Psychological Tests

Psychological tests are not a magic crystal ball from which a person sees secrets, the unknown or the obscure. Psychological tests help to assess and evaluate information that you give to the examiner by way of the test.

Psychological testing and assessment has been, and continues to be, an important part of of psychology. The tests are used to measure aspects of intelligence, normal personality functioning, psychopathology, brain injury, learning problems, vocational strengths, and much more. 

Traditionally, testing has been done to guide educational and mental health treatment planning. Some psychologists believe these tests are not needed or wanted and are not helpful while other's see them as very beneficial with tremendous growth potential.

IQ tests are designed to give an intelligence quotient or IQ is a score derived from a set of standardized tests of intelligence. Intelligence tests come in many forms, and some intelligence tests use a single type of item or question. Most tests yield both an overall score and individual subtest scores. Regardless of design, all IQ tests attempt to measure the same general intelligence.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test designed to assist a person in identifying some significant personal preferences. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) criteria follow from Carl Jung's theories. The Indicator is frequently used in the areas of pedagogy, group dynamics, employee training, leadership training, marriage counseling, and personal development.

The MMPI is the most widely and frequently used personality test in the mental health field. This assessment, or test, was designed to help identify personal, social, and behavioral problems in psychiatric patients. The test helps provide relevant information to aid in problem identification, diagnosis, and treatment planning for the patient.

Neuropsychological tests are specifically designed tasks used to measure a psychological function known to be linked to a particular brain structure or pathway. During the past decade neuropsychological testing has become very sophisticated.

The Rorschach inkblot test is a psychological projective test of personality in which a subject's interpretations of ten standard abstract designs are analyzed as a measure of emotional and intellectual functioning and integration. The test is considered "projective" because the patient is supposed to project his or her real personality into the inkblot via the interpretation.  Psychologists use this test to try to examine the personality characteristics and emotional functioning of their clients. The Rorschach is currently one of the most commonly used tests in forensic assessment, after the MMPI.