---
title: "Koh's Block Design Test in Psychology Explained"
url: "https://www.ellomind.com/ai-tools-for-psychologists/tests/kohs-block-design-test/"
description: "What the Koh's Block Design Test measures: nonverbal reasoning and spatial skill, what happens in the assessment, and what results mean. Educational only."
---
Intelligence (Performance) 

# Koh's Block Design Test (KBD)

Performance test of nonverbal intelligence · Roughly 8 years and above (children and adults)

The Koh's Block Design Test is a performance test of nonverbal intelligence, in which a person reproduces printed geometric designs using a set of coloured cubes. This page explains what it measures, what happens during the assessment, and what the results do and do not tell you, whether you have been given the test yourself or a child of yours has been referred for one.

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**Educational overview only.** The Koh's Block Design Test materials and norms are obtained through publishers or suppliers and used by trained examiners; in India it is most often administered as part of Bhatia's Battery of Performance Tests of Intelligence. ElloMind does not provide the materials, the designs or the scoring; this page is educational only.

## What it is

The Koh's Block Design Test is a performance, or nonverbal, intelligence test developed by the American psychologist Samuel C. Kohs in 1920\. The person is shown a series of printed geometric designs and asked to reproduce each one using cubes whose faces carry different colours. Because the instruction can be shown rather than spoken, it depends very little on language.

It is designed to sample nonverbal reasoning, spatial visualisation and planning: the ability to break a whole design down into its parts, work out how the coloured faces combine, and rebuild it. The Block Design subtest found in the Wechsler scales descends from this same tradition, which is why the two look similar.

## What it covers

| Spatial visualisation         | Mentally breaking a whole design into parts and rebuilding it with the cubes |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Nonverbal reasoning           | Working out how colours and shapes combine, with little or no language       |
| Planning and organisation     | Approaching each design methodically rather than by trial and error          |
| Perceptual-motor coordination | Turning and placing the cubes to match the target design                     |

[**This test was given to me or my child** What happens, what the report means, and where to get assessed](#families) [**I administer this test** Administration context, use in India, citation and related tools](#for-clinicians)

## If this test was given to you or your child

If you or your child has been referred for the Koh's Block Design Test, this is what the session looks like. You sit with a psychologist, one to one, and are shown a series of designs printed on cards. For each one, you use a set of small coloured cubes to build a copy of the design. The designs start easy and get gradually harder, which is by design and not a sign that anything has gone wrong.

There is almost no reading, writing or talking involved. The test was built that way on purpose, so that someone with little formal schooling, or who is more comfortable in a language other than the examiner's, is not marked down for it. It usually takes somewhere between twenty and forty minutes.

Some of the designs are timed, which is a normal part of how the test works rather than a sign that you are being rushed. Most people find it more like a set of puzzles than an exam, though the harder designs can feel frustrating, which is expected.

## Reading the results

A report gives an estimate of nonverbal ability based on how accurately and how quickly the designs were reproduced. Because the task is practical rather than verbal, the result describes reasoning with shapes, colours and space, not vocabulary, general knowledge or how well someone reads.

That makes it useful in a specific way and limited in another. A good result here says something real about spatial reasoning and problem-solving. It does not tell you how someone will manage a heavily language-based school subject or job, and a careful psychologist will say which question was being asked and will often use a second test alongside it.

Every psychological test has a margin of error, so a careful report describes a band and a description rather than treating a single number as exact. The figure reflects how the person did on these particular designs, on this particular day, compared with others of a similar age.

## What it cannot tell you

It does not diagnose anything on its own. It is one measure of one kind of ability, taken on one day, and a diagnosis of intellectual disability, a learning difficulty, autism or ADHD is made by a qualified clinician who puts the score together with history, day-to-day functioning and other assessment.

Because parts of it are timed, it is unusually sensitive to things that have nothing to do with ability. Someone who is shy with the examiner, tired, unwell, anxious, or simply careful rather than fast will take longer. It does not measure memory for everyday life, language, emotional wellbeing, motivation or how someone copes under pressure.

And it does not measure potential. A low score on a difficult afternoon is a snapshot, not a ceiling. If the person was unwell, exhausted or unfamiliar with the examiner, say so, because it belongs in how the result is read.

## Who can administer it in India

The Koh's Block Design Test is administered and interpreted by a psychologist or examiner trained in its use, working from the manual and the physical cubes and cards. Timing and the handling of the cubes are part of the standardisation, which is why it cannot be done informally or from a description online.

For clinical purposes in India, and for anything feeding into certification, this generally means a professional registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India, the statutory body that regulates who may deliver such assessments. If you are unsure who assessed you or your child, or under whose supervision, it is reasonable to ask, and a straightforward service will tell you.

## Where to get assessed

Assessment is carried out in both government and private settings. The psychology departments of government medical colleges and district hospitals, and District Early Intervention Centres, provide assessment at low or no cost, though waiting times vary considerably by district. Private clinics and hospitals are usually quicker and charge a fee that varies by city and setting.

Because the Koh's Block Design Test is usually administered as one part of the Bhatia Battery or a wider assessment rather than on its own, it helps to ask what the full assessment will cover. If the result is needed for disability certification or a school accommodation, check which route the receiving authority accepts before you book, since a report from the wrong setting can mean repeating the whole thing.

## Who it is for

It is used with children and adults, from roughly eight years upwards, where a language-reduced estimate of reasoning and spatial ability is useful. That includes people with limited schooling or literacy, a language difference with the examiner, or hearing and speech difficulties, for whom a heavily verbal test would be unfair.

It is administered individually by a trained psychologist or examiner, following a standardised order and timing. It is not a group test and not something that can be done reliably from a description.

For clinicians

## How it is administered

The examiner presents the coloured cubes and a set of design cards, demonstrates what is wanted, and then asks the person to reproduce each design. The designs are ordered so that they become gradually harder, and both accuracy and the time taken are recorded.

Performance is compared with the test's norms to give an estimate of nonverbal ability. The cubes, cards and manual are obtained through a publisher or supplier, and the specific designs and scoring tables are not circulated openly, because exposure to them would make a later assessment meaningless.

## Use in India

In India the Koh's Block Design Test is best known as one of the core subtests of Bhatia's Battery of Performance Tests of Intelligence, the non-verbal battery standardised by C.M. Bhatia in 1955, and it is widely taught and used in that form. It is valued in Indian practice precisely because the country has such wide variation in schooling and languages, and a block-design task lets a clinician estimate reasoning without penalising someone for their reading or their English.

Because it appears on the syllabus of most Indian psychology degrees, many people who look it up are students revising the Bhatia Battery rather than families, and both are served by understanding what the task actually measures. As with other older tests, clinicians keep the age of the norms in mind when interpreting a score.

## Related free tools

[Formulation Case formulation (5Ps and CBT)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/case-formulation/) [Report writing Referral letter](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/referral-letter/)

## Citation and sources

Kohs, S.C. (1923). Intelligence Measurement: A Psychological and Statistical Study Based upon the Block-Design Tests. New York: Macmillan.

* [Kohs Block Design Test (overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohs%5Fblock%5Fdesign%5Ftest)  — Wikipedia
* [Kohs block-design test (definition)](https://dictionary.apa.org/kohs-block-design-test)  — APA Dictionary of Psychology

## Frequently asked questions

What is the Koh's Block Design Test? + 

A performance, or nonverbal, intelligence test in which a person reproduces printed geometric designs using coloured cubes. Developed by Samuel C. Kohs in 1920, it estimates reasoning and spatial ability with very little reliance on language.

What does the Koh's Block Design Test measure? + 

Nonverbal reasoning, spatial visualisation and planning: the ability to break a design into its parts, work out how the coloured faces combine, and rebuild it. It deliberately leaves out language, reading and general knowledge.

What is the Koh's Block Design Test used for in psychology? + 

It gives a language-reduced estimate of reasoning where a verbal test would be unfair, for example with people who have limited schooling, a language difference with the examiner, or hearing and speech difficulties. In India it is used mainly as part of Bhatia's Battery of Performance Tests of Intelligence.

Who developed the Koh's Block Design Test? + 

The American psychologist Samuel C. Kohs, who introduced the block-design method around 1920 in the United States. The Block Design subtest in the Wechsler scales descends from the same tradition.

Is the Koh's Block Design Test part of the Bhatia Battery? + 

Yes. It is one of the five subtests of Bhatia's Battery of Performance Tests of Intelligence, standardised by C.M. Bhatia in 1955, and in India it is most often administered in that form.

What is the age range for the Koh's Block Design Test? + 

It is used with children and adults, roughly from eight years upwards. The exact norms depend on the version and the battery it is administered within, and results outside the normed ages are interpreted with added caution.

How is the Koh's Block Design Test administered? + 

One to one with a trained examiner, who presents coloured cubes and design cards, demonstrates the task, and records accuracy and time as the person reproduces each design. The detailed designs and scoring are kept in the restricted manual.

Is the Koh's Block Design Test the same as Block Design in the WISC or WAIS? + 

They are closely related but not identical. The Block Design subtest in the Wechsler scales grew out of the tradition Kohs began, using the same basic idea of building designs from coloured cubes, but each instrument has its own materials, norms and scoring.

Who can administer the Koh's Block Design Test in India? + 

A psychologist or examiner trained in its use, working from the manual and materials. For clinical assessment and anything feeding into certification, this generally means a professional registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India.

Can the Koh's Block Design Test be taken online or for free? + 

No. It is a hands-on test that depends on the physical cubes and standardised administration and timing. Any free online 'block design test' is not the real instrument, and exposure to the designs would compromise a later assessment.

## More tests and assessments

[Performance test (India) Bhatia's Battery of Performance Tests of Intelligence (Bhatia Battery)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/tests/bhatia-battery/) [Intelligence (Performance) Alexander Pass-Along Test (APT)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/tests/alexander-pass-along-test/) [Performance test (India) Seguin Form Board Test (SFBT)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/tests/seguin-form-board/)

This page is general educational information for professionals, not clinical or legal advice, and not a substitute for training in the instrument. ElloMind does not provide, sell or reproduce copyrighted test materials.

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