Test Abuses 

Psychological testing is like any powerful tool — in the hands of an honest, trained professional it can provide great benefit. It also has the potential to do a lot of harm. When I have taught classes in psychological testing I generally start out by asking students if they have any negative feelings about testing. Almost invariably one of the students will relate that a counselor in high school told them that their test score precluded success in college. And of course, the fact that this student is in my class, a graduate student and a college graduate, is testimony to the counselor’s mistake.

I point out to the class that the test is not at fault, but that counselors and other test users frequently misuse the tests. Harm is done when tests are either taken too seriously or are disregarded. Understanding statistical concepts such as reliability, validity, correlation, standard error of measurement, and standard error of estimate is necessary for the proper interpretation of test scores. Generally, licensed psychologists are the only professionals who have sufficient training to correctly interpret tests.