What Is Raven Test And How to Prepare for It: A Comprehensive Study Guide

Last Updated on February 10, 2023

Are you looking for an accurate way to measure IQ in children and adults? The Raven Matrice test offers a pragmatic solution. The Raven Test, otherwise known as the “Raven Progressive Matrices Test,” is a popular tool for measuring analogical perception, reasoning, and abstraction ability.

The test consists of 60 multiple-choice questions, with the answers allowing analysts to evaluate the “g” factor of the person’s intelligence, as per Spearman. It refers to general cognitive and mental processes that enable us to answer common problems satisfactorily.

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What Is The Function Of The Raven Test?

The Raven test is a psychological evaluation completed by presenting the subject figures to resolve situations. It focuses on the participant’s creation of reasoning abilities through analyzing figures representing diverse messages.
It’s important to note it works with progressive matrices representing different messaging types deciphered by the participant, and that’s how it assesses their IQ level.

What Is The Use Of The Raven Test?

The Raven test was specifically designed for research purposes. Due to its simplicity of use and linguistic independence and interpretation, it rapidly found widespread practical application.

What Is The Application Of The Raven Test?

The Raven test commonly applies to personnel selection and psycho-technical testing in professions. Experts believe the Raven test accurately estimates the participant’s fluid intelligence. The subject receives 60 questions in multiple-choice format, ranked by order of difficulty.

Versions Of The Raven Matrices Test

There are several variations of the Raven test, namely, “Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices” for individuals with higher intelligence and “Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices” for assessing children. The matrices are posed in three different formats for participants with varying cognitive ability and fluid intelligence levels.

Let’s unpack each of them in detail.

Standard Progressive Matrices

This version is the original test first published and conducted in 1938. The test consists of five sets (listed A to E), featuring 12 items in each set. The questions become increasingly challenging in each set, requiring the participant to use the greater cognitive capacity to analyze the information presented to them. All items feature presentations with black ink on white backgrounds.

Colored Progressive Matrices

This version of the Raven test is only for children, seniors, and individuals with learning difficulties. The test features set A and B from the standard Raven matrices test, with 12 additional items inserted between them, presented as “set Ab.”

Most items in the sets feature colored backgrounds. This strategy makes them more visually appealing and stimulating for the participants. The last items in set B feature presentation with black-on-white. Therefore, if the participant exceeds the examiner’s expectations, they transition to sets C, D, and E of the standard matrices.

Advanced Progressive Matrices

The advanced format of the Raven Matrices features a design with 48 items. All items present as a single set of 12, and another of 36, for a total of 48 items. They present on a black-and-white background, with difficulty progressing as the participant moves through each set. This version of the matrices suits adolescents and adults with above-average intelligence.

The “Parallel” Matrices

Since the Raven Matrices were commonly known to the public by the late 1990s, we saw the introduction of the “parallel” formats of the colored and standard progressive matrices, first published in 1998.

The set items in the parallel version have construction, so average solution rates for each question are identical for the parallel and classic versions.

Standard Progressive Matrices Plus

The Standard Progressive Matrices Plus is an extended format of the standard progressive matrices, published simultaneously as the parallel version offers further discrimination among more intellectually intelligent adolescents and young adults.

Key Characteristics Of The Raven Test

The Raven test features key characteristics separating it from other intelligence examinations:

The test suits collective or individual administration.
The test presents in sets of matrix groups, increasing complexity over previous ones.
The test features design and development to analyze the degree of thought capacity.
It assesses the participant’s capacity for perception and abstraction.
It examines the actions of the subject and their resolution of common problems.
It’s popular in companies and educational centers in the recruitment process.
It has a total duration of 60 minutes.

Following the Kuder-Richardson formulas and the Terman-Merill criteria, the Raven test has a precision of between 0.87 and 0.81. The test results determine the degree to which the participant must immediately solve situations and problems arising in real-life scenarios to qualify their response to specific challenges.

John Raven, the designer of the Raven test, stated the test should not be used as a supporting measure in assessing intelligence, not as a standalone resource.

What Are The Benefits of Implementing the Raven Test?

There are several benefits to using the Raven test, including the following:

It applies to adults, children, and individuals with learning disabilities or communication problems.
It’s inexpensive to administer and analyze.
It’s interesting and fun for participants.
It provides fast results.

The Raven Matrice Test – Important Considerations

The Raven test is non-verbal. Participants resolve the sets intellectually without oral analysis.
The test provides a psychological evaluation using a set of abstract and incomplete geometric figures.
The participant creates their response based on information presented to them to measure their IQ level.
The Raven test is widely used for measuring perception, abstraction capacity, analogical reasoning, and intelligence quotient.

How To Prepare For The Raven Test

Participants should be aware of the time for each set and item in the Raven test. Online testing usually features a timer to assist with timekeeping during the exam. Don’t dwell on a specific problem for too long; move on and return to it at the end.

Participants should prepare mental checklists of strategies to determine which patterns they find in the test. Before taking the Raven test, go through practice exercises, testing your cognitive ability. These strategies prime the mind to switch between inductive and deductive reasoning required for abstract thought and reasoning in Raven’s Progressive Matrices.

To effectively prepare yourself for the Raven Test, visit Job Test Prep. This web resource offers everything you need for optimal preparation for the exam, including study guides, practice tests, and more.