{"formatVersion":"1.1","id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/psychological-testing","path":"/library/psychological-testing","url":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/psychological-testing","title":"Introduction to Psychological Testing","family":"Library detail","description":"Explore Psychological Assessment, measuring human abilities and traits through tests.","language":"en-US","access":{"audience":"public","indexable":true},"provenance":{"sourceUrl":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/psychological-testing","wordpressId":"8262","contentCompleteness":"complete","dateScope":"original-source"},"authors":[],"dates":{"datePublished":"2024-06-25T16:58:51Z","dateModified":"2026-08-23T15:30:51Z"},"content":{"html":"<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\"><ol><li><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/\">Home</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library\">Library</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/assessments-diagnosis\">Assessments &amp; Diagnosis</a></li><li><span aria-current=\"page\">Introduction to Psychological Testing</span></li></ol></nav><div class=\"article-page article-standard\" data-library-standard=\"\"><div class=\"article-main-grid\"><header class=\"article-heading\"><h1>Introduction to Psychological Testing</h1><div class=\"article-dates\"><span>Published on <time datetime=\"2024-06-25T16:58:51Z\">June 25, 2024</time></span><span aria-hidden=\"true\"> · </span><span>Updated on <time datetime=\"2026-08-23T15:30:51Z\">August 23, 2026</time></span></div></header><div class=\"article-jumpbar\"></div><div class=\"article-layout\"><div class=\"article-reading\"><article class=\"prose\" id=\"article-content\"><p>Welcome to our <a class=\"article-inline-link\" href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/assessments-diagnosis\">Psychological Assessment</a> topic center. Psychological Assessment is a sub-field of Clinical Psychology specializing in the measurement of human abilities, traits and characteristics. Primarily, psychologists use tests to measure personality characteristics, intelligence and cognitive (e.g., thinking, attention, memory) characteristics</p><figure class=\"article-feature\"><img alt=\"A healthcare professional speaks with a child at a table.\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"600\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/assets/optimized/08e1ed96fe6f72b1144168c8.webp\" width=\"1200\"></figure><section aria-labelledby=\"key-takeaways\" class=\"article-takeaways\"><h2 id=\"key-takeaways\">Key takeaways</h2><ul><li>Psychological testing measures abilities, personality traits, and cognitive functions such as attention and memory.</li><li>Different tools use approaches ranging from standardized questionnaires to responses to ambiguous material.</li><li>Neuropsychological assessment examines relationships between brain function and behavior, including difficulties after brain injury.</li></ul></section><h2 data-editorial-heading=\"\" id=\"different-types-of-psychological-tests\">Different types of psychological tests</h2><p>There are literally hundreds of psychological tests in existence. The best known among these are several tests of intelligence yielding the <a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/psychological-testing-intelligence-quotient\" class=\"article-inline-link\" data-context-link=\"359\">IQ score</a> (the Stanford-Binet, and the Weschler tests). These and other similar tests are commonly used to classify people into mentally retarded, learning disabled, normal and gifted categories for school purposes.</p><section aria-label=\"Subject matter expert\" class=\"article-expert article-expert-inline\" data-expert-kind=\"related\" data-expert-layout=\"standard\"><p class=\"article-bio-role\">Subject matter expert</p><div class=\"article-expert-identity\"><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/people/roy-sugarman\" class=\"card-identity-photo\" aria-label=\"Roy Sugarman, Ph.D.\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"64\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/assets/optimized/7ff1067904bc3b3ec0bfb453.jpg\" width=\"64\" decoding=\"async\"></a><h2><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/people/roy-sugarman\">Roy Sugarman, Ph.D.</a></h2></div><p class=\"article-expert-focus\">Neuroscience and clinical mental health</p></section><h2 data-editorial-heading=\"\" id=\"projective-tests\">Projective tests</h2><p>Another well known set of tests are the Rorschach Ink Blot Test, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), which are examples of two very different sorts of personality tests. </p><p>The Rorschach test involves making sense out of people’s spontaneous verbal responses to ambiguous ink blot pictures. The MMPI, in contrast, involves making sense out of a persons’ response to a large true or false answer questionnaire. </p><p>The Rorschach test is ‘projective’ in that it is designed to make clear exactly how the test subject goes about making sense out of (projecting meaning onto) the ink blots. The MMPI is ‘objective’ in that conclusions drawn from it are based on rigorous scientific studies of how thousands of people have responded to the same set of true or false questions.</p><h2 data-editorial-heading=\"\" id=\"neuropsychological-assessment\">Neuropsychological assessment</h2><p>The field of Neuropsychology exists to assess the relationships between brain and behavior, especially when the brain is damaged. Neuropsychologists use specialized tests that measure memory, learning, attention, intelligence, concentration, etc. to demonstrate that brain damage has indeed occurred even when that damage may be too slight and mild to have resulted in something visible on an MRI, CT or X-ray scan.</p></article><div class=\"article-endmatter\"><section class=\"article-about article-panel\"><h2 id=\"about-mentalhealth-com\">About MentalHealth.com</h2><p>MentalHealth.com helps people understand themselves, build healthier relationships, and access the right care. We bring together mental health education, diagnostics, and care management to support well-being throughout every phase of life.</p><div class=\"article-contributors\"></div></section><section aria-label=\"Related community\" class=\"article-topic-community article-topic-community-end\"><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/community/assessments-diagnosis\" class=\"card-identity-photo\" aria-label=\"Assessments &amp; Diagnosis\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"topic-community-banner\" height=\"1536\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/assets/optimized/2f9e9d1a0710aab4fb0058aa.webp\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"></a><p class=\"topic-community-label\">Related community</p><h2><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/community/assessments-diagnosis\">Assessments &amp; Diagnosis</a></h2><p>Explore questions about mental health assessments, diagnostic language, and the evaluation process.</p></section></div></div><aside aria-label=\"Article navigation and related information\" class=\"article-sidebar\" data-bounded-rail=\"\" tabindex=\"0\"><details class=\"article-contents\" data-expanded=\"false\" data-scrolled-past=\"false\" data-section-preview=\"3\" open=\"\"><summary><strong>Table of contents</strong><span aria-hidden=\"true\"></span><small data-current-section=\"\">Choose a section</small></summary><nav aria-label=\"Article contents\"><ol id=\"article-section-list\"><li><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/psychological-testing#different-types-of-psychological-tests\" aria-label=\"Different types of psychological tests\" title=\"Different types of psychological tests\">Different types of psychological tests</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/psychological-testing#projective-tests\" aria-label=\"Projective tests\" title=\"Projective tests\">Projective tests</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/psychological-testing#neuropsychological-assessment\" aria-label=\"Neuropsychological assessment\" title=\"Neuropsychological assessment\">Neuropsychological assessment</a></li></ol><button aria-controls=\"article-section-list\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"article-sections-toggle\" data-sections-toggle=\"\" hidden=\"\" type=\"button\">View more</button></nav></details></aside></div></div></div>","text":"Home Library Assessments & Diagnosis Introduction to Psychological Testing Introduction to Psychological Testing Published on June 25, 2024 · Updated on August 23, 2026 Welcome to our Psychological Assessment topic center. Psychological Assessment is a sub-field of Clinical Psychology specializing in the measurement of human abilities, traits and characteristics. Primarily, psychologists use tests to measure personality characteristics, intelligence and cognitive (e.g., thinking, attention, memory) characteristics Key takeaways Psychological testing measures abilities, personality traits, and cognitive functions such as attention and memory. Different tools use approaches ranging from standardized questionnaires to responses to ambiguous material. Neuropsychological assessment examines relationships between brain function and behavior, including difficulties after brain injury. Different types of psychological tests There are literally hundreds of psychological tests in existence. The best known among these are several tests of intelligence yielding the IQ score (the Stanford-Binet, and the Weschler tests). These and other similar tests are commonly used to classify people into mentally retarded, learning disabled, normal and gifted categories for school purposes. Subject matter expert Roy Sugarman, Ph.D. Neuroscience and clinical mental health Projective tests Another well known set of tests are the Rorschach Ink Blot Test, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), which are examples of two very different sorts of personality tests. The Rorschach test involves making sense out of people’s spontaneous verbal responses to ambiguous ink blot pictures. The MMPI, in contrast, involves making sense out of a persons’ response to a large true or false answer questionnaire. The Rorschach test is ‘projective’ in that it is designed to make clear exactly how the test subject goes about making sense out of (projecting meaning onto) the ink blots. The MMPI is ‘objective’ in that conclusions drawn from it are based on rigorous scientific studies of how thousands of people have responded to the same set of true or false questions. Neuropsychological assessment The field of Neuropsychology exists to assess the relationships between brain and behavior, especially when the brain is damaged. Neuropsychologists use specialized tests that measure memory, learning, attention, intelligence, concentration, etc. to demonstrate that brain damage has indeed occurred even when that damage may be too slight and mild to have resulted in something visible on an MRI, CT or X-ray scan. About MentalHealth.com MentalHealth.com helps people understand themselves, build healthier relationships, and access the right care. We bring together mental health education, diagnostics, and care management to support well-being throughout every phase of life. Related community Assessments & Diagnosis Explore questions about mental health assessments, diagnostic language, and the evaluation process. Table of contentsChoose a section Different types of psychological tests Projective tests Neuropsychological assessment View more","wordCount":437},"schema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/#organization","name":"MentalHealth.com","url":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/","publishingPrinciples":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/publishing/editorial-policy"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/#website","url":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/","name":"MentalHealth.com","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/#organization"}},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library/psychological-testing#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Library","item":"https://www.mentalhealth.com/library"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Assessments & 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