On the usefulness of testing intelligence: A response to Van Hoogdalem and Bosman (2024)

In response to Van Hoogdalem and Bosman (2024) who advocate abandoning the use of intelligence tests at the individual level, we argue that their conclusions are too absolute and insufficiently substantiated. While we acknowledge some of the concerns they raise regarding measurement error and contextual influences, we argue that the complete dismissal of standardized intelligence tests overlooks their practical utility. Drawing on empirical evidence and established psychometric theory, we demonstrate that intelligence tests provide valuable information for clinical and educational decision-making. We further argue that replacing standardized testing with purely non-standardized methods introduces greater subjectivity and risk of error, ultimately undermining the quality of professional judgments. We argue that intelligence tests remain a valuable source of information in many cases of clinical and educational decision making, when interpreted carefully and integrated with other relevant sources of valid information using predefined decision rules.