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Psychological and Educational Measurement Instruments Guide

Use Reference Books to Find Tests

 

The reference books below provide information about tests, but not the tests themselves. Use these volumes to find tests on your topic, then look for the tests in books or in databases.  The following reference sources are the most widely used and authoritative:

 

Directory of Unpublished Experimental Mental Measures
(American Psychological Association)

 

Provides information about tests and measures used in recent studies. Usually provides the following information:

  • test name and purpose
  • number of items (questions) the test contains
  • format
  • author
  • reliability and validity (in most cases)
  • title of the article and journal in which the test was used and MAY be included

 

Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY)

Provides descriptions, critical reviews, and references for thousands of tests. Seventeen editions of MMY have been released since 1939 (MMY1, MMY2, MMY3, etc.). The first 8 editions are available in print. Editions 9 - current are available online in a searchable database.

 

Tests

Contains information on thousands of tests in English. Provides concise descriptions of tests, plus test title, author, intended population, test's purpose, major features, administration time, scoring method, cost and availability, and keys to indicate whether the test is self- or examiner-administered.

Tests arranged alphabetically in three sub-sections: Psychology, Education, Business.

See the Table of Contents to find groups of tests by topic. (For example, Stress, Anxiety, and Biofeedback, p. 7)

 

Test Critiques
 

Designed to be a companion to Tests and contains supplemental information, including psychometric information such as reliability, validity, and norm development. Each entry offers a detailed introduction, plus sections on Practical Applications/Uses and Technical Aspects, followed by a critique.

 

Tests in Print (TIP)

Search catalog for individual volumes. 

 

Contains information on published, commercially-available tests that are in print and available for purchase. It has several indexes, including title (name of test), author, and score. The score index is very useful and allows one to look up tests by variable, such as Depression, Likability, Social Interaction, etc. Most current edition is Volume IX (2016).

  • how do I use it?
  • does not offer critical reviews of the tests or psychometric information
  • covers wide range of tests across psychology, education, and achievement

 

Try these sources also...


Handbook of Psychiatric Measures

Provides general information about tests, broken down by chapters, including: quality of life measures, family & relational measures, impulse-control measures, personality measures, stress & life measures, and many more.  NOTE: this book does not provide the actual tests.

 

Sociological Measurement: An Inventory of Scales and Indices

In addition to providing 25 actual tests, this book also provides citation information for numerous studies that used tests and measures (whether or not the articles include the actual tests is for you to determine).  Sections include achievement, class consciousness, conformity & deviance, family relationships, leadership, personality, self-image, and many many more.

 

Educational and Psychological Tests in the Academic Library

Provides general information about psychological educational tests, broken down by chapters, including: achievement, aptitude, child development, personality, sensory-motor skills, speech, hearing & visual, vocational and more.  Focus of the tests is on K-12 levels.  NOTE: this book does not provide the actual tests.

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