Binet and colleague Theodore Simon developed a series of tests designed to assess mental abilities. ... While Binet's original intent was to use the test to identify children who needed additional academic assistance, the test soon became a means to identify those deemed "feeble-minded" by the eugenics movement.

What was the purpose of Binet's intelligence test?

Introduced by Albert Binet and published as the Simon–Binet test in 1905 (Binet and Simon, 1905), the first tool for the assessment of intelligence was aimed to detect and support children with special needs. The items included in this test battery reflected age-appropriate intellectual ability.

Who was Binet and why did he write the first IQ test?

In the early 1900s, the Ministry of Education in France tasked psychologist Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon with devising a way to identify children who were struggling with ordinary class and needed extra attention. The result of their work helped inspire an intelligence test still in use today.