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How to Spot Creative Potential in Others - Part 3

The AC Test of Creativity is designed to give an indication of the number and uniqueness of ideas a person is likely to have. As such, AC says, "It may or may not be a test of creative ability, depending on which one of a number of definitions of creativity is accepted. It will probably be more accurate to think of the test as an indicator of a person's ability to produce a quantity of unique ideas in a given situation."

The full test is in five parts, and requires one hour and twenty minutes to administer:

Part I: A twenty-minute test containing five common situations. A person lists as many possible consequences of each situation as he can. The part yields both a quantity and a uniqueness score.

Typical example: In a thick fog in a major American harbor, a passenger liner is moving cautiously toward its berth. While it has the latest radar equipment, it is inoperative and the radar operator is unaware of this fact. Another boat is approaching the liner amidships, and it is obvious that neither ship is aware of the other's presence. List all the things you can think of that might happen as a conse­quence.

Part II: A ten-minute test of general reasoning containing five unusual and not necessarily true statements. A person lists as many reasons as possible to explain the truth of the statements. This part also yields a quantity and a uniqueness score.

Example problem: Residents of Chicago consume, on the average, more Brazil nuts than residents of Omaha.

Part III: A fifteen-minute test of sensitivity to problems contain­ing a list of five common appliances. A person lists any improvements that he feels could be made in each one. This part yields a uniqueness score.

Example: List all the things you think are wrong with, or could be improved upon in, a wrist watch.

Part IV: A twenty-minute test of practical judgment containing five problem situations. A person gives the solutions which he con­siders to be the least expensive and least time-consuming. This part yields a single quality score.

Example: An Air Force pilot was told to take samples of air at five different altitudes up to 10,000 feet. For this purpose he was given a small plane with a nonpressurized cabin and five bottles with small openings which could be sealed with a cork. When he was ready to take off, it occurred to him that the bottles already contained air at ground level. This air had to be removed so that air at the varying altitudes could be collected. Rather than go to the trouble of locating a pump or other special device to create a vacuum in each bottle, how could he accomplish the assigned task?

Part V: A fifteen-minute test of originality containing five com­mon objects. A person gives as many possible uses as he can think of for each object. This part yields both a quantity and a uniqueness score.

Example: How many uses can you think of for a common paper clip?

Although AC and other companies who have used the AC test report satisfactory results from it, no company should ever feel that such testing is the panacea for unlocking, or even uncovering, creative potential with 100 per cent accuracy. All such tests measure what people can do under test conditions. They do not give you a completely accurate picture of what people will do. When carefully standardized, validated, and administered, there­fore, such formal testing procedures can give you indications of a person's capabilities, but no clear-cut prediction of his perform­ance. This is one of the reasons for the AC requirement that any company using their test come to Flint for prior indoctrination.

Related terms include business development manager and small business consultant.