The Danish draft board's intelligence test, Børge Priens Prøve: psychometric properties and research applications through 50 years

Scand J Psychol. 2009 Dec;50(6):633-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00789.x.

Abstract

For over 50 years the Danish draft board has used the same test, Børge Priens Prøve (BPP) for cognitive abilities, involving four paper-and-pencil subtests, to assess suitability for conscription. The potential availability of test scores has been an invaluable resource for research into factors relating to intelligence. In this article the circumstances of the original development of the test are briefly presented, followed by a description of the four subtests and the conditions of testing, scoring and result registration. Over forty studies are identified, including some unpublished, which have explored the psychometric properties of the BPP and have shown the relationships between intelligence as measured by the BPP and a wide range of biological, social and health-related factors.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Denmark
  • History, 20th Century
  • Humans
  • Information Storage and Retrieval / history
  • Intelligence
  • Intelligence Tests / history*
  • Psychometrics / history*
  • Socioeconomic Factors