Test Collection Database: Help

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Looking for Tests | Using the Test Collection Database | About the Test Collection

LOOKING FOR TESTS

Before beginning a search, it is important to consider the type of information which is needed.

Are you looking for information about a specific, known test or for an instrument which can be used in assessing a particular aptitude or trait?
Are you looking for a test in a particular subject and subdivision area? See Test Classification System for further information.
Are you looking for a published instrument, (provided by a commercial publisher) or for an unpublished instrument, (a research or experimental measure which might also appear in a journal)?

For further information on locating tests please see our Guide to Sources of Information on Tests and Measurements

USING THE TEST COLLECTION DATABASE

This is a guide on using the Test Collection Database. If you have any further questions or need help locating a test, Ask a Librarian!

Using Search Fields:

The database may be searched using multiple keywords in different search fields. All searching is case insensitive and does not allow use of wildcards.

Title

Currently, it is only possible to do a search by phrase or keyword fragment. In other words, the search engine will find ALL instances of the exact phrase or word that is entered. For example, if the word affect is entered, all of the records with that word or word fragment in the title will be retrieved (for example: Affect Scale and Affective Interview Blank and Fuller Affective Interaction Records).

Author

Enter only the last name in the author field. Since the database is limited and few last names are repeated, this is a highly efficient means of searching. More often than not, only the last name has actually been entered in the database. Also, since people sometimes publish under differing syntax of their names (i.e., John Zimmerman, or J. Zimmerman, or just Zimmerman) your search is likely to be more fruitful if entering only the last name. If there are multiple authors it is best to enter only one author's name to begin with.

Publisher

Most test publishers are corporate bodies. If you know the official name of a corporate entity, enter the name as it would legally appear. If this yields no results, try entering a key identifying word from the corporate name.

Contents & Notes

The Contents field can be searched for test component pieces such as manuals, stimulus charts, blocks and so on. The Notes field can be searched for locations such as Applied Health Sciences Library, Storage or for the status such as missing or oversized.

Note: the Contents field and Notes field is not available for all tests, so restricting your search this way will give only partial results.

Year

The database may be searched by a specific year or by decade. To search by decade list only the first three numbers of the year. For example, to find the tests in the collection from the 1950s, search for 195.

Note: not all tests in the collection have known dates and are left blank. If you are searching for a test and keep returning no results, try just searching keywords from the test's title.

Subject & Subdivision

Subject and Subdivision headings are based on the classification system developed by the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements. There are 18 general classification subject headings with 14 having further subdivision classifications. The general headings "Achievement Batteries," "Development," "Multi-Aptitude Batteries," and "Neuropsychological" do not have subdivisions. The complete list of subjects and subdivisions are listed at Test Classification System.

You may search either the Subject or Subdivision field separately or you may search them both at the same time. If you search both, the Subdivision selected must be listed as a Subdivision of the selected Subject. For example, if you chose the Subject heading Character and Personality, you need to select either Nonprojective or Projective as the Subdivision (see Test Classification System). Choosing a different subdivision would lead to no results.

Displaying Results

The database displays 20 records per page in either alphabetical, ascending order by title or in ascending order by year. If there are more than 20 results, links to additional results pages will be present.

ABOUT THE TEST COLLECTION

TEST PACKETS DO NOT LEAVE THE LIBRARY AND COPYING IS PROHIBITED

The test collection of the Education and Social Science Library contains over 8,000 tests measuring achievement, intelligence, character and personality, vocational aptitude and many other subjects. Tests dating from 1914 to the present are included and are classified according to the system used by Buros in the earlier Mental Measurement Yearbooks. A list of the test classifications is available at the Test Classification System.

Test packets usually contain a copy of the test form, a manual and a scoring key. Information on reliability, validity and norms should be provided in the test manual.

If you have additional questions about the Test Collection, this database, or the Education Library's circulation policies, please e-mail Nancy O'Brien, Education Librarian.