Porteus Maze Test

Porteus Maze Test

The Porteus Maze test (PMT) is a psychological test, designed to measure psychological planning capacity and foresight in children, adolescents, and adults. This nonverbal test of intelligence was developed by University of Hawaii psychology Professor Stanley Porteus (April 24, 1883 - October 21, 1972). Maze test consists of a set of paper forms in which the subject is required to trace a path through a drawn maze of varying complexity with a limit of 15–60 minutes to perform this test. The subject must avoid blind alleys and dead ends; no back-tracking is allowed. A maze procedure is also involved as a supplementary subtest of the Weschler Intelligence scale as it allows for a wide range of application.

The test is suitable for people of age 3 and up. The original Porteus Maze Test was developed by Porteus as a young man when he was head teacher of the Victorian Education Department's first special school in Melbourne, Australia. Porteus developed his idea further when he migrated to Vineland, New Jersey, then Hawaii. A well known version is called the "Vineland Series", after the Vineland Training School in New Jersey where Porteus first worked when he arrived in the US from his native Australia. Additional mazes were provided in the Extension to the Porteus Maze Test, and the Supplement to the Porteus Maze Test.