Take a look at this list. As you read it, think about what methods best describe your learning style. Circle the number that matches up for each of the learning styles: 1 is least like you and 5 is most like you.

This is not a test. I repeat: This is not a test! There's no good or bad answer or high or low score. This is just a way to think about how you learn most comfortably.  

•    Verbal-linguistic intelligence

If you always have a book tucked in your backpack, circle 5. This type of intelligence has to do with reading, writing, and language. It's also called being "word smart." 1  2  3  4  5

•    Numerical intelligence

If you're one of those people who can do a math problem in your head, circle 5. This intelligence is found in people who easily grasp data and numbers. They're also usually calm and rational thinkers. 1  2  3  4  5

•    Spatial intelligence

If doodling helps you listen in class, or if you're always seeing things that you'd like to photograph, circle 5. This intelligence is used to see patterns, designs, and space—and is found in many artists, architects, and choreographers who can visualize a two- or three-dimensional object or event and make it real. 1  2  3  4  5

•    Musical intelligence

Are you tapping a pencil or drumming your fingers right now? Head for the number 5. This type of intelligence is especially tuned in to sounds, rhythm, and rhymes. 1  2  3  4  5

•    Physical intelligence

If you love PE in school, or if your room looks like a sporting-goods store, you're physically intelligent—someone with awareness of how to use your body well, like many athletes and dancers. 1  2  3  4  5

•    Interpersonal intelligence

Do friendships seem effortless to you (mark 5) or endlessly complicated (mark 1)? Do you always (or never) know what your friends are thinking—or are you somewhere in between? Mark it down. This intelligence refers to the way someone gets along with other people, which is also called "being people smart." 1  2  3  4  5

•    Intrapersonal intelligence

If interpersonal intelligence is "being people smart," intrapersonal intelligence is "being self-smart," or self-aware. It's also called emotional intelligence, because it relates to the way you handle your emotions, such as fear and anger. Do you understand your own reactions to difficult situations and can you control them? Do you think before you talk back? Are you patient with your own shortcomings and do you take care of your self-esteem? 1  2  3  4  5  

Recently Dr. Gardner has come up with an eighth intelligence:

•    Natural Intelligence

describes a person's sensitivity to the world around him or her. If you enjoy being outdoors every weekend or are involved in school or community groups working for the environment, circle 5. 1  2  3  4  5  

I've talked a lot with a psychologist who taught innovative learning at Arizona State University about various learning styles and how they help us achieve personal and financial success. Listening to her thoughts, I've added one more intelligence:  

•    Vision is what determines who will be a leader and who will be a follower. Great leaders can see how a situation will play out and take action in response. Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England during World War II, was one of the world leaders who was against the Nazis from the start. It's as if he could see the terrible things that would happen if they stayed in power. Those of you with crystal balls, mark 5. 1  2  3  4  5
  

Copyright © 2004 by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter