Psychological and educational tests are measurement devices used to quantify behavior. An item is a specific stimulus with an overt response that can be evaluated or scored. A test is a set of items designed to measure human characteristics related to behavior. Tests can be individual or group. They measure different types of abilities like achievement, aptitude, and intelligence, which are interrelated, or personality through structured or projective tests. Psychological testing encompasses all uses and concepts of these tests.

1. BASIC CONCEPTS IN
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING

2. Objective
Define the basic terms pertaining to
psychological and educational tests

3. TESTS
are measurement devices or techniques used
to quantify behavior, to aid in the
understanding and prediction of behavior.

4. An ITEM is a specific stimulus to which a
person responds overtly.This response can be
evaluated or scored.

5. A PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST or educational test is a
set of items that is designed to measure
characteristics of human beings that pertain to
behavior.

6. TYPES OF TESTS
INDIVIDUAL TESTS: those that can be given to
only one person at a time
GROUP TESTS: can be administered to more
than one person at a given time by a single
examiner.

7. CATEGORIES OF TESTS
:according to the type of behavior that they
measure
1. Different types of ability
1.1 ACHIEVEMENT: refers to previous
learning

8. 1.2 APTITUDE: potential for learning or
acquiring a specific skill (given a certain
amount of training, education or experience)
1.3 INTELLIGENCE: refers to a person’s general
potential to solve problems, adapt to changing
circumstances, think abstractly and profit from
experience

9. ALL THREE (achievement, aptitude, intelligence)
are highly interrelated- NO clear-cut distinction
BUT there is a clear-cut distinction between
ability tests and personality tests.

10. PERSONALITY TESTS: are related to the overt
and covert DISPOSITIONS of the individual.
They measure TYPICAL behaviors.

11. TYPES OF PERSONALITY TESTS
1.STRUCTURED PERSONALITY TESTS: provide a
statement, usually of a “self-report” variety and
require the subject to choose between 2 or
more alternative responses.

12. 2. PROJECTIVE PERSONALITY TESTS:
UNstructured; either the stimulus (of the test)
or the response – or both-- are AMBIGUOUS.
SPONTANEOUS response is required of the
test takers

13. Projective tests assumes that a person’s
interpretation of an ambiguous stimulus will
reflect his or her unique characteristics.

14. PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING refers to all
possible uses, applications and
underlying concepts of psychological
and educational tests.