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Psychological testing is way to quickly determine the nature and extent of problems that a person may be having. Primarily, psychologists use tests to measure abilities, personality characteristics, intelligence, and cognitive characteristics (such as attention and memory). Most psychological assessments take one or two appointments to complete.

The types of problems that may benefit from psychological testing are as diverse in nature as people are.  One of the benefits of a thorough assessment is to help individuals pinpoint the basis for their life difficulties and distressing emotions and therefore can help the psychologist and other health care providers in formulating the proper diagnosis.  Some other concerns that are common to people seeking a psychological assessment are:

• Determination of the probability of success in further academic pursuits.  

• Academic difficulties during high school or college

• Ineffective or counterproductive coping methods, such as alcohol or drug abuse, depression, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed

• Assessment to determine the extent or nature of an individual’s psychological disability.  

Intellectual assessment is available for adults utilizing the most recent and accepted measures of cognitive functioning. Some of the measures used include the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale - 5th Edition and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Third Edition (WAIS-III).  An intellectual assessment identifies areas of cognitive strength and weaknesses. These areas may include verbal and language functioning, visual-spatial functioning, numerical reasoning and memory functioning.  Assessment is conducted in conjunction with other measures to assess potential learning disabilities or attention focusing difficulties. It also allows the psychologist to assess an individual’s ability in a variety of environments (e.g., handling money, college success).

Personality Evaluation may include a variety of tests, although the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) is the primary psychological evaluation and assessment tool used. The MMPI is the most widely used clinical testing instrument and screening device in the United States. Its predictive abilities are based on more than fifty years of actuarial data collection and analysis. Many companies are implementing this assessment tool as a method of supporting both their psychological examinations and standardized interview processes.

By analyzing an individual's responses and the resulting profile, psychologists more specifically identify an individual's personality psychological problems. Excessive anxiety and tension, hostility, and worry are undesirable traits that can be 'picked up' by the MMPI-2. Other traits such as substance abuse, deviant thinking and experience, social withdrawal, problematic anger, and suicidal, homicidal or other violent tendencies are also revealed.