Answer to Quora Question: "Are there any ways to assess true intellectual abilities beyond academic performance indicators such as test scores and GPA?"

Are there any ways to assess true intellectual abilities beyond academic performance indicators such as test scores and GPA?
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Yes, there are. That’s why, for example, colleges usually allow people whose talents aren’t easily measured using standardized tests or school grades (e.g. artists) to submit portfolios of artwork, recordings of their performances, etc. Athletes are recruited by coaches who measure the prospective student athletes’ abilities.


College admission essays also force students to express themselves and, hopefully, tell the admissions committee who they really are - what their goals are, if they’re likely to meet those goals, their ability to express themselves appropriately, and their relative maturity level (an essay that’s all about how a students wants to “be super rich and drive a hot car” might not play as well as an essay by a serious academic expressing how this college is the best place for them to take the next step in their academic development).


Personal interviews may also play the same role, although many college interviews are more for the purpose of allowing the students to ask questions about the college than to gather information about the student for the college. Letters of recommendation may also serve the same purpose. An instructor’s, classmates’, or employer’s evaluation of a given student should give insight into that student that written tests and grades (unless they’re descriptive grades, not simple letter grades) cannot.


Hope this helps!