Abstract: The emphasis of this paper is the interpretation and review of dynamic testing. Dynamic testing refers to both diverse approaches that share some basic assumptions and a kind of measuring paradigm based on Vygotsky’s ideas and experiments of the zone of proximal development (ZPD). Its main goal is to develop a new evaluative model of children’s potential to substitute or remedy traditional static testing being regarded as an underestimate of cognitive abilities of the disadvantaged children and the lack of valid guidance to instructional practice. It adopts the items similar to intelligence test and methods of coaching, tutoring or intervention at the time of administering and uses the learning and transfer efficiency and cognitive modifiability as the indicator to examine the level of the individual potential cognitive development. We’ll interpret a variety of contemporary measurement techniques and instruments designated by several labels—e.g. mediated learning (Feuerstein), training test (Budoff), graduated-prompts approach (Campione & Brown), learning test (Guthke) and testing-the-limits (Carlson & Wiedl), and at last briefly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of dynamic testing

Key words: ZPD, dynamic testing, static testing, disadvantaged children