The Psychological Testing Process

✔ Fact Checked
Date Icon Publish Date
- March 25, 2021
Text Icon Written by Ben Lesser
checked list Medically reviewed by Nina Köhler and Ralf Dietrich

Last Updated on May 6, 2021 by

Psychological testing, also known as psychometrics, uses various measures to measure psychophysical behavior, skills, and difficulties and make psychological performance predictions. It is the cornerstone of how professional gain a deeper understanding of a person’s behavior. This psychological testing is a problem-solving approach aimed at determining the central elements of the person’s psychological or mental health issues, IQ, personality, other factor. It’s also a method for identifying a person’s strengths and flaws.

Psychological testing assesses a person’s abilities at a particular moment. In relation to test results, psychologists refer to a person’s “current functioning.” As a result, psychological assessments are unable to assess future or inherent ability.

The definition of psychological testing does not include one type, nor does it limit the variety of tests available. It refers to scores of scientifically validated assessments and procedures for evaluating particular aspects of a person’s psychological makeup. There are several different types of tests available. Several of them allow us to gain insights about intelligence and personality traits, while others assess substance abuse or psychological evaluations. Several different methods can test a mental illness, various of which have different scientific backing – some tests feature solid psychological testing; others do not.

A licensed psychologist is usually the only person who can conduct standardized psychological testing (In some cases, the actual training can be performed by a psychology intern or trainee aspiring to be a psychologist). Several tests can be performed on the patient to assess his or her psychological status to be able to evaluate the efficacy and willingness to cooperate with the treatment method. The majority of the research work carried out to a psychologist’s office in using pen and paper tests psychological testing (Today, the testing can be performed with a computer if it is more convenient for all involved).

The term “test” not confusing its parent word psychological testing; test refers to any method (often formally devised) for eliciting responses that can be linked to human behavior in other situations. Such a device is an aptitude test because it predicts relatively distant future behavior (e.g., academic success). It is referred to as an achievement test used to assess an individual’s current abilities academically or vocationally psychological evaluations. Skill and personality assessments or psychological testing can be useful in diagnosing and detecting problematic behavior in environments such as guidance offices, mental health facilities, and psychiatric hospitals. Tests have been commonly used in both industry and government to pick employees. Employees who work in the field of research often report on their findings. Therefore, psychological testing is a method used by professionals on patients to ascertain certain responses, such as abilities and problems in response to psychological testing.

There are many factors to consider in the diverse realm regarding psychological testing. Our daily lives are filled with an array of emotions, which is why substance abuse testing is equally complex and wide-ranging. Although psychological tests can be taken without the user being aware of his mental illnesses, the psychological tests may still affect his mental state of mind regardless of the treatment. Quizzes in magazines available at newsstands and college exams can be considered part of the assessment.

Psychologists and counsellors, as well as you, often greatly benefit from taking more than one psychological testing available today. Suppose you are considering about taking care of mental illness and substance abuse menace. In that case, psychological tests may enable physicians to understand your perspective regarding treatment and help build a proper recovery plan.

More of Psychological Evaluations

It is important to observe while measuring someone’s behavior when conducting a successful psychological testing. Based on this, we are capable of measuring all types of human behaviors. According to Psych Central, these tests cannot predict the future including the capability of an individual. However, they can tell a person’s “present functioning” or what they are currently capable of doing.

Different Types of Psychological Testing

There is also a type of exam used during psychological testing, just like quizzes available in magazines which also includes tests conducted in public schools. They can be conducted in computerized formats, picture formats or observing a person in an environment outside of their usual environment.

4 Major Ways of Testing Someone’s Psychology Include:

  • Clinical Assessment: Psychology is very important to determine a person’s personality, so psychological testing is important as based on the same argument. The clinical assessment is usually referred to as an “admitting interview,” an interview intended to evaluate your fit for the program or program or whether you fit the criteria for the program at that time. A typical clinical interview generally lasts one to two hours within a clinical setting. The clinical interview is conducted by many professionals, including psychologists who mainly specializes in psychological testing, nurses, therapists, and many others.

Psychologists conduct these types of tests when they have a chance to learn about a person’s past and their family. Take this as an information gathering session. You may be asked to recall events or points of your life due to a medical expert’s questioning, as this may help the expert review your mental illness treatment records. Psychological testing, or rather an interview, covers the key information a psychologist wants to gain about the individual and their family background. It does not take long, maybe two hours at the most, to obtain information about the individual.

  •  Intellectual Functioning (IQ) Assessment: IQ or the intellectual quotient, often shortened to the most frequently used term “intelligence quotient”, is a theory for testing one’s general intelligence based on psychological testing. It’s important to remember that IQ assessments don’t assess real intelligence; instead, they assess what we think are important aspects of intelligence. They have been used to assess general intelligence rather than actual mental abilities measured through psychological testing. Neuropsychological including intelligence tests are available from Psych Central. Neuropsychological tests usually assess people with head injuries. The purpose of psychological tests is to assess the ability to perform tasks and comprehend different types of information by looking at how well a person performs his or her daily activities.

The most widely used intelligence assessment is probably Wechsler Adult of Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) In its fourth edition, the Wechsler Institute for Educational Research was published. This psychological testing sessions provides information not only from an educational but also from a scientific perspective. The WAIS-IV is divided into four IQ scales. There are optional subtests on all scales, known as supplemental tests (also known as optional subtests). Those subtests are required to determine the full-scale IQ. The Supplemental Subtests Further Assess a Person’s Cognitive Abilities.

Verbal Comprehension Scale

  • Similarities
  • Vocabulary
  • Information
  • Supplemental Subtest: Comprehension

Perceptual Reasoning Scale

  • Block Design
  • Matrix Reasoning
  • Visual Puzzles
  • Supplemental Subtests: Picture Completion; Figure Weights (16-69) only

Working Memory Scale

  • Digit Span
  • Arithmetic
  • Supplemental Subtest: Letter-Number Sequencing (16-69 only)

Processing Speed Scale

  • Symbol Search
  • Coding
  • Supplemental Subtest: Cancellation (16-69 only)

The names of a number of the IQ test scales suggest that it is not simply a matter of questions asked about facts and vocabulary psychological evaluations. Since several subtests include physical object manipulation, Wechsler taps into various parts of a person’s brain. IQ tests or psychological testing took online aren’t the same as real tests administered by a professional or psychologist for this and other reasons.

  • Personality Tests: Psychologists can make sense of mental illness after such tests. psychological testing may be objective and projective. MMPI-2 as well as MCMI-III may be the commonly used objective personality tests that help to depict how an individual’s personality is negatively impacted. Besides the projective tests, psychotherapists also use psychological testing to diagnose mental illnesses in patients.

A personality evaluation is used to help a professional better understand an individual’s personality. Persons have different personalities not only because of their biological makeup but also because of their experience, their treatment, and psychological testing. A person’s personality is formed by a combination of contextual factors, including genetics, social influences, environmental influences, and substance abuse. As a result, personality assessments and psychological testing take this difficulty and variety into account.


There is a famous personality test known as the Rorschach Inkblot that evaluates the characteristics of every individual. The phenomenon of making an inkblot into an image may appear funny to you, but it is used for psychological testing. Psychologists can learn more about you by examining how you interact with images using the psychological testing method. One type of personality assessment is an objective measure of substance abuse, while the other involves projective measures of the same. The objective examinations are by far the most common today. Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), 16PF, are examples of objective measures (MCMI-III). The Rorschach Inkblot Test, the TAT, and the Draw-a-Person test are all projective experiments.

  • Behavioral Assessments: This is the most important aspect of psychological testing because its analysis allows us to understand better what motivates someone and potential boosting factors. Behavioral evaluation helps facilitate the process of improving the individual’s habits. In this case, you examine the behavior of a particular person while observing that behavior to determine whether or not that person has a mental illness. Addictions are better understood when psychological testing or rather behavioral assessments are used. Journaling can provide insights into a person’s actions.

Self-monitoring is also a component of behavioral assessment. Self-monitoring is an increasingly popular form of assessment, incorporating criteria such as remembering things and planning future psychological evaluations. Behavioral assessment includes self-monitoring. By keeping a food journal and keeping track of their moods over time, people can self-monitor psychological testing and prepare themselves on their behalf. Self-monitoring forms an integral part of behavior testing as well. When someone is asked to self-monitor their mood, for example, they keep a mood journal and keeps track of his/her mood over a week or a month.

It is vital for severe dependence as well as mental health clinics to administer psychological testing materials to treat their patients effectively and other testing procedures. A clinician or psychologist may administer assessments such as those highlighted above to understand you better. If you or someone you care about is undergoing treatment for mental illnesses, substance abuse or a psychological problem, such tests can be extremely beneficial to their recovery. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Dual Diagnosis Center may be able to help you find out whether testing is the right next step for you. call us today 615-490-9376 for more information relating to psychological testing.