Tests are an important tool for counselors to gather reliable data about individuals. There are different types of tests that are used for various purposes in counseling, including intelligence tests, aptitude tests, achievement tests, personality tests, and interest tests. Intelligence tests measure general mental ability, aptitude tests assess strengths for certain tasks or careers, achievement tests evaluate skills and knowledge in different subject areas, personality tests explore characteristics and traits, and interest tests identify preferences that can inform career choices. Together, test results provide counselors with comprehensive insights to better understand individuals and guide them effectively.

1. DIFFERENT
TYPE OF TEST
FOR THE
PURPOSE OF
COUNSELING
Tasneem

2. Different type of test for the purpose
of counselling
 The aim of guidance and counseling is to help the individual. It can be
done by understanding him. We cannot understand a person unless, we
know him. Therefore, the first thing guidance workers must do is to get to
know the individual. If he has reliable, accurate, significant, and
comprehensive information regarding the individual, he can understand
him better and guide him effectively

3. Test
 the main function of tests is to collect reliable data about the individual
for making decisions about his educational, vocational or personal plan in
his life.
 It is a set of tasks or questions intended to elicit types of behavior when
presented under standardized conditions. This means that testing is the
act of asking an individual a set of questions to obtain a score. The score
thus obtained is the end-product of testing, and yields information
needed when making a decision.

4. PURPOSE OF
TEST USED IN
GUIDANCE
PROCESS
1. To determine student
achievement level and
progress.
2. To gain data for diagnostic
purposes.
3. To find out aptitudes.
4. To provide for the
identification of interests.
5. To improve instruction.
6. To determine existing self-
concepts and attitudes.
7. To ascertain social
adjustments.

5. USE OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL
TESTS
 Psychological tests are designed to
assess the characteristics of people
such as their abilities, attitudes,
motivations, interests, needs and
values and so on. Psychological test
can be defined as a sample of an
individual, behavior, obtaining under
standard conditions and scored
according to a fixed set of rules that
provide a numeric score (Anastasi,
2003).

6. CHARATTERISTIC OF GOOD TEST
 It is obvious that a psychological test is the quantitative measurement of the various
aspects of behavior of the individual for making generalized statements about the total
performance and behavior.
 A good psychological test must possess the following essential characteristics:–
 Validity
 Reliability
 Objectivity
 Standardization
 Norms
 Simplicity
 Economy
 Interesting

7. Counsellor’s Use of Psychological Tests
The counsellor may use the tests
to:
Secure accurate and reliable
information about each student’s
abilities, interests and adjustment
problems in order to give him
guidance and counselling
Make use of test results for
performance through improved
basis for prediction regarding the
likelihood of success in activities
for which prospective
can be measured
Help students arrive at decisions
basic to plan their educational
vocational future
Diagnose student’s problems like
social adjustment, growth and
development or academic
deficiencies and determining
for their amelioration; and
Help them evaluate the outcome
of guidance and counselling and
plan further remedial

8. Test Techniques
 The testing service has specific purposes and aims which it wants to achieve by using
standardized tests. A few of the main purposes are enumerated below: -
 1. To determine the individual pupil’s achievement level and progress
 2. To obtain data for diagnostic purposes
 3. To know his aptitudes
 4. To provide for the identification
 5. To improve instruction
 6. To determine his existing self-concept, attitudes and personality pattern
 7. To ascertain social adjustment
 8. To identify under-achievers and over-achievers

9. Types of Tests used in Guidance and Counseling
 The psychological characteristics that an individual possesses may be
divided into five broad categories, each one of which is measurable by a
test or a set of tests. We have thus to use these five types of test.
 (1) Tests of Intelligence
 (2) Test of abilities
 (3) Tests of interests
 (4) Tests of personality, and
 (5) Tests of achievement

10. Role of Testing Techniques in Guidance and
Counselling
 1. Prediction: Various types of tests are given to individuals to obtain solid basis upon
which decisions can be made. Decisions involve predictions of how well individuals will do at
a later time. It is assumed that predictions based on quantitative data are more accurate
and reliable and provide a balance against wishful thinking.
 2. Selection: Tests are also used in selection of candidates for admission, jobs or some
training.
 3. Classification: Tests are also used for the purpose of classification of students.
Classification means to divide students into classes or groups on the basis of some criteria.
For example, classifying students on the basis of aptitude, interest and mental abilities.
 4. Evaluation: Tests are used to assess and evaluate programmer's, methods, treatment
and the like.

11. Intelligence Test
 Intelligence, the dictionary says, is: “the capacity to acquire and apply
knowledge”.
 D.WeschIer has given comprehensive definition. According to him
“Intelligence is the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act
purposefully, to think rationally and to deal with his environment
effectively.”
 Intelligence Measure general intelligence particularly the IQ of the
counselee and the pupil potential for learning. These test normally yield a
mental age, intelligence quotient and a percentile rank.
 These different types of intelligences interact and work together to
provide a solution of a problem. The nine types of intelligences proposed
by Gardener are briefly discussed below.

12. Uses of Intelligence Tests for Guidance
and Counselling
 Allocation of students for different courses can be done on the basis of
I.Q of students
 Selection of students for admission to schools in different classes
 Classification of students as bright, superior, average, dull etc. can be
done on the basis of intelligence tests
 Award of scholarships, honors. medals etc.
 Promotion of students to higher classes
 Prediction of academic success
 For selection in Army, Police, Civil Services etc.
 For purpose of educational and vocational guidance
 For finding underachievers, slow learners etc.

13. Personality Tests
Personality is the sum of
biological innate and acquired
dispositions.
Personality refers to a unique
combination of characteristics
of an individual, which pre-
disposes the person to behave
in a particular and consistent
way

14. Used of Personality Testing
In our daily lives, we are constantly assessing people’s personalities in an informal way. Personality testing are
used to;
helps the students in proper educational and vocational choice
helps the individuals in resolving emotional conflicts
helps the teacher and the counsellor
helps the employer in proper selection of the personnel
helps the clinical psychologist to choose best therapy for his patients.

15. Techniques of Testing personality
A number of techniques
are used for testing
personality. The techniques
are:
§ Interview § Observation
§ Checklists § Rating Scales
§ Situational Tests or
Behavioral Tests
§ Autobiography § The Daily Diary

16. Aptitude
Tests
 According to Traxler “Aptitude is a present
condition which is indicative of an individual’s
potentialities for the future.”
 •Design to assess what a person is capable of
doing or predict what a person is able to learn or
do given the right education and instruction.
 Represents a person’s level of competency to
perform a certain type of task.
 For example, in order to be successful architect,
one most possess the cluster of abilities such as a
keen sense of observation, a sense of aesthetic
visual memory, abstract reasoning, and an ability to
sketch free hand.

17. Specific Areas
of Aptitude
Tests
Among the tests available, the following
category of tests is often used:
 1. Art Aptitude Test
 2. Clerical Aptitude Test
 4. Mechanical Aptitude Test
 5. Medical Aptitude Test
 6. Musical Aptitude Test
 7. Scholarly Aptitude Test
 8. Scientific Aptitude Test
 9. Teachers Aptitude Test

18. Use of
Aptitude
Tests in
Guidance
 Aptitude tests may potentially be used by counselors and others
because.
 selecting subjects for studying, for use to help the students to select the
profession or occupation of his choice.
 Employers can use it for making selection of his employees.
 Different aptitude tests can be used in admitting candidates for different
professional trainings such as Law, Medicine, Engineering etc.
 They may identify potential abilities of which the individual is not aware;
 They may encourage the development of special or potential abilities of
a given individual.
 They may provide information to assist on individual in making
educational and career decisions or other choices between competing
alternatives;
 They may serve as an aid in predicting the level of academic or
vocational success on individual might anticipate; and
 They may be useful in grouping individuals with similar aptitudes for
development and other educational purposes.

19. Achievement Tests:
•Achievement refers to a student’s level of accomplishments in the various subject
subject areas. It is designed to measure the outcomes of instruction, the progress
pupils have made in attaining proficiency as a result of training or learning.
Achievement test data, in combination with other data, is used to help guidance
counselors plan students future educational programmer's.

20. Types of
Achievement
Test:
 Achievement tests are of different kinds, each scoring a
different purpose and providing different information on
students 'academic proficiency. These have been classified in
various ways and understanding of which helps the
counselor to understand their functions.
 Formative and Summative Tests: Formative tests are used to
measure progress made in knowledge and skills before and
during instruction. Summative achievement tests are given
at the end of course instruction, so as to assess the outcome
of the instruction.
 Prognostic tests: Readiness or prognostic tests are used to
predict how well an individual is expected to profit from
training.
 Diagnostic Test: Diagnostic achievement tests provide
information on performance of the students in different
subjects and
 indicate their strengths and weakness in reading, arithmetic
and language usage.

21.  Achievement test can be either criterion referenced (CRT) or norm referenced (NRT). The two
tests differ in their intended purposes, the way in which content is selected, and the scoring
process which defines how the test results must be interpreted.
 Norm Referenced Tests (NRTs) are designed to highlight achievement differences between
and among students and provide a rank order of students across a continuum of achievement
from high achievers to low achievers. These types of tests are used to help counselors/
teachers to clarify students for remedial or gifted programmer's.
 Criterion-reference tests (CRTs) determine the strengths of the test taker i.e. what they can
do and what they know, not how they compare to others. They report how well students are
doing relative to a predetermined performance level on an specified set of educational goals
or outcomes included in the school curriculum.
An achievement test is designed to measure how much a person knows about a specific topic or
area such as math, geography or science. Achievement tests can be standardized test or teacher-
made tests.

22. Uses of
Achievement
Test Data
 Data from achievement tests can be used for promoting,
classifying, diagnosing or evaluating students.
 Counselors can also use the achievement tests for:
 Helping clients in decision making. A counselor can use the
achievement test scores to initiate decision on taking
appropriate choices for a career.
 Assisting in diagnosis counselors can make use of
achievement test data to diagnose problems faced by the
students in different subject areas. Accordingly, corrective
remediation can be planned and carried out.
 Encouraging self-study. The student through achievement
data, is able to gain insight into his/her strengths and
weakness in different subjects which can motivate him/her
to put in the desire effort.
 Achievement test are used as learning measures of
 (1) the amount of learning,
 (2) the rate of learning
 (3) comparisons with others or with achievement of self in
other areas,
 (4) level of learning in sub-areas, a

23. INTEREST
TEST
 Your interests can tell you more on who you
are and what suits you. They provide
information necessary for making the
right career choice. Obviously, your interests
indicate what you like and what occupations
interest you. If the profession you choose
connects with these interests, you will find a
lot more pleasure in your work.
 Interests tests help you define your interests
and determine what you like most. This could
help you when making a career choice.
 You might have observed in your class that
some students show more inclination to
mathematics, while others in computers,
some in literary activities, in paining etc.
Interest is an expression of our likes and
dislikes or our attractions or aversions.

24. Purpose Of
Interest Test
 Interest testing is done to achieve some
purpose such as:
 To provide teachers and counselors
with information regarding the students
preference and dislikes which will help
then acquire better understanding of
students and their problems.
 To enable teachers, counselors and
parents to assist the testes to prepare
his educational and vocational terms
consistent with his interest.
 To help in the selection of the right
person for the right work, and thus
same frustration, unhappiness and
disappointment in the life of the
individuals and increase productive
capacity of individual.

25. Conclusion
 There are two types of techniques for collecting information about the individual. These are testing and non-
testing devices or we may call them as standardized and non-standardized tests.
 The techniques and tests are merely means of collecting information and no guidance worker should neglect the
human factor that is the individual under study.
 Techniques and tests merely provide the data and information.
 The usefulness of psychological tests depends upon their proper use. Only those tests should be selected for use,
which are valid, reliable, accurate, practical, and standardized. They should be not very lengthy, time consuming
and costly Psychological test is an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior. Tests are used for
selection, classification, diagnosis and prediction.
 Counselors need to develop skills in test administration, scoring, interpretation of test results, and communicating
results to their clients. General considerations for counselors in the appraisal process relate to being in good
psychological health, developing sensitivity for the client, showing open mindedness, respecting the client,
having attentiveness and showing empathy towards the client.
 Tests and testing have been criticized because of their misuse and issues like labeling, inaccuracy, culture bias,
invading privacy, encouraging competition. There is a need for standardization of all procedures and scoring of
psychological tests for accuracy in results. Counselors need to take cautions in using psychological tests like
interest inventories, aptitude tests, achievement tests, intelligence tests, attitude scale, personality tests.

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