What is Psychological Testing?
If you have ever asked yourself what is psychological testing, you’re definitely not the only one. Psychological testing is a systematic approach to understanding how an individual thinks, feels, acts, learns and reacts to various situations. There are different types of standardized tests, interviews, observations, questionnaires, and other information a psychologist can use to gain a clearer understanding of a person’s strengths, concerns, and needs. The purpose is not to criticize or decide whether or not you “pass” or “fail” a test. Rather, psychological testing should be understood as a procedure which may be used to deepen understanding about possible mental health issues and to inform appropriate treatment.
Key Takeaways
- What is meant by psychological testing? The application of systematic psychological evaluation and testing procedures to understand human behavior, feelings, thinking, personality and cognitive functions.
- Psychological tests may be used to help assess depression, anxiety, learning disorders, attention disorders, and certain cognitive issues.
- Testing is not the same as a simple online mental health quiz/screening.
- The psychologist selects the tests to answer the questions being asked.
- Interpreted with the help of interviews, history, observations and other relevant information.
- Psychological Testing is not taught. The most helpful information is typically given in an honest answer.
- Just because someone takes a psychological test doesn’t necessarily mean they have a mental health condition.
What is Psychological Testing?
Therefore, what is psychological testing? It is an evaluation process of a professional nature and employs standardized instruments to measure certain psychological traits. These can be memory, attention, intelligence, personality, emotional functioning, learning capabilities and mental health symptoms.
According to the American Psychological Association, psychological tests are standardized instruments that assess areas of emotional functioning, intelligence, cognitive, interests, attitudes and personality characteristics.
Furthermore, there is distinction between a psychological test and a psychological assessment. Typically, there’s one standardized tool that you’re using for a test. An assessment is more comprehensive, and may include test scores as well as interviews, observation, records, questionnaires and other data.
That is, psychological testing is not just sitting down to answer a series of questions. It’s part of a larger process that addresses a particular clinical or psychological question.
Why Is Psychological Testing Used?
It is important to know what psychological testing is as well as why a psychologist might recommend it.
If symptoms are perplexing, similar across multiple conditions, or have been present for a long time, psychological testing & assessment can be used. For instance, difficulty concentrating could be part of ADHD, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, learning challenges, or another underlying issue.
Testing may help a psychologist:
- Explain symptoms and concerns
- Support or rule out possible diagnoses
- Know my own strengths and weaknesses and how this affects my thinking.
- Assess attention, memory or learning
- Gain insights into personality and emotion regulation
- Identify areas that may require further assistance or therapeutic support
- Make recommendations for care, school, work or daily functioning
According to the APA, psychological evaluations can aid psychologists in determining the type of challenges a person has and how they can be resolved.
What Does Psychological Testing Evaluate?
Many people think that psychological testing is only about mental health when inquiring what it is. However, the truth is that there are a number of areas of function that psychological testing can assess.
Depending on the reason for the evaluation, a psychologist may assess:
Emotional functioning: This may encompass mood, anxiety, stress, emotional regulation and concerns.
Cognitive functioning: Tests that involve memory, attention, reasoning, processing, and problem-solving.
Personality: Personality measures can give you clues to patterns of thinking, feeling, relating and behaviour.
Learning and academic skills: Testing can be used to establish if there are any learning challenges or differences in reading, writing or maths.
Adaptive functioning: This is how they deal with daily tasks and activities.
Behavior: A psychologist can study behavior patterns that impact school or work, relationships, or daily life.
The items assessed will vary based on the individual’s concerns and the question(s) the licensed mental health professional is trying to answer.
What Are the Different Types of Psychological Tests?
No single test can answer all psychological queries. It’s helpful to remember that all tests have different uses when looking at what is psychological testing.
Common categories include:
Personality Tests
Personality assessments delve into the characteristic ways of thinking, feeling, relating with others and acting. Some are designed in the form of questionnaires, others are not.
Intelligence and Cognitive Tests
These tests focus on cognitive abilities like reasoning, problem-solving, memory, processing, and more.
Achievement and Learning Tests
Academic skills may be assessed and these assessments may identify learning difficulties.
Neuropsychological Tests
Neuropsychological testing examines cognitive functions more in-depth (memory, attention, language, processing speed and executive functioning).
Symptom and Mental Health Measures
Questionnaires assess specific symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD/trauma, or substance use disorders. These tools provide helpful clinical information but are interpreted alongside full clinical interviews.
Behavioral Assessments
Patterns that impact relationships, school, work or daily functioning can be identified by behavioral measures.
APA has a number of categories of psychological testing: cognitive, personality, mental health, neuropsychological, trauma, and substance-use.
What Happens During a Psychological Testing Process?
If you need to find out what’s psychological testing since you have an approaching assessment, you may discover it is less stressful.
Often begins with an interview. The psychologist will ask about your concerns, family history, medical history, past mental health treatment, education, work, and relationships.
Thereafter, one or more standardized tests can be taken. They can include responding to questions, solving problems, recalling information, completing tasks, and/or describing your thinking and feelings.
Depending on the situation and consent of parents, teachers, partners and others who know you well, this may also contain information from them.
Once the results are obtained, the psychologist will review them and take them into account when considering the entire assessment. Psychological testing is more than just a score. The significance of the results requires the whole story.
A Helpful Tip
Avoid attempting to prepare by doing research on the internet for test answers. There is no right or wrong response. Giving answers that you think a psychologist would want will make results less accurate. The APA recommends that you not practice responses in advance when taking a test.
WellMind Therapy Center can inform you of your options if you or someone you know has questions about psychological testing. Speak with our team about your concerns and read about the possibility of a psychological assessment.
Who Can Benefit From Psychological Testing?
Then what are the benefits of psychological testing and who might benefit?
Psychological testing can be helpful for children, teens and adults if there are concerns regarding emotional, behavioral, cognitive or learning issues.
If a person is having problems, such as:
- Low mood or anxiety which is not resolving.
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Learning difficulties
- Changes in behavior
- Issues at school or work
- Relationship difficulties
- Unexplained emotional changes
- Anxiety in relation to personality or behaviour patterns
- Cognitive changes that impact on daily functioning.
Testing may also be helpful if the symptoms do not obviously match one condition. By carefully assessing the indicators, similar concerns can be distinguished, and attention can be directed at other areas.
What Conditions Can Psychological Testing Help Identify?
One of the frequent reasons for searching what is psychological testing is because they wish to know if a specific condition can be identified by a test.
Psychological testing can provide information during an assessment of concerns involving:
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- ADHD
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Learning disorders
- Trauma-related conditions
- Personality disorders
- Substance use concerns
- Cognitive impairment
- Certain neurodevelopmental conditions
However, there is a difference between the diagnosis of a psychological test and a diagnosis of a condition. Diagnosis is typically based on multiple sources of information such as symptoms, history, interviews, observations and professional judgement.
Mental health screening is also not a complete psychological evaluation. According to MedlinePlus, screening involves a series of questions used to detect symptoms of a possible mental disorder, or to see if further evaluation is needed.
How Long Does Psychological Testing Take?
The other key component to knowing what psychological testing is, is the amount of time it might require.
Each student’s evaluation time is different. A total time of less than an hour may be needed for some assessments, or several hours over one or more appointments for more comprehensive assessments.
The length will vary based on:
- Explain why the test was conducted.
- The number of tests required
- The person’s age
- The complexity of concerns.
- Including cognitive/ neuropsychological testing or not
- Do more interviews or record are necessary
The testing appointment and the interpretation of the results also take time. After the tests, a psychologist might require extra time to analyze the scores, compare results, and develop recommendations.
What Happens After Psychological Testing?
Once you’ve asked them what psychological testing is, the logical question to ask is, “What happens when it’s all over?”
The psychologist checks the information gathered in the Evaluation. This may include tests scores, interviews, observations, background information, and more.
The psychologist compiles and carefully checks all the information gathered throughout the psychological evaluation. This comprehensive review typically includes analyzing standardized test scores, clinical interviews, behavioral observations, background history, and rating scales.
Psychotherapy, psychiatric treatment, education, behavioral intervention, and/or further medical evaluation or other resources may be recommended.
It’s not just to provide you with a label. The aim is to offer information that may be beneficial in making decisions about you and your care.
The psychological evaluation should leave you with a greater understanding of what might be going on, and what steps can be taken to help.
Why choose WellMind Therapy Center
Don’t try to solve all your emotional, behavioral, cognitive or learning problems on your own. Call WellMind Therapy Center to find out more about psychological testing and if it might be beneficial for you to proceed with an evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Psychological Testing
What happens during a psychological test?
In a psychological test you can answer questions, perform tasks, solve problems, remember information or describe your thoughts and feelings. The activities selected are dependent on the goal of your evaluation and are determined by a psychologist.
Why would someone need psychological testing?
Psychological tests may be required if symptoms are unknown, there may be a number of conditions that could account for the symptoms, or there may be concerns that impact a person’s ability to function at school, work, in relationships, or in everyday living. Testing can offer further data to help with diagnosis and care planning.
What are examples of psychological tests?
These include personality questionnaires, intelligence and cognitive tests, achievement tests, tests of attention and memory, behavioural tests and symptom questionnaires. The psychologist chooses the assessment tools that are relevant to the person’s age, troubles and assessment objectives.
What questions do they ask on a psychological test?
Questions might involve mood, thoughts, relationships, attention, sleep, stress, functioning in daily life, personal history and emotional experiences. Some tests also require you to do something with memory, reasoning, language or problem solving.
What not to say during a psychological evaluation?
There’s no special word you must avoid. It is best to be honest, and to describe your experiences, as accurately as possible. Try not to overestimate or underestimate symptoms or concerns because it is awkward to talk about.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric, or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Psychological testing should only be administered and interpreted by an appropriately qualified professional. If you feel you are having a mental health crisis or there is an immediate risk of harm to yourself or others, please call the emergency services or contact a relevant crisis support service.
References and Content Sources
- American Psychological Association. Understanding Psychological Testing and Assessment. American Psychological Association: Psychological Testing and Assessment
- American Psychological Association. Testing, Assessment, and Measurement. APA Testing and Assessment Resources
- American Psychological Association. APA Dictionary of Psychology: Psychological Assessment. APA Dictionary of Psychology
- MedlinePlus. Mental Health Screening. MedlinePlus: Mental Health Screening
- American Psychological Association. Guidelines for Psychological Assessment and Evaluation. APA Psychological Assessment Guidelines
