Though English is the language of the citizens of the U.S.A., it would be rash to assume that their reading vocabulary was identical in its familiarity with that of the citizens of the British Isles. Hence it is possible that a vocabulary test which is suitable for discriminating among adults in the U.S.A. may not be as suitable for that purpose among adults in this country. A critical examination of the Shipley-Hartford test seems called for, in order that the test may be used with success on this side of the Atlantic.