Psychological Testing and Evaluation

What is Psychological Testing?

Psychological testing (psychological or psychodiagnostic evaluation or assessment) uses reliable and research-validated measures to examine a person’s mental health, provide applicable diagnoses, and answer specific questions about a person’s well-being. Psychological testing commonly includes testing for intelligence or cognitive status, personality, and emotional states. The results of a psychological evaluation can help people get the care they need, improve their daily functions, qualify for certain medical procedures or treatments, adjust to life changes, improve social relations, or guide them in their careers.

A psychological evaluation is considered when there is uncertainty about why a person is having challenges with their mood, behavior, thinking, or learning. Psychological testing can quantify a change from a previous baseline, or it can quantify the severity of the symptoms or problems that someone is having. The results can be used to diagnose a variety of mental health conditions, including:

  • Anxiety

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

  • Bipolar disorder

  • Depression

  • Mood disorders

  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

  • Personality disorders

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

  • Schizophrenia

  • Social anxiety

  • Somatic symptom disorder

  • Substance use disorder

Types of Psychological Tests and Evaluations

The most common types of psychological testing include:

  • ADHD testing

  • Autism spectrum disorder and ADOS -2 testing

  • Bariatric evaluations (pre-surgical evaluations for weight loss surgery)

  • Behavioral issues or conduct problems

  • Intellectual testing / Giftedness or Twice Exceptionality

  • Intellectual disability

  • Personality testing

  • Projective testing

  • Psychodiagnostic testing

  • Psychosis/reality testing