Discussion: Test Using

Test Uses

Testing is useful in any setting that requires objective information to make decisions about people. Educational and occupational testing are two broad areas that use testing extensively. You may have taken educational tests such as the GRE or SAT, and you have probably taken hundreds of classroom tests at this point in your education. Occupational testing, in contrast, can match people with jobs and careers or help select job candidates. Clinical and counseling psychology also use applied testing. Tests used by these types of psychologists can help people understand themselves better and can be used for personal guidance. In addition, tests can assist with mental health diagnosis and treatment planning.

Tests can be used to measure many different personal characteristics: intelligence, personality, skill or aptitude, psychopathology, and interest. The same test can be used for many different purposes and several tests can be used together, as part of a test battery. An important aspect of testing is to understand which tests to use in a particular situation in order to answer specific questions and make the best decisions.

Select three tests (one from each of three different categories, e.g., intelligence and vocational interest) from the list below. Research the tests you selected. Then consider how you might use each of these three tests in a specific context and why.

• Intelligence Tests:
  • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 4th Edition (WAIS-IV)
  • Stanford-Binet, 5th Edition
  • Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC)
• Academic Achievement Tests:
  • Wide Range Achievement Test, 4th Edition (WRAT4)
  • Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement
• Vocational Interest Tests:
  • Career Assessment Inventory
  • Self-Directed Search
  • Strong Interest Inventory
• Test of Personality/Psychopathology:
  • Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, 2 (MMPI-2)
  • Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, 2 (MCMI-III)
  • 16-PF Myers-Briggs NEO-PI-R

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 a brief description of the three tests you selected. Then explain appropriate uses of these tests. Finally, describe how you might use each test in a specific context, and provide a rationale for using each test in the context described.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.