The relevance of the problem under study is explained, on the one hand, by the theoretical and practical need for reliable knowledge about human intelligence, cognitive operations and general thinking skills. In our opinion, individual differences in cognitive abilities of children with normal development and special needs require close attention. On the other hand, the issue on early diagnosis of children’s intellectual capacity is quite important due to the demand made by modern schools, where a great emphasis is being placed on the differentiation of education. In this regard, the early detection and reliable diagnosis of the individual level of intellectual development and thinking skills are vital. The paper is aimed at describing Edinburgh Picture Test (EPT), which is designed to test children at the age ranging from 6 years and 6 months to 8 years and 3 months. This test allows assessing the general reasoning ability in the form of RQ (Reasoning Quotient). Moreover, the article describes the experience of applying EPT in Belarus, Russia and Poland. The research involved three stages: 1) theoretical analysis of existing methods for diagnosing and evaluating the level of general thinking skills in the RQ form; 2) adaptation of EPT for the diagnosis of 5-8 year olds; 3) approbation of EPT in the practice of Russian, Polish and Belorussian psychologists.

ntelligence, cognitive operations, diagnosis