Army Beta

Army Beta was a mode of cognitive/intellectual testing that the Army used before and during WWI to evaluate recruits who were illiterate, unschooled, or non-English speaking.This test was designed to measure "verbal ability, numerical ability, ability to follow directions, and knowledge of information."

It was also used to sort out recruits who showed psychopathology or "feeble-mindedness" (an old catch-all phrase that could mean any serious intellectual/psychological/behavioral abnormalities). It was designed to measure the same basic parameters as the Army Alpha (hyperlink?) test; ability to serve, trainability, basic aptitudes, and leadership potential without depending on written materials.

This test was generally administered to 100-200 recipients at a time.over a 50-60 minute time period. Discontinued after WWI, it, along with Army Alpha, is still considered an archetype for future methods of cognitive testing.