Testing Your Psychic Powers   There are some general tests that you can do to see if you have psychic abilities. They also illustrate the general principles you will need to apply to test more specific claimed abilities. So try these tests on yourself first in case you need to test someone else.   Card Guessing   Devised in the 1930s, Zener cards are often used to test for psychic abilities. They use five symbols: a star, a square, wavy lines, a cross, and a circle. These cards are used rather than an ordinary deck because it is much easier to have just five variations. Zener card packs only have 25 cards, five of each card, so in all odds, someone will guess correctly five times.     ***Decide the number of guesses to be done and do not change it. ***Select a subject to guess, select the target which is to be guessed (I.E. Zender cards), select a sender, and the experimentor to oversee the experiment. ***The experimentor shuffles the pack of the cards and then hands them to the sender unseen. ***The sender then deals each card in a way that he can see them but the subject cannot. For each card dealt, the subject will try to guess. ***Make sure the subject cannot get the correct answer through normal means. For example... the cards reflecting in the sender's glasses or a window. *** You may need more people, one to watch the sender, one to watch the subject, to make sure that no information is passed.    Interpreting Results   First you need to get certain numbers from the results. ***The odds of being correct by chance (for example Zener cards are 1/5 or .2). ***The total number of trials. ***The actual score: the number of targets you got right, for example (10%). ***The average score by chance: for example with 50 trials it is 50 X  .2 (the odds) = 10.   Now you must apply the following method: ***Get the result of 1 - (the odds of being correct), using .2 would be 1 - 0 .2 =  0.8. ***Multiply this result by the odds of being correct, so here it would be 0.2 x 0.8 = 0.16. ***Multiply this result by the number of trials, say 50 for example, so it would be 0.16 x 50 = 8. ***Now take the square root of the result (use a calculator), in our example it would be the square root of 8 = 2.83. ***Now take the average score by chance from the actual score and divide it by the result of the previous step, for example if we had an actual score of 20 then: 20 - 10 = 10 then divide by 2.83 = 3.54.   So what does this final result (aka the critical ratio) mean? Broadly speaking up to 1.96 results are considered not significant. Above 2.58 they are considered significant, with results between the two figures being a borderline case. Above 3.30 results would be considered highly significant. So our example of 3.54 would be very significant. Statisticians consider something to be significant if there is a 1 in 100 chance, or less, of the result being caused by pure chance.   Table Tilting   In a sitter group several people sit around a small table, in a darkened room, with their hands on the top. After a while the table will often produce small sounds and movements. Over a number of regular sessions, these acts usually grow in magnitutde and variety until they may resemble ones associated with physical mediumship. Physical mediums have poltergeist-type effects occurring during their seances.   ***The table-tilting group usually numbers around four persons. The attitude and personality of the people involved can be crucial to the success of the group. Participants should be open-minded about the research, and not hold any strong preconceptions about it. It is best if they are fellow researchers. ***The group normally meets at the same location for each session. It is important to avoid interruption, so a private home is often used. Ideally, no one else should be home. ***The group normally meets regularly and fairly frequently, often weekly. It is important that the same people meet up. Make it clear that regular attendence is expected. ***The table is generally on the small side. It should be light enough for one person to tilt it on their own when deliberately trying to do so. It should also be large enough to allow all participants to put both of their hands on top at once, without touching each other. The group should be seated at the table in comfortable seats.   A light hearted atmosphere seems to work best during these sessions. There is no need for meditation or chanting. In early sessions most phenomena seems to occur when subjects are talking and forget about what they are doing.   It is better not to draw too much attention to each event, but simply accept it as a normal and natural part of the experiment. Attempts to record or control the phenomena, early on, usually reduce their incidence. It is usual and very wise to write an account of each session after it is over. A tape recording may also be used during the experiment. A tape recorder might be useful too for recording things in detail.   Once regular physical phenomena has been achieved, you should try various factors to see if different affects may be created.   Varying Factors ***Use a different table. ***Sit in a different room. ***Chance the layout of the room dramatically. ***Use a different venue. ***Play music in the background. ***Possible introduce a guest from time to time.