Applications of testing in psychology

A psychological test is used to measure an individual's different abilities, such as their

aptitude in a particular field, cognitive functions like memory and spatial recognition, or even
traits like introvertedness. Data gathered through psychological testing can aid in identifying
specific challenges, areas of need, clarifying diagnoses, and illuminates strengths to be
incorporated, all of which can lead to more effective points of intervention and treatment
planning, to help clients thrive even in the face of adversity.
Testing in clinical settings:
In Clinical Psychology, tests are extremely useful in the assessment process. This is largely
because tests are more systematic and objective than clinical interviews.
Psychological tests enable mental health professionals to make diagnoses more reliably,
validly, and quickly than they can from personal observation alone. Tests can uncover
problems that a mental health professional may not detect until much later. This allows the
clinician to focus on the appropriate treatment more quickly, thereby saving time and money
for the patient or client.
Most frequently used tests:
1. WAIS
2. MMPI
3. Rorschach Inkblot test
4. TAT
5. Bender Visual Motor test
6. Sentence Completion test
7. House Person Tree Test
8. Projective Drawing Test
9. stanford Binet Intelligence Test
10. WISC
MMPI- Minnesota Multiphasic Personalty Inventory:
I. Most Widely used personality test
II. 90 minutes to take 527 items
III. Provides six validity scales, ten basic and fifteen content scales
Sentence Completion Test:
I. Very important in clinical assessment, simple to administer and take little
time
II. Some people view these as self report tasks, most clinicians see it as
projectives test task.
Projective Drawing Test:
 I. Drawing tests try to tap in unconcious
II. Some popular Tests are Draw a man, draw a woman, House tree person and
kinetic house person tests.
California Personality Inventory:
I. Describes basic personality characteristics
II. Use for normal clients and help n client insight
III. 13 special scales available with computer scoring; used for career and
business related activities
Testing in Educational Settings:
The purpose of conducting Cognition tests is to collect information that may be used to make
educated, well-informed choices about people, training, and goods. School administrators,
instructors, and counselors utilize the results of Cognition testing to guide kids' behavioral
and educational interventions. Cognition assessments aid in making choices that are not
directly related to education, such as curricular, selection, placement, and individual in
character.
 Classification:
The Cognition tests or measurement results may be used to choose high-quality, competent
applicants to represent a university in external contests, get scholarships, advance to higher-
level classes, or enter more selective higher education institutions. The selection process helps
educators choose students for various academic programs, including but not limited to
scholarships, entrance exams, and admittance to high schools, colleges, and universities.
 Assessment:
The results of Cognition tests and measurements provide useful information that educational
administrators may use to decide if a certain teaching method, curriculum, or another
educational program should be continued, modified, or scrapped. A well-thought-out
checklist or accomplishment exam may be a helpful data-gathering instrument.
 Recognition
Educators and guidance counselors may use testing and measuring to sort students into
distinct groups depending on how much they have learned, changed in their behavior, made
decisions about their future careers, and have changed in other ways relevant to these groups.
Some pupils could be assigned to the scientific class, while others would be assigned to the
art class. However, the school counselor may also use the exam scores to divide pupils into
high- and low-intelligence groups.
 Administration
The Institute of Medicine states that a key difference between tests is whether they are
designed to assess maximum performance (often cognitive tests) or to assess average
behavior (typically non-cognitive measures). Common performance indicators are
assessments of usual behavior.
Testing in Counselling settings:
Counseling is regarded as one of the most helpful professions on Earth; many people are still
unclear about its genuine meaning, objective, and purpose. Psychological test reports help
counselors get a clear idea and proper evidence of the problem their client is struggling with.
It helps them in making a well-structured treatment plan and organizes their strategies in a
way that’s best in the favor of their client. It aims to provide a representative sample of the
client’s behavior, including cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional processes, and is a
standardized procedure in use to obtain this sample. This testing procedure includes
questionnaires, interviews, surveys, and tests.
 Paper and pencil tests:
Paper and Pencil Test focuses on evaluating a learner's ability through the
instrumentality of writing material notably: paper and pen. This is to say that learners'
knowledge is measured through a written instrument unlike oral or practical tests. Paper and
Pencil Tests comprises of Objective and Essay tests.
 The objective and essay tests:
The objective Test is the most popular type of test used in Nigeria since education became
liberalised and school enrolments started to experience explosion. In Objective Test, learners
are expected to choose from multiple answer options. This method is not only
limited to academic examinations but is commonly adopted in employment, aptitude
tests, entrance examination.
 Verbal or non-verbal tests:
Verbal tests are tests in which direct vocalized responses are involved. They are used in the
assessment of some language skills or other forms of knowledge, and they usually
constitute a significant part of some degree examinations. Verbal tests can be individual
or group in nature. In verbal tests, the test administrators have a face to face relationship with
the subject, or subjects. Non-verbal tests are tests in which the testee is not expected
to vocalize his/her answers. Such answers are not spoken but written. It can be in form
of an objective or essay test.
 Personality tests:
Personality tests are instruments for measuring the a ffective or non-intellectual
aspects of behaviour. They can be used to measure such aspects of personality as
emotional stability, friendliness, motivation, dominance, interests, attitudes,
leadership, sociability and introversion/extroversion. There are several approaches
to personality assessment in counselling.
Testing in Organizational Settings:
One of the main uses of psychometric tests in an organizational context is their application in
assessing a candidate’s mental ability and behavioral style. Psychometric assessments aim to
determine an individual’s suitability for a role based on the essential cognitive skills and
personality characteristics. They offer crucial insights into a person’s cognitive ability and
reveals his/her underlying potential.
 Cultural Fitment:
Recruitment isn't all about hiring excellent talent with a demonstrative ability to fit into a job
role. While a critical requirement, it’s ideal in identifying whether a candidate fits in well with
the rest of the team working with you, or better yet – how well they fit into a company’s
culture. This benefit has also been known to affect employee attrition. Cultural fitment is a
critical component in personifying your ideal employee in terms of organizational, job role, or
management suitability.
 Inherent Traits:
Contrary to popular belief, a robustly constructed psychometric test is difficult to fake. The
results of the psychometric tests offer an inside view of a candidate’s fitment and how they
may interact, engage, or improve the workplace. This would include behavioral traits in
addition to the technical aspect.
 Cost and time efficient:
The use of psychometric tests at the beginning of the application process eliminates the need
to sift through many applications. The use of psychometric tests ensures that the time-to-hire
decreases and reduces the cost-of-hire, with considerably lower chances of wrong hiring.
 Standardized Testing:
It’s a fair form of testing. While larger organizations tailor the tests, candidates interacting
with the test undergo the same process without bias. It’s a robust alternative to interviews,
heavily relying on the interviewer’s perception, often prone to fluctuations and subjectivity.
Group VS. Individual test
“Test is a method of measuring a person’s ability, knowledge or performance in a given
domain.” (Brown 2004)
Individual tests; Individual Administrated Academic Aptitude Test are divided into two
major individual intelligence Test i) Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale fourth edition & ii)
Wechsler intelligence Scale for children-III (WISC-III)
1. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test
This Published by Houghton Miffin. The Fourth addition is appeared in 1985. This test has 15
subset divided into 4 areas 1-Verbal reasoning , 2-Quantitative reasoning, 3- Abstract/verbal
reasoning, 4-Short term memory.
How Stanford Binet IQ test is calculated?
The Stanford-Binet intelligence test used a single number, known as the intelligence quotient
(or IQ), to represent an individual's score on the test. This score was calculated by dividing
the test taker's mental age by his or her chronological age and then multiplying this number
by 100.
For example, a child with a mental age of 12 and a chronological age of 10 would have an IQ
of 120 (12/10 x 100)
2. Wechsler intelligence Scale for children-III (WISC-III)
This test is published by Psychological Corporation. It is appropriate for students between 6
and 16 years of age Wechsler test include 1. Verbal IQ scores 2. Performance Non-verbal IQ
Scores 3. Full –Scale IQ Scores
Verbal tests; Information Similarities Arithmetic Vocabulary Comprehension Digital
span. Performance tests; Picture completion Coding Picture arrangement Block Design
Objective assembly Symbol research Verbal Performance
This verbal score is the average of the first 5 verbal subset scores. • The performance IQ is the
average of the first 6 performance subset. • The full-IQ score result from all 11 subset scores.
Group Test • Group Administrate Academic Aptitude Tests are divided into 3 types.
Cognitive Ability Test, Otis Lennon School Ability test, Test of cognitive skills
• Cognitive Ability Test • This test include non-reading test and multilevel test that provide
verbal quantitative and non verbal score • This test normed with Test of Basic test skill &
Test of Achievement Proficiency. • Non-reading Test have 4 subset i-e Oral
vocabulary ,Relational concept, Quantitative, Multimental • The verbal test include
Vocabulary , sentence completion, verbal classification and verbal analogies. • The
Quantitative test measure Quantitative comparison, Number series & equation Building. • The
Non-verbal include Figure Analogies, Figure classification & Figure synthesis.
• Otis-Lennon School Ability Test • This test based on Levels of material available.This test
is also called Otis Quick scoring Mental Ability Test or Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test.
This test require 60 to 70 minutes to administer. • This test measure comprehension verbal
reasoning, pictorial reasoning, Figure reasoning, Quantitative reasoning & yield score for
verbal ,non-verbal & total performance. • This test normed with Metro-Politan Achievement
Test and Stanford Achievement Test to enhance identification of aptitude achievement.
Test Of Cognitive Skills Second Edition: • This test is appropriate for grades 2-12 • Six level
of this test covered the grade range. • This test has four subset at each level Sequences,
Analogies, Memory and Verbal Reasoning
Difference between Individual & Group test
A individual test can be administered to only one person at a time.
 The individual test mainly done to observe characteristic to of individual.
  Expensive to administrate .
 These test involves one to one consultation with individual and verbal and non verbal
subsets. Example: intelligence test by school psychologist
Group test can be administered to a group of persons at a time.
 Group test mainly done to meet the practical needs.
 Cheaper to administrate.
 These tests include multiple choice items.
 Example: traditional college exams Individual test Group test
What is Measured in Group & Individual test? Your ability to influence others. Your level
of involvement in performing a group task. Your communication style - are you kind,
aggressive, dominant, controlling, accommodating, listening when interacting with others?
The quality of your contribution to the team.
How are you measured in a group or individual exercise? ØYour individual and others style
of interaction during the entire group activity are observed and assessed by qualified
observers who are typically psychologists or people with special qualifications. ØThe group
activity is used as an opportunity to measure your ability to work and interact with others
such as your communication skills, listening skills, influencing skills, negotiating skills,
social confidence, ability to encourage others, decision making skills.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Individual test Advantages: •Examiner can pay more
attention to the examinee. •Examiner can easily encourage the examinee and observe his
behavior during the test more closely. •Scores on individual tests are not as dependent on
reading ability as scores in group tests. Disadvantages: •It is very time consuming •This type
of tests requires a highly-trained examiner. •It costs more than the group test.
Advantages and disadvantages of Group test Advantages: • can be administered to very
large numbers simultaneously • simplified examiner role • scoring typically more objective •
large, representative samples often used leading to better established norms Disadvantages: •
Scores on the group test are generally dependent on the reading ability. • Information
obtained by the group test generally less accurate than the individual tests • examiner has less
opportunity to obtain cooperation, and maintain interest • examinee’s responses more
restricted
Conclusion:
The importance of psychometric tests also extends to fiscal benefits. The use of psychometric
tests to identify behavioral traits indicative of leadership potential positively impacts
performance management, ensuring strategic positions remain occupied with competent
performers. This negates the cost and time on external recruitment and training, statistically
more expensive than internal promotions.