Chapter 7: Assessment and Testing

Question 1

Developed by Robert Yerkes, the ____________ is a language-free
test that was designed to assess the cognitive ability of military
recruits who could not read or were foreign born.

a. Army Alpha
b. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test
c. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
d. Army Beta

Answer 1

d. Army Beta

The Army Beta test was developed by Robert Yerkes to assess the cognitive
abilities of military recruits who could not read or were foreign-born.

Question 2

If a professional school counselor wants to know if a student is
ready to move to the next grade level, she should administer a(n)

a. maximal performance test.
b. speed test.
c. objective test.
d. typical performance test.

Answer 2

a. maximal performance test.

Maximal performance tests are used to determine a student’s best attainable score. Administering an achievement or aptitude test, which measures maximal performance, would allow the school counselor to obtain information about how the student is academically performing. This information could be helpful in determining the appropriate grade level for a student.

Question 3

Holly is a third grader who is academically struggling. Her
mother discloses to the school counselor that she believes Holly
might have a learning disability. Under IDEA legislation, Holly is
entitled to which of the following?

a. Confidentiality of her student records, which could
contain results from any disability testing services she
receives.
b. The right to receive appropriate accommodations during
the administration of class tests since she may have a
learning disability.
c. The right to receive disability testing services at the
expense of the public school system in order to determine
if she does have a learning disability.
d. The right to receive vocational assessment and
counseling services.

Answer 3

c. The right to receive disability testing services at the
expense of the public school system in order to determine
if she does have a learning disability.

IDEA affords students, like Holly, the right to receive testing at the expense of the
public school system.

Question 4

A professional counselor releases a client’s test results to a
bachelor’s-level case manager who has no training in testing and
assessment. What ethical guideline was violated?

a. Informed consent
b. Release of results to qualified professionals
c. Communicating test results
d. Competence to use and interpret assessment instruments

Answer 4

b. Release of results to qualified professionals

Counselors are ethically obligated to release client test results to other
professionals who are qualified to interpret the results. Releasing client test results to an
unqualified professional is an ethical violation.

Question 5

A professional counselor would like information related to the
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Specifically, he would like
information related to the instrument’s score reliability and
validity, as well as a critique of using the assessment in clinical
settings. Which source is designed to provide this information?

a. Mental Measurements Yearbook
b. Tests in Print
c. Tests
d. DSM-5

Answer 5

a. Mental Measurements Yearbook

The Mental Measurements Yearbook is one of the best sources for information on
psychological instruments. It provides a comprehensive overview of commercially available
instruments like the BDI and includes both psychometric information and test critiques.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT true about test validity?

a. Validity should be reported in terms of test purpose and
intended population.
b. Test scores do not have to be valid to be reliable.
c. A validity coefficient of .55 is high.
d. False positive errors contribute to a lack of test score
validity.

Answer 6

b. Test scores do not have to be valid to be reliable.

This is a false statement. Valid test scores are always reliable; however, reliable test scores are not always valid.

Question 7

A counseling researcher wants to establish the reliability of a new
eating disorder scale. She administers the scale to the same
participants twice to evaluate the consistency of scores over time.
Which type of reliability is the counseling researcher using?

a. Alternate form reliability
b. Split-half reliability
c. Test-retest reliability
d. Factor analysis

Answer 7

c. Test-retest reliability

Test-retest reliability is determined by evaluating the consistency of test scores across two different administrations of the same test.

Question 8

If a math test item has positive item discrimination, it can be said
that

a. more students who knew the material answered the
question correctly than students who did not know the
material well.
b. more students who did not know the material well
answered the question correctly than students who knew
the material.
c. all students answered the question correctly.
d. 50% of all students answered the question correctly.

Answer 8

a. more students who knew the material answered the
question correctly than students who did not know the
material well.

Item discrimination refers to the degree to which a test item correctly differentiates test-takers who vary according to the construct measured by the test. Positive item discrimination would, therefore, discriminate students who knew the material well from those who did not know the material well.

Question 9

A professional counselor would like to track her clients’
therapeutic outcomes. She decides to administer each client a
shortened version of the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45). The
shortened version has 30 items, which is 15 items less than the
full-length version. Which of the following is a concern when
administering a shorter test?

a. Item discrimination
b. Face validity
c. Reliability
d. Decision accuracy

Answer 9

c. Reliability

Reliability is sensitive to changes in a test’s length. Longer tests are typically more reliable than shorter tests. The professional counselor should be aware that scores from the shorter version of the Outcome Questionnaire may be less reliable than the full-length version.

Question 10

Item response theory can be used to

a. detect equivalence in an item that is written in different
languages.
b. detect item bias in the same test given to African
Americans and Latino Americans.
c. determine if an SAT score of 1,000 is equivalent to an IQ
score of 114.
d. give a bright student an exam with more difficult items.

Answer 10

b. detect item bias in the same test given to African
Americans and Latino Americans.

Item response theory can be used to detect item bias, equating scores from two different tests, and tailoring test items to the individual test-taker.

Question 11

If a client scored 45 on an anxiety screening, what can the
professional counselor conclude about his level of anxiety?

a. The client has a high level of anxiety and should be
medicated.
b. The client has an average level of anxiety and his
symptoms should improve with CBT.
c. The client has a low level of anxiety and does not need to
seek treatment.
d. There is not enough information to make a clinical
decision about the client’s anxiety level and need for
treatment.

Answer 11

d. There is not enough information to make a clinical
decision about the client’s anxiety level and need for
treatment.

The professional counselor will need more information than a raw score to interpret the client’s level of anxiety and determine a treatment plan. To understand this client’s raw score, the counselor must convert it to a derived score or compare the score to some criterion.

Question 12

If a set of high school standardized test scores with a mean of 74
and a standard deviation of 10 is normally distributed, what is the
median?

a. 64
b. 84
c. 74
d. 104

Answer 12

c. 74

In a normal distribution the mean, median, and mode are equivalent. Accordingly, if the mean is 74 in this distribution the median is also 74.

Question 13

In a normal distribution, _______________ of scores falls between
−1 and +2 standard deviations?

a. 68%
b. 2%
c. 82%
d. 98%

Answer 13

c. 82%

In a normal distribution 68% of score fall between +1 standard deviations and 14% fall between +1 and +2 standard deviations (See Figure 7.1). When you sum 68% and 14% the total is 82%.

Question 14

If the mean on an intelligence test is 100 and the standard
deviation is 20, what is the percentile rank of a client who scored
an 80 on that test?

a. 34
b. 50
c. 84
d. 16

Answer 14

d. 16

The first step to solving this problem is to determine how many standard deviations this client’s IQ score is from the mean. This can be determined by subtracting the client’s score from the mean (i.e., 80-100 = -20). Because the client is 20 points below the mean and the standard deviation is 20, we know that the client scored one standard deviation below the mean. The client’s percentile rank at -1 standard deviations can be determined by adding the known area underneath the bell curve in Figure 7.1 (i.e., 0.1+ 2 + 14 = 16).

Question 15

An individual with a z-score of −1.3 has a stanine score of

a. 2.4
b. 37
c. 2
d. 22.62

Answer 15

a. 2.4

Stanine scores can be calculated from z-scores by multiplying the z-score by the stanine standard deviation which is 2 and adding the product to the stanine mean which is 5.Using this equation: 2(-1.3) + 5 = 2.4.

Question 16

Achievement testing includes each of the following EXCEPT

a. teacher-constructed criterion-referenced tests.
b. standardized norm-referenced tests.
c. intelligence tests.
d. All of the above are examples of achievement testing.

Answer 16

c. intelligence tests.

Intelligence tests are considered to be aptitude test. They broadly assess anindividual’s cognitive abilities and what the individual is capable of doing.

Question 17

John, a third-grade student, is having trouble in math. The school
counselor suspects that John has a learning disability in math.
Which of the following tests could be used to determine whether
John has a learning disability in math?

a. Iowa Test of Basic Skills
b. Stanford Achievement Test
c. Graduate Record Exam
d. Key Math Diagnostic Test

Answer 17

d. Key Math Diagnostic Test

The Key Math Diagnostic test is an aptitude test that comprehensively assesses math-related learning disabilities in children ages 4-21 years. Accordingly, this test would be appropriate to administer to an elementary school student, such as John, to diagnose a learning disability in math.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT an example of an aptitude test?

a. GRE general test
b. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
(ASVAB)
c. Otis-Lennon School Ability Test
d. WRAT4

Answer 18

d. WRAT4

The WRAT4 is an achievement test.

Question 19

A high school counselor would like to administer a vocational
aptitude assessment to students in the ninth grade that will assess
multiple aptitudes. Her hope is that the assessment will highlight
student vocational strengths and offer potential careers that
students might be interested in. Which of the following
assessments would be appropriate for the school counselor to
administer?

a. Skills Profiler Series
b. Differential Aptitude Test (DAT)
c. ACT Assessment
d. Clerical Test Battery

Answer 19

b. Differential Aptitude Test (DAT)

The DAT is a multiple aptitude measure for students in grades 7 through 12. It also includes a Career Interest Inventory that assesses student strengths and generates possible career choices for students.

Question 20

William Stern’s ratio intelligence quotient, popularized on early
versions of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, was calculated
by dividing one’s

a. mental age by chronological age.
b. broad cognitive abilities by narrow cognitive abilities.
c. chronological age by one’s mental age.
d. narrow cognitive abilities by broad cognitive abilities.

Answer 20

a. mental age by chronological age.

The DAT is a multiple aptitude measure for students in grades 7 through 12. It also includes a Career Interest Inventory that assesses student strengths and generates possible career choices for students.

Question 21

A professional counselor would like to administer an objective
personality assessment to her adult client. She would like the
assessment to identity DSM-5 related personality disorders.
Which of the following assessments should the counselor use?

a. California Psychological Inventory (CPI)
b. Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-IV)
c. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
d. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)

Answer 21

b. Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-IV)

The MCMI-IV is an objective personality assessment designed to assess DSM-5 related personality disorders in individuals 18 years and old.

Question 22

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator uses four dichotomous scales to
measure personality. What specific aspect of personality does the
sensing vs. intuition scale measure?

a. How you perceive the world around you.
b. How you make decisions.
c. Where your energy is directed.
d. How you deal with the external world.

Answer 22

a. How you perceive the world around you.

The sensing vs. intuition scale measures how you perceive the world around you.

Question 23

In an initial session a professional counselor notices the client
appears disheveled, has abnormal movements, and appears
paranoid. The profession counselor is concerned about the client
and would like to administer an assessment that will capture
information on client appearance, movement, and thought
content. Which one of the following assessments is most
appropriate?

a. Mental status exam
b. Bayley scales
c. House-Tree-Person
d. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inteventory-2

Answer 23

a. Mental status exam

The Mental Status Exam is used by counselors to obtain a snapshot of a client’s mental status and psychological state. This exam addresses several key areas of client functioning including appearance, movement, and thought content.

Question 24

Performance assessments

a. require examinees to complete a paper-and-pencil test.
b. require examinees to perform a task.
c. are advantageous when working with highly verbal
clients.
d. All of the above.

Answer 24

b. require examinees to perform a task.

Performance assessments are a nonverbal form of assessment that requires an individual to perform a task in order to measure their abilities.

Question 25

Based on the risk factors associated with committing suicide,
which client is MOST likely to commit suicide?

a. An 18-year-old, African American male with a family
history of suicide.
b. A 78-year-old, widowed Caucasian female who is
depressed.
c. A 40-year-old, Hispanic woman with a diagnosed anxiety
disorder and a history of alcohol abuse.
d. A 67-year-old, divorced Caucasian male who recently lost
his job and reports feelings of hopelessness.

Answer 25

d. A 67-year-old, divorced Caucasian male who recently lost
his job and reports feelings of hopelessness.

The client described has several concerning risk factors. These include demographic risk factors such as being a divorced, older, man. Psychosocial risk factors regarding unemployment due to his recent job loss and psychological risk factors related to feelings of hopelessness. These many (5) risk factors mean this client may be more likely to commit suicide than the other three clients presented in the other answer choices.

Question 26

Requiring minority students to take standardized college
admission exams that were designed for White, middle-class
students constitutes \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ bias.

a. interpretive
b. situational
c. ecological
d. examiner

Answer 26

c. ecological

Ecological bias occurs when global systems prevent individuals in a particular cultural group from demonstrating their true skills and abilities on an assessment. Results from the college admissions exam may not reflect minority student true aptitude and readiness for college because the exam was intended for students from dominant racial and socioeconomic statuses.

Question 27

According to the ACA and NBCC codes of ethics, professional
counselors

a. must rely on cultural stereotypes when assessing
multicultural populations.
b. do not need to be knowledgeable about the client’s
culture if using a multiculturally appropriate assessment.
c. use instruments that provide norms for the specific client
population that is being assessed.
d. All of the above.

Answer 27

c. use instruments that provide norms for the specific client
population that is being assessed.

This statement is true. Professional counselors should use instruments that provide norms on the specific client population that is being assessed to avoid testing bias.

Question 28

When administering a test to a client from a different cultural
background, professional counselors should consider using a test
that has been adapted over one that has been translated for all
but ONE of the following reasons.

a. Test adaptation includes translating language, as well as
empirically evaluating the cultural equivalence.
b. Test adaptation is preferred to test translation.
c. Test translation has been heavily criticized for assuming
equivalence in content and values across cultures.
d. Test translation sufficiently reduces cultural bias in
testing.

Answer 28

d. Test translation sufficiently reduces cultural bias in
testing.

Test translation fails to sufficiently reduce cultural bias in testing as the process assumes equivalence in content and values across cultures.

Question 29

A career counselor would like to begin administering the Strong
Interest Inventory via the computer vs. paper-and-pencil. Which
of the following would be a disadvantage of implementing
computer-based testing?

a. Greater scoring accuracy
b. Can provide immediate feedback concerning client
performance
c. Clients prefer test administration via the computer when
responding to sensitive topics
d. Minimizes human contact and involvement in the testing
process

Answer 29

d. Minimizes human contact and involvement in the testing
process

One of the major disadvantages of computer-based testing, over pencil-and-paper testing, is that it can minimize counselor contact and involvement in the testing process.

Question 30

The GRE has the ability to modify the test structure and items to
the examinee’s ability level. This characteristic makes the GRE
a(n)

a. aptitude test.
b. computer-adaptive test.
c. projective test.
d. computer-based test.

Answer 30

b. computer-adaptive test.

The ability to adapt the test structure and items to the examinee’s ability level makes the GRE a computer-adaptive test.

Question 31

The DSM-5

a. is not often used by professional counselors.
b. is difficult to interpret into laymen’s terms for the client.
c. provides a common language for mental health
professionals to communicate with one another.
d. All of the above.

Answer 31

c. provides a common language for mental health
professionals to communicate with one another.

The DSM is a theoretical. Diagnoses are not defined through a counseling theory perspective providing mental health professionals with a common language for communication.

Question 32

Which of the following is a DSM-5 neurodevelopmental disorder?

a. Posttraumatic stress disorder.
b. Antisocial personality disorder.
c. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
d. Oppositional defiant disorder.

Answer 32

c. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder.

Question 33

Individuals with conduct disorder cannot simultaneously be
diagnosed with

a. Oppositional defiant disorder.
b. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
c. Separation anxiety disorder.
d. Learning disorder.

Answer 33

a. Oppositional defiant disorder.

Conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder cannot be simultaneously diagnosed.

Question 34

Alam has been feeling down since he left his country of origin
three years ago. He misses his family, his children, his culture,
and his language. There are not many people from Bangladesh
living in his neighborhood. He’s experienced a depressed mood
more often than not during this time period. Alam would likely
be diagnosed with

a. major depressive disorder.
b. cyclothymic disorder.
c. bipolar I disorder.
d. persistent depressive disorder.

Answer 34

d. persistent depressive disorder.

This scenario describes persistent depressive disorder, which is having a chronically depressed mood for most days for a minimum of 2 years in adults.

Question 35

____________ has been translated to mean “fear of the
marketplace.”

a. Agoraphobia
b. Factitious disorder
c. Paraphilia
d. Hypochondriasis

Answer 35

a. Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is an intense anxiety over being in situations in which escape maybe difficult and has been translated to mean “fear of the marketplace.”