Introduction to Psychological Testing Paper

Introduction to Psychological Testing Paper

Definition of Test

A procedure which is intending to evaluate, examine, and/or observe the performance, capability, quality, effectiveness, characteristics, and/or reliability of someone or something is known as test. It allows the individual to determine the skill level, ability, knowledge, behavior, and aptitude that one possesses. This helps in analyzing the individuals about their strengths and weaknesses, thus helping them to utilize their strengths in appropriate manner, while at the same time working on their weaknesses to overcome them.

Major Categories of Tests

There are several categories of tests; however the major categories of tests include achievement tests, cognitive tests, intelligence tests, memory tests, neuropsychological tests, personality tests, and psychometrics. All of these tests are used for different purposes and for different set of individuals, which are going to be discussed in the coming part of the paper.

Major Uses & Users of Tests

Achievement Tests

Achievement tests are used to measure the level of already developed knowledge and skills an individual possess. Standardized test is one of the most common type of achievement tests, which also tend to measure the knowledge and skills an individual has gained during a given time period. This time period can be denoted by a particular grade level, which includes classroom knowledge and instructions along with the training provided by specialized tutors and instructors.

Cognitive Tests

Cognitive tests are used to measure the cognitive capabilities of an individual. Such kind of tests is conducted for human beings as well as animals in order to determine their psychology and philosophy of mind. The cognitive tests conducted for animals include T maze test (which tend to tests the learning ability of animals) and the mirror test (which tests the self-awareness). Apart from that, in humans, it is used during any specific competition or quiz programs to determine the most intellectual person among all participating individuals.

Intelligence Tests

Intelligence tests, also known as Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests, are used to measure the intelligence of an individual. These IQ tests are usually based on scores, which represents the performance and achievements of a particular individual (Stineman, 1996). IQ tests are generally conducted to measure the school performance of students, job performance of employees, and also for real life accomplishments.

Memory Tests

Memory tests are used to measure the glitches and problems one experiences in his/her memory. It is used to recall the stored memory of an individual from his/her mind in order to ...