A - Z of Psychological Tests and Measures: Home

What are psychological tests?

Psychological tests are instruments used by psychologists to measure the behavioural characteristics of people, such as memory, intelligence, personality, aptitude for work, values, sex role, etc. Here is a definition from the UK's Institute of Work Psychology:

"A brief sample of someone's behaviour, obtained under standard conditions, and scored according to a fixed set of rules that provide a numeric score or classification" (Myors & Carstairs, 2001).

Where can I find tests and scales?

Use this guide to find or browse the tests. Select a letter from the A-Z or type in the name of the test in the search box.

Tests are located...

In the Library - either as articles in scholarly journals, or in books.

In the Psychology Department - a few tests are kept in the Psychology department for the use of students in that department. You must consult for tutor for approval before accessing the tests. 

Search for articles about psychological tests and how they have been used in PsycARTICLES and PsycINFO

On the web - there are a few "popular" tests for self-assessment on websites such as the BBC Science & Nature.

Use PsycInfo or PsycArticles    

• Go to the Advanced search
   
• Use the drop down arrow in the first search box, scroll down to the bottom to find “Test and measure – TM” and select this option.
   
• You can either use this as a search field with your own keywords to find articles using tests and measures or use the link below the search box “Look up Test & measures” to select a specific test.
   
• Some articles do include the psychological test used, sometimes from a link within the full text of the article.