The Bar-Ilan Picture Test for Young Children is a semi-projective device which was designed to fill a gap in the local diagnostic battery of the educational system. The test depicts realistic and meaningful situations which focus upon issues generally encountered in the educational environment of the young child. The demand characteristics of these pictures are such that they elicit information from the child specific to the problem at hand, information which would be more difficult to obtain from the fully projective techniques. Thus, we may pinpoint the children's perception of their place in society, in their formal educational setting, and at home, as well as their perception of what constitutes their weaker points and of their potential for coping with life. The test consists of nine basic pictures, four of which have separate versions for boys and girls, i.e. 13 pictures in all. Each picture represents a situation from school or from home. The presentation of each picture is accompanied by standard questions which relate to the children's thoughts, feelings and behavior in the specific situation. The reliability and validity of the test are discussed. Two case studies illustrate the utility of the test as a diagnostic tool. (Author)