One of the problems with standardized intelligence testing is the trend that economically disadvantaged students and minority students tend to score lower, according to Indiana University. This suggests a bias in the test itself in favor of middle-class and upper-middle-class majority students. The bias would be in the questions themselves and how they are phrased and what they ask.
There is a scholarly debate about what intelligence actually is and how it can be measured. For many years, the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) has been the standard measure of intelligence. A contending theory is Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. In this theory, intelligence is defined in eight categories, including naturalist, interpersonal, intrapersonal and spatial. The theory argues that the traditional educational system focuses on only two of these eight categories (linguistic and logical).
Some people argue that the questions asked on intelligence tests are flawed. Like other standardized tests (such as the SAT or ACT), the questions may not be understood by students from different cultures. Practicing the test before actually taking it for a score can improve a student's results. A good example of this is the word analogy. If a student has never seen this type of question, she will underperform on the test.
Standardized intelligence tests are also criticized for marginalizing creative thinking. The answers to the questions are usually multiple-choice, which does not allow room for creative and imaginative answers. Some variations of aptitude and intelligence tests now include a written essay section, which allows for more creative answers than multiple-choice questions. However, the essays are not usually scored based on imaginative writing.