Psychological Testing and Assessment

Psychological testing is the administration of psychological tests, which involve observations made on a "carefully chosen sample of an individual's behavior" and are designed to measure unobserved constructs or latent variables. Psychological tests can include a series of tasks or problems that the respondent has to solve, as well as questionnaires and interviews that are also designed to measure unobserved constructs, with scales typically used for symptom and attitude tests. Psychological assessment is a more comprehensive assessment of the individual that involves checking the integration of information from multiple sources, such as tests of normal and abnormal personality, tests of ability or intelligence, tests of interests or attitudes, as well as information from personal interviews. Psychological testing has a long history, with the first large-scale tests being examinations that were part of the imperial examination system in China, and modern mental testing beginning in France in the 19th century. There are several broad categories of psychological tests, including achievement tests, aptitude tests, attitude scales, biographical information blanks, clinical tests, criterion-referenced tests, direct observation, interest inventories, neuropsychological tests, norm-referenced tests, personality tests, projective tests, and public safety employment tests. Test security is a concern for many test publishers, who restrict access to the tests to protect their copyright and professional ethics.International Guidelines for Test Use: Protecting the Integrity of Tests - Summary

• The International Test Commission (ITC) is an international association of national psychological societies and test publishers.
• The ITC publishes the International Guidelines for Test Use, which prescribe measures to protect the integrity of the tests.
• The guidelines recommend not publicly describing test techniques to prevent unfair advantages for certain individuals.
• The guidelines also recommend not coaching individuals to prevent them from unfairly influencing their test performance.
• The guidelines aim to ensure that tests are administered fairly and accurately.
• Test publishers have the responsibility to ensure that their tests are used appropriately and that the results are not misinterpreted.
• The guidelines provide recommendations for test development, administration, scoring, interpretation, and reporting.
• The guidelines also emphasize the importance of ethical considerations and cultural sensitivity in test use.
• The guidelines are intended to be used by psychologists, educators, and other professionals who use tests in their work.
• The guidelines have been translated into many languages and have been widely adopted by test publishers and users around the world.
• The ITC encourages ongoing research and development of testing practices to improve the quality and fairness of tests.
• Test users should follow the guidelines to ensure that tests are used effectively and ethically.