Skip to Main Content

Psychology Research Guide

Tests & Measurements

About Tests and Measurements

Tests and Measurements are standardized instruments, such as questionnaires, inventories and scales, which are used to measure constructs in various social science disciplines. They are used for diagnosis, research or assessment.

Helpful Hints:

  • Finding specific tests and measurements can be challenging. In some cases, you will find only a description or review of the test and not the test itself.
  • Not all tests are readily available. In order to obtain and administer many published psychological tests (commercial tests), one must be a licensed professional or meet certain criteria; also, many published tests are only available through purchase.
  • Non-published or non-commercial tests may be obtained more easily. They can appear in books, journal articles, or in other sources. Identifying and locating them may take some time and patience.
  • In brief, there is no quick, easy, one-stop shop, guaranteed way of finding tests and measures. Finding them requires looking in several different print and/or electronic sources.

(CSU Northridge, 2011)

Sources for Tests and Measurements

PsycTESTS (EBSCO)
Extensive collection of psychological measures, research instruments, scales, surveys, and test types in a variety of subject areas. Coverage spans more than 100 years with emphasis on current research instruments.

Mental Measurements Yearbook (EBSCO)
The Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) database provides users with a comprehensive and descriptive index of over 2,700 tests used for psychological research. The descriptive information included in each test entry consists of test name, intended population, publication dates, forms and prices, test author, and publisher.  Please note copies of actual test instruments not included.

University of Texas at Arlington’s Tests and Measurements in the Social Sciences website

This site provides a list of test entries which include only instrument title, author, date, and pages located in larger compilation. To obtain any of these resources, you can:

  1. Check your library to see if it has the source volume;

  2. Contact Broome Library Interlibrary Loan department or other services available at your institution.

FAQ’s
The American Psychological Association (APA) has a Frequently Asked Questions webpage which answers many questions about how and where to find different published and unpublished psychological tests and measurements.