Psychological testing is the administration of psychological tests, which are designed to be an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behaviour. The term sample of behaviour refers to an individual’s performance on tasks that have usually been prescribed beforehand. The samples of behaviour that make up a paper-and-pencil test, the most common type of test, are a series of items. Performance on these items produces a test score. A score on a well-constructed test is believed to reflect a psychological construct such as achievement in a school subject, cognitive ability, aptitude, emotional functioning, personality, etc. Differences in test scores are thought to reflect individual differences in the construct the test is supposed to measure. The science behind psychological testing is psychometrics.
Types and Examples of Psychological Tests
1) Intelligence tests
Are used to measure intelligence, or your ability to understand your environment, interact with it and learn from it. Intelligence tests include:
- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
- Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)
- Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (SB)
2) Personality tests
Are used to measure personality style and traits. Personality tests are commonly used in research or to assist with clinical diagnoses. Examples of personality tests include:
- Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
- Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
- Rorschach, also known as the ‘inkblot test’
3) Achievement tests
Are used to measure how well you understand a particular topic (i.e., mathematics achievement tests). Aptitude tests are used to measure your abilities in a specific area (i.e. clerical skills). Achievement tests include:
- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)
- Peabody Individual Achievement Test ( PIAT)
