Gesell Developmental Figures Test
The Gesell Developmental Figures Test is a developmental performance test, administered by a professional, in which the child copies onto paper the geometric shapes they are shown. The accuracy of the drawings is judged against defined structural criteria and gives information about the child's visual-motor maturity. It is used as a complementary part of developmental assessment in the preschool years.
- Questions
- 7
- Est. time
- ~10 min
- Delivery
- Clinician-administered · in person
- Scoring
- Expert evaluation
What does the Gesell Developmental Figures Test measure?
- •Visual-motor coordination
- •Perceptual maturity and shape comprehension
- •Pencil control and fine motor skill
Who is it for?
Used to assess visual-motor development in children roughly aged 3–7. Administered and scored individually by a professional; the figure set, success criteria and level equivalents are not published on this page.
How is the Gesell Developmental Figures Test scored and interpreted?
Each drawing is judged successful or unsuccessful against structural criteria such as closure, angle preservation and intersection. The number of successful drawings is turned into a developmental level equivalent by the test's own criteria; that mapping belongs to the institution's licensed materials and is not published here. The result is not an indicator of intelligence level.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Gesell Developmental Figures Test measure?
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It evaluates a child's visual-motor coordination and perceptual maturity through their ability to copy geometric shapes.
What age range is it used for?
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It is administered individually by a professional to children roughly aged 3–7 and takes about 10 minutes.
How does it differ from the Bender-Gestalt test?
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Both rest on copying shapes. The Gesell focuses on developmental maturity in the preschool years with simpler shapes; the Bender-Gestalt assesses visual-motor integration in children aged 5–11 with more complex figures.
Does it replace an intelligence test?
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No. It gives information about visual-motor maturity; assessing intelligence level requires comprehensive batteries.
Does the result provide a diagnosis?
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No. This is a screening/assessment tool; it does not provide a clinical diagnosis on its own. Results should be interpreted only by a licensed mental-health professional as part of a clinical evaluation.
Related scales
- Bender-Gestalt Visual Motor TestA test assessing visual-motor integration based on a child copying 9 geometric figures.
- Metropolitan Readiness TestA clinician-administered test assessing the school readiness of 5–6 year-old children across 6 subtests.
- 5-Year Developmental ChecklistA 77-item observation list following psychomotor, cognitive-language, social-emotional and self-care development in detail for children aged 60–72 months.
- 6-Year Preschool Development and School Readiness ChecklistA 92-item observation list evaluating the school readiness of children aged 72 months and over across four developmental areas.
This page is informational and does not contain the actual questions. The Gesell Developmental Figures Test is a screening/assessment tool and does not provide a diagnosis on its own. Results should be interpreted only by a licensed mental-health professional as part of a clinical evaluation.
Administer the Gesell Developmental Figures Test to your clients
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