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ExIntelligence amining W Individuals can exhibit three types of intelligence: analytical, creative, and practical. Conventional college entrance exams identify students with analytical intelligence, but supplemental tests measure all three types—and help predict who will succeed in school and at work. by Robert J. Sternberg hen I took an introduction to psychology course as an undergraduate, I got a "C." The course required straight memorization, and that's not the way I learn. I dropped out of psychology, switched to math, did worse, and switched back to psychology. I now have been in the field of psychology for 30 years. I have been President of the American Psychological Association; director of Yale University's Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise; and am now dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts. I have never, in these various jobs, had to memorize a book or a lecture. In fact, many otherwise gifted students are not memory-based learn- ers, and yet our educational system is set up to recognize and reward individuals who excel at skills such as rote memorization. It also rewards students who are strong in analyzing and critiquing arguments. I call that ability analytical intelligence. Analytical intelligence is essential for success in the workplace—it enables individuals to evaluate, explain, critique, and analyze the world around them. Yet people also need creative intelligence so they can cre- ate, invent, discover, explore, and imagine. They need practical intelli- gence so they can implement, contextualize, use, and apply. Put anoth- er way, there are three types of intelligence—analytical, practical, and creative—and they all work together. Intelligence and Diversity Each individual presents a different profile of the three types of intelli- gence, typically displaying stronger talents in one area than another. The best workers, however, draw on all three. Their creative skills help them generate new ideas, while their analytical skills let them evaluate whether an idea is a good one. Their practical skills help them persuade others that an idea is valuable and figure out ways to implement it. In business, knowing how to create and persuade are at least as important as, and arguably more important than, knowing how to evaluate. Traditional education and, in particular, traditional tests, focus a spot- light on only one kind of intelligence and one kind of person. This caus- es the educational system to overlook diverse people who possess diverse kinds of intelligence. Not only does coursework demand that students possess analytical skills such as memorizing and critiquing, but popular 22 BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006