PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS.

The present entrance examinations are not the final means of selecting college men. Out of justice to the candidates for a degree, some examination for admittance must be made to prevent men from making large outlays of money and time only to find themselves incapable of keeping up with the work required. After using several methods the comprehensive examination system at present seems to be the most practical for determining the candidate's ability and at the same time for maintaining a high standard for college work, Columbia has gone one step further in adopting psychological tests as well as examining her prospective students.

Such an idea is not wholly new. Psychology has been working on means for rating the "capacity to learn" of a man for many years. The nianner in which this science has aided the government in judging and placing its men for the great task of war is a noteworthy recommendation of its progress. But as Professor Langfeld points out, the idea is new enough to be unreliable in its present form. However, it has immense possibilities. If a psychological examination were to be made compulsory at the beginning of each year, the facts thus gained together with the University's record of marks would furnish the Psychology Department with a wide field for investigation. In time a trustworthy means for measuring the "capacity to learn" of a man would be evolved.