The biggest advantage to intelligence tests is that they allow teachers and parents to channel additional resources to students who need them the most. According to Lewis & Lewis, a firm specializing in educational psychology, teachers who understand their students' cognitive strengths and weaknesses can tailor their teaching to maximize student benefits. Students with lower I.Q. scores get the extra help they need while students with higher I.Q. scores get more challenging and engaging coursework. Accurate I.Q. measurements also allow parents to help their children improve their cognitive skills before they grow up.

Mapping this pattern of strengths and any relative weaknesses can also help in the identification of possible specific learning difficulties. For example, an Intelligence test may help to identify a child who is gifted, but who also has dyslexia or difficulties with visual processing (dual exceptionality).

Now, coming to the dangers of intelligence tests, apart from being challenging to design, they do not measure all forms of intelligence. People can be gifted in numerous ways, including kinetic, musical, and intrapersonal intelligence. These are just as essential to the human experience as mathematics or verbal skills. When these tests only measure one form of intelligence and this is the foundation of their entire learning process, then it can railroad an individual into a process that never develops their strengths and always criticizes their weaknesses.

Next, which I feel is the most significant danger is that these tests can lead to the use of labels. People who are given the label of being “gifted and talented” can develop an unrealistic self-concept about who they are and what they can do. It may even lead them to a place where they feel superior to the average human, causing them to look down on others. On the other hand, people who do not produce a high score on intelligence tests are often given low expectations to meet. People usually believe that their IQ is a limitation of what they can achieve as an individual. This outcome can lead to a lack of self-esteem, less stimulation, and fewer efforts to make a difference.

Another disadvantage to standardized intelligence tests is that they can struggle to assess people with unique challenges.IQ tests are not able to assess the minds of individuals with autism and the unique brilliance they have. People express themselves in a variety of ways, which is why this information is only valid for a segment of the population. Some people are more logical, while others are more emotional. There are individuals who express themselves verbally, and then some who do better when writing. You could be a visual learner, a text-based learner, or neither. Unless you fit the exact criteria of what the test maker tries to discover, then it not an accurate reflection of who you are.

When reviewing the pros and cons of intelligence testing, it is essential to remember that a single number is never the entire story for the individuals who are taking the test. No single score is able to establish or measure an individual’s overall intelligence. Different activities will cause unique regions of the brain to activate. Behavioral and emotional influences can affect some scores, but not others. What we know is that as we discover more about information, it is clear that we still have a lot to learn.

References:

https://brandongaille.com/15-intelligence-testing-pros-and-cons/

https://education.seattlepi.com/positive-negatives-iq-testing-3073.html

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-abnormalpsych/chapter/intelligence-testing/