Tests and Measures Resource Guide
Identifying Tests and Measures
The following sources will help you identify tests and measures related to your research topic. The sources listed below will not contain the actual instrument, but they should contain information that will help you locate it including references to secondary sources (books, articles, etc.) and/or publisher and author information. See the next section for help actually locating tests and measures.
Additional subject specific guides are available on the Cabell Library Reference Tests Table. For more help identifying tests and measures, Ask a Librarian.
A Consumer's Guide to Tests in Print
Cabell Library Reference - Tests Table LB3060.32.N67 H36
A unique source, the goal of this guide is to give objective information regarding standardized tests. Objective criteria are applied to specific tests and the tests are then rated (given a grade ranging from A to F).
Directory of Unpublished Experimental Mental Measures
Cabell Library Reference - Tests Table BF431.D5
Designed to supplement the Mental Measurements Yearbook, this series is intended as a way to locate information concerning tests which are not published commercially. It is a directory to journals which carry studies and reports exploring experimental test instruments. The latest volume covers 37 professional journals. Tests are grouped in 24 categories. An author and subject index is provided.
Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HAPI) (1985 - present, with many earlier measures) VCU
Information on measurement instruments (e.g., questionnaires, interview schedules, checklists, index measures, tests, etc.) in the health fields, psychosocial sciences, organizational behavior, and library and information science. Search tip: Select the Primary Source box to retrieve resources that actually contain the test or reference the original source where instrument was published.
Mental Measurements Yearbook (1985 - present) VCU
Cabell Library Reference Z5814.P8.B932
Information on English language commercially published tests in the fields of education and psychology. The yearbooks (published periodically, not yearly) are supplementary, not cumulative. Each yearbook contains reviews of tests that are new or significantly revised since the publication of the previous yearbook. The volumes contain descriptive and critical information (including citations to journal literature on the tests), but not the tests themselves. The test reviews are written by professionals in the field. Entries are listed alphabetically by the test title. Indexes include title, subject, names, and score; information on publishers and a list of acronyms are also given.
PsycINFO (1887 - present) VCU
Scholarly psychology material including empirical research and peer reviewed journal articles from 1887 to the present. Includes references to both published and unpublished assessment tools and screening instruments. Search tip: You can search the Tests & Measures field to find information about a test used in the methodology of a study or featured as the subject of a article. You can also select an appropriate Classification Code (for example: 2220 Tests & Testing, 2223 Personality Scales & Inventories, and many more) to find sources that reference tests and measurements related to a particular topic.
Test Critiques
Cabell Library Reference - Tests Table BF176.T419
Brief descriptions of tests covering psychology, education, and business including information on use, settings, appropriate subjects, guidelines for administration scoring, validity, and reliability.
TestLink
http://www.ets.org/testcoll/index.html
Searches the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Test Collection database. Indexes more than 25,000 tests and research instruments from the early 1900’s to the present. Provides information about both published and unpublished measurement tools, but does not provide reviews of the tests. Some of the tests listed may be available in The ETS Test Collection: Tests in Microfiche (Cabell Library Microfiche 20.47).
Tests in Print
Cabell Library Reference - Tests Table Z5814.E9.T41
Descriptive listings of and references to commercially published tests in English that are in print and available for purchase and use. There are no reviews in Tests in Print; however, it also serves as a master index of in-print tests that refers the reader to all the original test reviews and excerpted test reviews that appeared for these tests in the Mental Measurements Yearbook to date. Each volume is comprehensive, which means you only have to search the most recent one for complete coverage of tests still in print. Indexes include title, acronym, subject, publisher, name, and score.
The sources listed in the previous section will help you identify tests and measures. However, tests and measures are generally available only from the test publishers or authors of the tests. Clinics that administer these tests and measures may have copies available, but these are for use by staff members who are qualified to administer the tests or measures. Typically, you will have to contact the publisher and/or author to obtain the instrument (and permission). In some cases, you may find the instrument in a book or article or with a Web search. The Cabell Library also has a small collection of actual tests, scales or inventories.
Tests in microfiche
Unpublished tests produced on microfiche by the Educational Testing Service. You can find an index providing subject, title, and author access to a collection on the Tests Table (Cabell Library Reference LB3051.T45 - Tests Table), and some of the tests are indexed in TestLink. The microfiche copies of the tests are located on the 3rd floor (Cabell Microfiche 20.47).
Other sources of full text tests and measures include the following databases and books. For more help locating tests and measures, Ask a Librarian.
ERIC (1966 - present) VCU
Copies of tests are sometimes available in ERIC documents.
Handbook of family measurement techniques
Cabell Library Reference - Tests Table HQ728.H267
Bibliography of tests that measure family functioning. Volume 3 has actual examples of some of the instruments that are described in volumes 1 and 2.
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) VCU
ICPSR archives survey data on a variety of topics and populations. Codebooks often include full text of survey questions and response frequencies. Questionnaires may also be included with particular studies. View more information and search help.
Measures for clinical practice
Cabell Library Reference - Tests Table BF176.C66
Describes and actually contains some instruments to be used in a clinical setting.
Scales for the measurements of attitudes
Cabell Library BF378.A75 S45
Includes the 175 attitude measures that it discusses.
Research studies published in periodicals using particular tests, scales, and/or inventories with descriptive or critical comments about testing can be located using the following databases.
Many of the databases listed below include at least some full text articles, but very few databases are 100% full text. Look for the 
button or try the E-Journal Search.
Dissertations Abstracts Online (1861 - present) VCU
Abstracts of dissertations completed in the U.S. and abroad. See finding dissertations for additional help.
ERIC (1966 - present) VCU
Abstracts of articles, books, and Department of Education publications including links to some full text reports.
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection (1965 - Present) VCU
A comprehensive database covering topics related to emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry and psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods.
PsycINFO (1887 - present) VCU
Scholarly psychology material including empirical research and peer reviewed journal articles. Covers psychological aspects of related fields such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business, and law.
You can search the library catalog for books on testing. You can access the library catalog from the main VCU Libraries Web page at http://www.library.vcu.edu/ by clicking on the Catalog tab (near the top of the screen) and then clicking on the VCU Library Catalog link. Try some of the following search terms:
- testing
- educational tests
- psychological tests
- neuropsychological tests
- assessment
- behavioral assessment
- personality assessment
- psychodiagnosis
While the terms listed above may help you get started, you may need to include more specific terms based on your topic. For example:
- psychological tests AND personality
- (testing OR assessment) AND behavior
Buros Institute of Mental Measurements
http://www.unl.edu/buros/
The Buros Institute publishes of Mental Measurements Yearbook. The site’s main purpose is commercial, but it does contain some useful content including an instructional resources section.
Compendium of Assessment and Research Tools (C.A.R.T.)
http://cart.rmcdenver.com/index.cgi?autoid=30158
Brief descriptions of instruments, tools, rubrics, and guides for youth development programs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Psychological Tests
http://www.apa.org/science/test.html
Guide from the American Psychological Association (APA) to locate tests.
Tests and Measures in the Social Sciences: Tests available in compilation volumes
http://libraries.uta.edu/helen/test&meas/testmainframe.htm
An index developed by Helen Hough at the University of Texas to compilations of tests available in many libraries.