Meeting the 4+2 competency requirements for psychometric testing

We frequently receive enquiries from provisional psychologists regarding the competency requirements for the psychometric assessment component of the assessment and measurement competency so thought we would provide some tips and guidance on how you can meet competency in psychometric assessment.

Tests required: During your internship you are required to demonstrate competence in the administration, scoring and interpretation of nine different psychometric tests. These include:

· One child test of intelligence

· One adult test of intelligence

· One specialised memory test

· Two standardised personality tests

· Four other tests from the exam curriculum

Competency Requirements Your supervisor needs to assess your competency in the administration, scoring and interpretation in each of the above tests. You should practice these tests until you have reached competence. At this point you can demonstrate competency to your supervisor via direct observation, either with real clients or in a realistic simulated environment. Each test needs to be observed at least twice, and your supervisor will sign the relevant section of the Final Assessment of Competence Form as evidence that competence has been met.

Real versus Simulated Assessment Ideally you would administer assessments on real clients, however depending on your client population this may not be possible for each of the tests. For example, if you work in a service that only supports adults it will be difficult for you to administer a child test of intelligence (such as a WISC-V) with a real client at your workplace. It is also important that tests are only administered to clients when there is clear need or benefit for the client in doing so. If you do not have the opportunity to administer many of the required psychometric assessments at your workplace, it is possible to demonstrate competency in a simulated testing environment.

A simulated assessment needs to occur in a realistic assessment setting. The suitability of simulated clients should be discussed with your supervisor, as test propriety needs to be considered. Wherever possible we recommend that you conduct simulated assessments with other provisional psychologists, in a role-play scenario.

Accessing Tests Some tests are easier to access and administer than others. For example, some instruments such as the DASS and K10 are freely available online and can effectively be used as part of a clinical assessment or as pre/post-treatment measures for a range of clients, presenting issues and practice settings. Other more specialised assessment tools, such as the cognitive assessment instruments, are more expensive and difficult to access. Even if you can borrow these tests you will still require training and practice before completing your observed assessments for your supervisor to assess competency.

If your supervisor or workplace does not have access to all the required psychometric tests, you will need to access them from another source, such as:

Borrowing from a university test library – most psychology departments have extensive test libraries and can provide access to these tests. Borrowing conditions may vary. Some universities will not allow you to take tests off the premises, in which case you will need to complete your practice and observed assessments at the university library.

Borrowing from a local business or practice – it may be worth asking local practices that specialise in in psychometric assessment whether you can borrow any of their tests. Some practices may even allow provisional psychologists to volunteer for a few hours a week, which might provide the opportunity to observe and administer assessments with real clients.

Accessing tests online – many psychometric tests can be accessed online, however for the cognitive and memory tests you will require additional materials (usually 2 ipads plus specific administration items).

Access a secondary supervisor who has access to a test library – this option would involve using some of your supervision hours with a secondary supervisor who can provide training and assess competency in a range of different assessment tools. Training may be provided in a small group setting, which can also reduce supervision costs.

If you are a provisional psychologist who needs to meet competency in psychometric testing, Mind Connection offers small group supervision and training in the cognitive, memory and personality assessments. Our supervisors can also assess competence via individual supervision in each of the assessments if required. Please contact us at welcome@mindconnection.com.au for further information.