored.

The KBIT-2 test (Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test) is a short intelligence test often used to determine eligibility for gifted, talented or advanced-placement programs. You can read about scoring methods at http://www.brainy-child.com/experts/KBIT-2-test-scores.shtml. Testing takes between thirty and forty-five minutes. Reading and spelling are not part of the test; the questions are designed to assess innate intelligence rather than learned knowledge. This means that your child’s score will not be affected – either negatively or positively – by what he has learned in school and in his other studies.

If your child’s school does not offer the test, you can request it independently. As always, the best way to prepare your child is to get her familiar with the skills and concepts measured by the test. This is true even though learned knowledge won’t improve her score. Practice questions, as well as games that test the same skills measured by the KBIT, are the best way to get your child geared up for the test.