Meaningful mathematics depends on mental imagery. Many students who are not successful in our system that focuses on linear, sequential tasks have highly developed spatial ability that can serve as a foundation for their knowledge construction. This test is a measure of mental rotation.

The Wheatley Spatial Ability (WSAT), 19 years in the making, is a quick way of identifying students with strong spatial ability and thus mathematics potential. Surprisingly, some students who are doing well in school do poorly on the test and this is an indication they are "playing the game called school" and not necessarily understanding what they are doing.

The WSAT requires just 8 minutes to administer and yields useful data. While the test is appropriate for children ages 8-14, national norms are available for grades three, four, and five.