Tests & Measures | Palo Alto University

The PAU Library no longer distributes, purchases, collects, or handles physical copies of commercially published psychological test kits, but these materials can be obtained through the Psychology Department. The PAU Library does offer a small collection of commercially published psychological test manuals, including manuals for the WAIS-IV and WISC-V, which may be checked out from a librarian in person, by appointment.

You can also find tests, measures, and research instruments in published books and journals and on open-access websites. You can also request copies from their authors if they have not been commercially published or otherwise made available for distribution.

The PAU Library provides a variety of tools to assist you with locating published and unpublished assessment materials, including the WorldCat Discovery library catalog; databases such as APA PsycTests, APA PsycInfo, and Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print; print and digital reference books; and the open web.

To guide you through the process of finding assessment materials, we suggest following a series of steps to help you with your search, as detailed below. Please reach out via email to librarian@paloaltou.edu if you need any assistance with your search.

Step 1: Search the APA PsycTests Database

APA PsycTests is the American Psychological Association's repository of psychological assessment instruments used for research. This database of tests, measures, scales, surveys, and other assessment instruments includes descriptive information about each item and its development and administration, as well as information on how to find it.

When searching APA PsycTests, your task is to click on the title of interest to open the APA PsycTests record and see the full details about the instrument, including information on how to access it.

Use the information provided in each PsycTests record to determine if the item is a commercially published test, which may be available from the Psychology Department or for which a manual may be available from the library; a measure published in a scholarly journal or book, which can oftentimes be found in the PAU databases or requested through interlibrary loan (ILL) if you search for it using the citation; an instrument available for download, in full-text, directly from the record; or an assessment that must be requested by permission from the the author(s) and/or publisher, using the contact information provided in the record.

Step 1: Search the APA PsycTests Database

Step 2: Search WorldCat Discovery

Use WorldCat Discovery, PAU's library catalog, to search for commercially published test materials that are available through the PAU Psychology Department. Use restrictions set by the publishers limit access to PAU faculty, staff (only if licensed), and current doctoral students and prohibit borrowing/lending via interlibrary loan (ILL).

To find a specific test, enter the name of the test in the search box. On the results page, select "Kit" under the "Format" limiter on the left-hand side of the page. The page will refresh to show you if the test is available in the PAU Psychology Department, which is the default search setting.

To search for all items in the PAU Library's collection of tests and measures, enter "test kit" in the search box, select "Kit" under the "Format" limiter, then use the "Sort" feature at the top of the left-hand column if desired. If you like, you can add keywords to your search and/or use the other available limiters if you need a specific type of test.

Use the links below if you need help with your search or with using the WorldCat Discovery platform.

Step 2: Search WorldCat Discovery

Step 3: Search Google

If a test or measure has been published for commercial use, you can search the open web using Google to locate the publisher's website for information about use permissions and purchasing.

You can also use Google to search the open web for unpublished tests and measures to see if they have been posted online or to locate email address or website information for requesting the materials and obtaining permission for use from the author(s). When contacting the author(s), explain that you are a university doctoral student or faculty member in clinical psychology who is requesting the test and scoring instructions for use in your research.

To aid in locating tests and measures in the published literature during your Google search, you can set up links to full text at the PAU Library. Find out more using the link below.

Step 3: Search Google

Photo of Measures for Clinical Practice 6th ed.

Step 4: Search Measures for Clinical Practice and Research

Measures for Clinical Practice and Research is available in print and electronic format through the PAU Library. This seminal work for practitioners and researchers in the helping professions includes reproduced measures along with editorial critiques and guidance for selection and scoring. Volume 1 covers assessment instruments for use with couples, families, and children, and Volume 2 covers assessment instruments for use with adults.

Step 4: Search Measures for Clinical Practice and Research

Step 5: Search Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print

Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print is a resource you can use to search for commercially available tools if you need to assess a specific symptom, disorder, or characteristic. If you find a test here, you can go back to Step 2 and search WorldCat Discovery to see if it is available in the PAU Library.

Produced by the Buros Center for Testing at the University of Nebraska, this resource is designed to help users with test evaluation and selection. It contains full-text reviews covering assessment instruments in psychology, education, and business and leadership, and it provides a bibliography to all known commercially available English-language tests currently in print.

When searching, click on the title of each test to view descriptive information as well as reviews of the test. NOTE: If you click on the HTML link in the results list, you will only see the reviews for that test, with no descriptive information.

Step 5: Search Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print

Step 6: Search the APA PsycInfo Database

Finally, you can search the published literature using the American Psychological Association's PsycInfo database to find specific test or type of test that assesses a particular symptom or disorder or other characteristic. In the latter case, you can use the following search string, including the first part with the parentheses as-is and substituting any keyword for "depression" to specify the type of test you need:

(test OR measure OR assessment OR scale OR questionnaire OR survey) AND depression

Next, skip down to the oldest results to see if the author(s) published the complete measure in the article in which the measure was first described (not typical). If you find the article in which the measure was first described, but the measure itself is not included, you will need the name(s) of the author(s) in order to proceed. If you cannot find the original article describing the test, look at full-text articles in which the test was used, and then look in the reference list for the matching citation(s) to identify the author(s). Then you can go back to Step 3 and do a Google Scholar search to find contact information for the author(s).

Step 6: Search the APA PsycInfo Database

Step 7: Contact the PAU Librarians

If you cannot locate a test or measure, contact the PAU librarians for further assistance by using our item request form or emailing us directly using the links below. Your PAU librarians are always happy to help!

Step 7: Contact the PAU Librarians