WITH the most over-tested school pupils in the Western world, it was probably inevitable that one bright spark would invent an exam for six-month-olds. Dan Kendrick enlisted some help from his niece to put the Fisher-Price study to the test.

THE justification for the baby IQ test is that parents wanted a guide to their child's intellectual development.

Apparently 90 per cent know when the physical milestones, such as sitting up and walking, should occur, but few know intellectual equivalents, such as recognising shapes and colours.

The reality is that league tables and exams - to compare school and student performances - have become so common that assessing the capabilities of children has become a national obsession.

With tests at seven, 11, 14 16, 17 and 18, and the possibility of internal school exams in between, the only way to go was down.

So, Dr Dorothy Einon, a psychology lecturer at University College London and the author of child development books, duly obliged by creating an exam for babies.

"Most parents want to know how best to stimulate their children," she said. "These days it is more important to do well at school.

"Success in life may not require a first-class honours degree but it requires more education than it did in the past."

Her idea is that, if parents can assess their child's intellectual level early, they can be allowed to play with the appropriate toys and develop faster as a result.

"It is certainly true that practice makes perfect, so the more interactions babies have with toys specifically designed for their age, the faster they are likely to develop," hypothesised Dr Einon.

The earliest form of tutoring has surely arrived, with the suggestion that babies' playtime should be angled towards gaining an educational edge rather than having fun.

Scientifically, the 10-question test is dubious to say the least; the questions are vague and possible answers more ambiguous still.

In certain cases a baby's turn of a head is worth a point, while lifting the arms is two and waving a hand three.

The difference between a grunt and a grab can be the difference between having a slowly developing and an advanced toddler - a fair bit of pressure on a basic gesture.

That said, there is a natural curiosity roused by any such challenge and, with my six-and-a-bit-month-old niece Abigail the ideal candidate, it seemed right to put the test through its paces.

Question one: could Abbie a) grab a toy I handed her, b) drop a toy on purpose or c) stack two cups or bricks.

I found out from two proud parents - my brother Tony Kendrick and his wife Rachael - that grabbing and dropping were finally- honed skills. Stacking, on the other hand, was more of a challenge.

We had a "b", and two points for a totally oblivious Abbie. Next, how would she react when one of her toys was hidden under a cloth?

A quick demonstration showed she would remain interested, but only for about five seconds. This earned her two more points and, according to the chart, put her well on the way to having the intelligence of a 10 or 11-month-old baby.

At the end of the test she had recorded an "above average" intellect and, having conveniently forgotten my prior reservations, found I was actually rather proud. Abbie's parents were considerable less caught up in the moment and it was clear the test was far more alluring to me, as a competitive uncle, than they, as practical parents.

"If you spend your time reading to, and playing constructively with, your children you know what they can and can't do," said Tony, of Whittington, Worcester.

"People seem to be obsessed with testing and the last thing you need is for a paranoid parent to see the questions and work themselves up."

His wife agreed, accepting the quiz as a bit of fun but dismissed my suggestion that Abbie could work on the areas she had not achieved top marks in.

"I agree that you need to make sure your child is developing but the health visitor is a professional and will do that," said Rachael.

"They are the people to check your children, not a home IQ test with ambiguous questions."

And the professionals did not think much more of it either.

Droitwich Spa Nursery and Kindergarten staff, who are down to the final five in a national nursery of the year award, feared it could cause undue concern among parents.

At Cornerhouse Day Nursery, in Lechmere Crescent, Worcester, the validity of the test was also in doubt.

"It's too much at six-months old," said nursery manager Samantha Ford.

"Children respond to your voice in a number of ways and do things for any number of reasons so it's difficult to see the value of a test that awards marks for their precise actions."

In the hands of the proper people - health visitors, nurses and midwives - progress tests can reveal important information about a child's development.

In the hands of exuberant uncles, do-it-yourself IQ tests for six-month-olds should be taken, if at all, with a pinch of salt.