Types of Psychological Tests (Multiple Classifications)

Psychological tests play a crucial role in assessing various aspects of human behavior, cognition, and personality. These tests are designed to measure intelligence, aptitude, personality traits, and mental health conditions, among other psychological factors.

Depending on their purpose and method of administration, psychological tests can be classified into different types. Understanding these classifications helps professionals choose the right test for accurate assessment and diagnosis.

Let’s explore types of psychological tests with examples.

Type of Psychological Tests Based on Administration

One of the most important distinctions relates to whether tests are group administered or are individually administered by a psychologist, physician, or technician.

Group Administered Tests

A Group Test consists of tests that can be administered to a large group of people at one time.

Examples

• Purdue Vocational Achievement Test
• The Adaptability Test and
• The Wonderlic Personnel Test

Individually Administered Tests

In individually administered tests the examiner or test administrator (the person giving the test) gives the test to only one person at a time.

Examples

• Stanford-Binet intelligence scale
• The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)

Types of Psychological Tests According to What They Are Measuring

Psychological tests can differ on what they measure in the subject.

Personality Tests

A personality test evaluates our behaviours, emotions, behavioural and environmental traits, attitudes and even clinical disturbances in people.

Objective Personality Test

The objective test requires the respondent to make a particular response to a structured set of instructions (e.g., true/false, yes/no, or the correct answer).

Example

• The Big Five Personality Inventory
• The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI)
• Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Projective Personality Test

The projective test is given in an ambiguous context in order to afford the respondent an opportunity to impose his or her own interpretation in answering.

Example

• The Rorschach Inkblot Test
• Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Semi Projective/Subjective Test

Semi-projective tests are usually more free-flowing, partly structured, quick, and easy to administer and can be used to assess a wide range of psychological constructs.

Example

• Sentence completion test (SCT)
• The Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (RISB)

Ability Tests

Ability tests are standardised methods of assessing an individual's ability in different work related tasks, education or other situations. Historically ability tests have been divided into the following types.

Intelligence Tests

Intelligence tests are used to determine a person’s level of intelligence by measuring his or her ability to solve problems, form concepts, reason, acquire detail, and perform other intellectual tasks. It comprises mental, verbal, and performance tasks of graded difficulty.

Example

• Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Disabilities
• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
• Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
• Universal Nonverbal Intelligence

Lots of companies are using these intelligence tests during their recruitment processes to screen candidates.

Aptitude Test

Aptitude test is an assessment instrument designed to measure potential for acquiring knowledge or skill. Aptitude tests are thought of as providing a basis for making predictions for an individual’s future success, particularly in an educational or occupational situation.

Example

• Watson Glaser Test
• The Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential (MAPP) Career Test

Achievement Test

Measure an individual’s current level of skill or knowledge in a given subject. Often the distinction is made that achievement tests emphasise ability acquired through formal learning or training, whereas aptitude tests emphasise innate potential.

Example

• Metropolitan Achievement Test
• Cooperative Achievement Test
• Types of Tests Based on Score Interpretation

Psychological tests can also be classified based on how the scores of the participants are compared and how the inferences are made from these tests.

Criterion-referenced tests

Criterion-referenced tests compare a person’s knowledge or skills against a predetermined standard, learning goal, performance level, or other criterion. With criterion-referenced tests, each person’s performance is compared directly to the standard, without considering how other students perform on the test.

Norm-referenced tests

Norm-referenced testing measures by comparing a characteristic of an individual with the same characteristic in a comparable group of others, the normative group.

Example

• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Type of Scales Based on Responses

There are two types of assessment measured based on who rated the tests, some tests are clinician rated scales and others are self report questionnaires. These are mostly used in clinical practice.

Clinician Rated Scales

Based on an interview and observations, a clinician rates the severity of a person's symptoms for any particular disorder on a graded scale.

Example

• Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)
• Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Clinician Rating (QIDS-C)

Self Report Questionnaire

The self-report questionnaire is one of the most widely used assessment strategies in clinical psychology. It consists of a set of written questions used for describing certain qualities or characteristics of the test subject.

Example

• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
• Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)

Final Thoughts

Psychological testing is an essential tool for understanding human behavior and mental processes. Whether used for clinical diagnosis, educational assessments, or career guidance, these tests provide valuable insights that guide decision-making. Choosing the right type of psychological test ensures accurate evaluation and meaningful results, making them indispensable in various professional fields.