Bender Gestalt Test

Introduction
 The Bender-Gestalt test consists of nine
simple designs, each of which is presented
to a subject for him to copy on a sheet of
paper.
 These designs, along with several others,
were originally used by Wertheimer in his
studies of visual perception.
 Dr. Lauretta Bender selected from
Wertheimer’s designs.
 A Visual Motor Gestalt Test and its
Clinical use, published in 1938.
 It has been used to estimate maturation,
intelligence, psychological and
neurological disturbances and the effects
of injury to the cortex, and to follow the
effects of convulsive therapy.
 The test has come to be called the
Bender-Gestalt (B-G) or simply Bender.
Test Administration
 The subject is seated at a table, given a
blank white piece of paper, 8.5×11, and a
sharp pointed pencil with an eraser.

 The table top should be hard-surfaced

and smooth, free from scratches.
 The subject is told that he is to copy nine
designs or figures.
 It is important to tell that the subject
about the number of designs he has to
copy so that he may plan the size and
arrangements; deviations in ordering the
designs on the page are scored.
 Subjects should also be told not to sketch
the designs, but to make single-line
drawings.
Test Instructions
 This instruction is important for people
with training in drawing.
 The instructions are not rigid.
 Something like the following has generally
been used: “I have here nine simple
designs which you are to copy, free hand,
without sketching on this paper. Each
design is on one of these cards which I
will show you one at a time. There is no
time limit to this test.”
Subject Quarries
Q: Do I have to count the dots?
Q: Can I use eraser?
Q: Can I take an extra sheet?
Test Administration
 Subject is not allowed to use a ruler or any
such object as a guide for his drawing.
 Designs are always presented to the subject.
 After the instructions have been given, and
the subject’s questions answered, he is given
design A, the other cards being held face
down.
 Upon completion of design A, the subject is
given design 1 and so on until he has copied
all nine designs.
Test Administration….
 Since time is not a factor in scoring, but
our experience has been that non-
patients take about five minutes or
less to complete the test.
 Clients take about 10 minutes averagely,
some patients taking as long as one-half
hour to copy the drawing.
Test Administration…..
 During the administration of the test it is
important to note the direction in which
the paper is held.
 The top of the page is usually indicated by
an arrow.
 Usually one arrow be enough since most
subjects keep the paper oriented in the
same direction for all nine drawings.
Test Administration…..
 Occasionally, however, some subjects will
turn the paper to fit in a drawing.
 Subjects will sometimes rotate the card
or without rotating the card invert their
drawing.
 This fact is noted.
 Such notations are made after the
subjects completes the test.
Precautions
 The Bender Gestalt Test should not be
administered to an individual with severe
visual impairment unless his or her vision
has been adequately corrected with
eyeglasses.
 Additionally, the test should not be given to
an examinee with a severe motor
impairment, as the impairment would affect
his or her ability to draw the geometric
figures correctly. The test scores might
thereby be distorted.
 The Bender Gestalt Test should never be
used in isolation. When making a diagnosis,
results from the Bender Gestalt Test should
be used in conjunction with other medical,
developmental, educational, psychological, and
neuropsychological information.
 If a scoring system is used, the examiner
should carefully evaluate its reliability and
validity, as well as the normative sample being
used.
Reliability
 A reliability coefficient of .90 was
obtained with a mean raw score of 33.1
for score A and 29.3 for score B.
Scoring
 Each test figure is called as a design.
 First figure is called design A.
 Design A is not scored. Thereafter, designs
are numbered.
 Each scorable deviation is called an item.
 Beginning with design 1 the reproduction is
examined to ascertain whether or not a
scorable deviation occurs.
 Thus, design 1, item 1, wavy line of dots.
 If deviation occurs, the record is scored 2
and this is tabulated in the appropriate space
on the score sheet.
 Each item for each design and for
configuration is checked, and a total raw
score obtained.
 Where no scorable deviation occurs the record
is automatically scored 1.
 2 tables are provided in the Appendix for the
conversion of raw scores to standard scores.
 If the subject is between the ages of 15 and 50
and has one year or more of high school, and no
college education, the table for subjects of high
school education, table II, is used and the
standard score found opposite the raw score.
 If the subject has one year or more of college,
table III is used.
Score Sheet
 Score sheets show the number of
records, the age, education, I.Q., diagnosis,
item scores, total raw scores, and Z
scores/standard scores.
Cut off Score
 Cut off score is slight between 60 and 80.
 Z scores of 50 and below, we can be fairly
confident that the subject does not need
psychiatric help.
 Z score of 72 and above, we can be fairly
confident that subject needs help.
Design A
Design 1 (12 Dots)
Design 1

Score
Wavy lines 2
Dot, dash, circle 3
Dashes 2
Circles 8
No. of dots 2 each
Double row 8
Workover 2
Second attempt 3 each
Rotation 8
Design missing 8
Design 2 (11 Columns of Circles)
Design 2
Score
Wavy line 2
Dash or dots 3
Deviation in shape 3
Circle missing 3
Circles touching 5
Deviation in slant 3
Number of columns 2 each
Design on two lines 8
Guide lines 2
Workover 2
Second attempt 3 each
Rotation 8
Design missing 8
Design 3 (Arrowhead 16 Dots)
Design 3
Score
Asymmetry 3
Dash, dots or circle 3
Dashes 2
Circles 8
No. of dots 2
Extra row 8
Blunting 8
Distortion 8
Guide lines 2
Workover 2
Second attempt 3 each
Rotation 8
Design missing 8
Design 4 (Square and Curve)
Design 4
Score
Asymmetry curves 3
Break curves 4
Curve not center 1
Curls 4
Not joined 8
Curve rotation 3
Touch up 8
Tremor 4
Distortion 8
Guide lines 2
Second attempt 3 each
Rotation 8
Design missing 8
Design 5 (19 Dots in Curve; 7 Dots in
Extension)
Design 5
Score
Asymmetry 3
Dots, dash, circle 3
Dashes 2
Circles 8
Extension joined to curve at dot 2
Rotation of the extension 3
Number of dots 2
Distortion 8
Guide lines 2
workover 2
Second attempt 3 each
Rotation 8
Design missing 8
Design 6 (Intersecting Sinusoidal
Curves)
Design 6
Score
Asymmetry 3
Angles 2
Point of crossing 2 each
Curve extra 8
Double line 1 each
Touch up 8
Tremor 4
Distortion 8
Guide lines 2
Workover 2
Second attempt 3 each
Rotation 8
Design missing 8
Design 7 (Overlapping Hexagons)
Design 7
Score
Ends of lines not joined 8
Angles extra 3
Angles missing 3
Extra scattered dots and/or dashes 3
Double lines 1 each
Tremor 4
Distortion 8 each
Guide lines 2
Second attempt 3 each
Rotation 8
Design missing 8
Design 8 (Hexagon and Diamond)
Design 8
Score
Ends of the lines not joined 8
Angles extra 3
Angles missing 3
Extra scattered dots and/or dashes 3
Double line 1 each
Tremor 8 each
Distortion 2
Guide lines 2
Workover 3 each
Second attempt 8
Rotation 8
Design missing 8
 Configuration Score
Score

Placement of Design A 2

Overlapping of the designs 2 each

Compression 2

Lines drawn to separate the designs 8

Order 2

No order 8

Relative size of the reproductions 8