APM. ADVANCED PROGRESSIVE MATRICES

Advanced Progressive Matrices APM are designed to measure eductive skills understood as abilities to gain new insights, to see order in chaos or to  move beyond available information. These skills are relatively independent of experience. The notion of eductive skills is close to the notion of intelligence as conceived by Cattell. The APM is supposed to be administered to persons who are above the average in terms of skills.

Description: The APM includes two series of tasks: Series I, or the preparatory series containing 12 tasks and Series II, or the test proper which contains 36 tasks. The tasks have the form of unfinished patterns (matrices) and the examinee is supposed to add a missing part to the pattern by choosing from among those made available to him/her.

Reliability: Reliability coefficients indicate high internal reliability of the APM II Series which proves its suitability for individual assessment. The split-half reliability coefficients found out in the Polish version are close to, or even higher, than those in the original version. Score stability is very high in the case of adults but low in the case of school students. This might be the consequence of how the test is administered to school students. The examination can be repeated within a relatively short period of time without a risk of obtaining better scores as a result of learning and practice.

Validity: Fluid intelligence as measured by the APM is strongly correlated with scores in tests requiring abstract reasoning or using figurative material but less strongly with those involving social knowledge (Behaviours) or verbal skills (New Words, Synonyms). It can be assumed that this result confirms the APM validity. Strong correlation between intelligence as measured by the APM and educational achievements was observed.

Norms: In 2016 two different sets of norms were developed: one for the third grade school students and the other for adults. The norms were developed jointly for both genders and for both education levels. They were differentiated in terms of age thereby creating three groups in accordance with the results of previous analyses. The 2016 norms are more demanding than earlier ones developed in 1991.

Data related to norms included in the new manual published in 2017 come from the study conducted between October 2015 and January 2016. The study involved the samples of two populations:

• third grade high school students
• adults aged 20-67 with at least high school level of education

Applicability: Advanced Progressive Matrices administered within a limited time period as in the present version allows to assess individual intellectual proficiency or the speed of efficient intellectual work. It should be noted, however, that the tool measures only the eductive aspect of intellectual proficiency. The complete assessment of the latter would require to measure the reproductive aspect as well. The APM is designed for persons above the average in terms of skills and that is why the norms were developed only for adults with at least high school level of education and for third grade high school students. The APM can be applied in selection and recruitment processes for highly qualified positions in administration and industry.  

Materials:

• Complete kit (manual with Polish norms (2016); two original manuals, 5 Series I booklets, 5 Series II booklets, 25 answer sheets, key)
• Manual with Polish norms (2016)
• Progressive Matrices – An Overview (original manual)
• Advanced Progressive Matrices (original manual)
• Series I booklets (5 cop.)
• Series II booklets (5 cop.)
• Answer sheets