THE USE OF TESTS IN THE EDUCATION OF THE CULTURALLY DEPRIVED IS PRESENTED. APPROPRIATE USE OF SUCH TESTS CAN MAKE SOME CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DISCOVERY OF TALENT, TO THE DIAGNOSIS OF LEARNING DIFFICULTIES, AND TO THE BETTER GUIDANCE AND ADJUSTMENT OF CULTURALLY DEPRIVED CHILDREN. MOST TESTS MEASURE ABILITY OR APTITUDE AND ACHIEVEMENT. THE FORMER HAVE RECEIVED THE MOST CRITICISM IN RELATION TO THEIR SUITABILITY FOR THE DISADVANTAGED CHILD. TESTS OF GENERAL MENTAL ABILITY ARE GIVEN IN ORDER TO DETERMINE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS IN SCHOOL WORK, TO INFORM TEACHERS OF PERFORMANCE LEVEL AND POSSIBLE RATE OF PROGRESS. CRITICS CLAIM THAT THERE IS A BUILT-IN BIAS AGAINST LOWER-CLASS BACKGROUND IN THESE TESTS. SUBSEQUENT MISINTERPRETATION RESULTS IN CURTAILING OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. TESTS DO USE VERBAL, NUMERICAL AND ACADEMIC CONTENT THAT IS LACKING IN THE BACKGROUND OF DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN. INTERPRETATION SHOULD INDICATE THE CHILD'S PRESENT STATE OF READINESS TO COPE WITH CLASSROOM LEARNING TASKS, NOT HIS NATIVE POTENTIAL. THE USE OF ACHIEVEMENT TESTS WHICH SHOW PROGRESS TOWARD CONCRETE GOALS OF INSTRUCTION IS NOT CHALLENGED. SUGGESTIONS RELEVANT TO THE CULTURALLY DEPRIVED ARE GIVEN FOR THE SELECTION, ADMINISTRATION AND INTERPRETATION OF SUCH TESTS. THE ATTITUDE WITH WHICH THE USE OF TESTS IS APPROACHED IS MOST IMPORTANT. THE DEPRIVED CHILDREN'S FEELINGS OF ALIENATION FROM THE SCHOOL SHOULD BE LESSENED AND MOTIVATION INCREASED. AS LONG AS THE NECESSARY LIMITATIONS ARE KEPT IN MIND, TESTING THE CULTURALLY DEPRIVED CAN BE VALUABLE.