New Admissions Exam Takes Unconventional Approach

By Julie Blair

Stacy Berg Dale is weary of the news media and what she suspects is jaded reporters' excessive interest in the "Lego test."

Yes, nine top-notch colleges and universities are now using an admissions exam that judges high school students on their ability to build a robot out of the colorful, interlocking plastic bricks that are so popular with children, said Ms. Dale, one of the researchers implementing the test. But no, the test isn't childish.

In fact, she said, the test may help predict college-success rates if used in combination with several other measures that are part of the exam, a complicated pilot...