Academic Guides: Tests and Measures: Tests and Measures

Test databases

Search for tests that will capture the data you're interested in. Full text of the tests may not be immediately available through the databases. Discovering the best test for your needs is your first step. Once you have chosen a test, you can learn where to find the full text.

APA PsycTests
APA PsycTests contains access to unpublished (not commercially available) psychological tests, measures, scales, surveys, and other assessments. Each record contains reliability and validity, scope, implementation, and an overview when available. Most records also contain the full text of the instrument.
Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI)
The Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI) database provides information about approximately 15,000 measurement instruments. The full text instruments are NOT included in HaPI. Instead this database is used to discover instruments on a topic, track the history of an instrument over time, and find publisher information.
Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print
Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print contains reviews of over 3,000 commercially available, English language testing instruments. Reviews contain information about the reliability, validity, and publication details of the testing instruments. A score index that allows users to easily identify what is being measured in individual tests and bibliographic information is also included. Testing instruments fall into many categories such as psychological tests, career inventories, intelligence and aptitude, and personality. There are no full text testing instruments in this database.
Tests & Measures Combined Search
Search all three Library test databases simultaneously: Mental Measurements Yearbook in Print, PsycTests, and Health and Psychosocial Instruments. Search results will contain information about both published (commercial) and unpublished (noncommercial) instruments.

Types of tests

Tests and measures are tools that can be used for diagnosing, researching, and assessing phenomena in the social sciences, education, and health, and other areas.

Instruments are either published or unpublished.

Published

When we talk about tests being published that means that they are owned by, and available through, commercial publishers. These tests need to be purchased from the publisher. Published tests are also referred to as commercial.

Unpublished

When we say that a test is unpublished this doesn't mean that it is unavailable in print; it means that it is not a test that you will find through commercial publishers. Unpublished tests often appear in journal articles, books, and dissertations. Unpublished tests are also referred to as non-commercial.