Test Prep Test Prep Certifications NCE Questions & Answers

• Question 11:

  What will the standard error of measurement tell you about a test?

  A. If the test is valid.

  B. If two sets of results are due to chance.

  C. If the test has a normal curve.

  D. If the test is norm-referenced.

  Correct Answer: B

  Standard error of measurement estimates how an individual's scores would fall if given the same assessment over a period of time. Validity is one of the most important criteria for determining the quality of a test and refers to if the test is measuring what it claims to measure.

• Question 12:

  John and Carol took the same test. John got a score of 87 and Carol got a score of 73. To determine if the differences in scores is the result of chance, a counselor would need to know which of the following characteristics of the test?

  A. Standard error of the mean

  B. Standard deviation

  C. Mean

  D. Standard error of measurement

  Correct Answer: D

  Standard error of measurement estimates where an individual's scores would fall if given the same assessment over a period of time. Standard error of the mean is the variability of the sample means while standard deviation is a measure telling the amount of variation of a set of data points.

• Question 13:

  Which test measures key personality factors?

  A. WISC

  B. WAIS

  C. MBTI

  D. 16PF

  Correct Answer: D

  The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) is a self-report personality test developed using several decades worth of empirical research. Cattell and his associates set to measure the following personality factors: warmth, intellect, emotional stability, aggressiveness, liveliness, dutifulness, social assertiveness, sensitivity, paranoia, abstractedness, introversion, anxiety, open mindedness, independence, perfectionism, tension. The Myers Briggs Type Inventory is a self- report personality inventory which indicates how people perceive the world and make decisions. The WISC and the WAIS are tests designed to measure cognitive intelligence.

• Question 14:

  Which of the following is not considered a subjective test?

  A. Rorschach

  B. TAT

  C. WISC-III

  D. None; all are subjective

  Correct Answer: C

  The WISC-III is an intelligence test, while the rest are subjective.

• Question 15:

  Ipsative measures:

  A. compare traits within the same individual.

  B. compare traits of people who took the assessment.

  C. contrast traits with other personality factors.

  D. show what a client needs to improve.

  Correct Answer: A

  Ipsative measures are sometimes referred to as 'forced choice' scale. When given two choices, the respondent needs to pick the one that's most preferred.

• Question 16:

  Personality tests or interest inventories measure:

  A. goals

  B. maximum performance

  C. typical performance

  D. academic potential

  Correct Answer: C

  Typical performance shows how someone will perform on a regular basis. Maximum performance shows how someone will perform when exerting as much effort as possible (such as when a person is being observed).

• Question 17:

  Reliability tells:

  A. if a test measures what it says it measures.

  B. how consistently a test measures an attribute.

  C. if the client can be trusted.

  D. where the counseling process should focus.

  Correct Answer: B

  Reliability is a key part of any assessment. The scale needs to provide consistent results over repeated measurements. If a test measures what it says it measures, the test has validity. Reliability and validity are independent of each other...a test can be both reliable and valid; reliable, but not valid; or not reliable, but valid.

• Question 18:

  Self-report tests like the BDI:

  A. Consistently and accurately measure its intended criterion regardless of internal or environment factors

  B. Depend much on the present state of the person taking it

  C. May not always be accurate

  D. Both b and c

  Correct Answer: D

  Self-report tests by their very nature make accuracy difficult. They can be useful tools to assess current symptoms, however, and can be administered multiple times to gauge changes (i.e. after several months in therapy or a certain amount of time on a new medication).

• Question 19:

  Your supervisor suggests that you give your client a Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) Test. This is a(n) ____________________.

  A. aptitude test

  B. intelligence test

  C. self-report test

  D. achievement test

  Correct Answer: C

  Tests that measure criterion based on a patient's report are called self-report tests. The BDI does not measure aptitude, intelligence or achievement.

• Question 20:

  One of your clients who is a minor comes into your office with visible bruising and you suspect abuse. You should:

  A. Call the child abuse hotline to report the incident.

  B. Tell his parents to stop abusing him.

  C. Try to prove it.

  D. Ask lots of questions to lead your client to confide the abuse to you.

  Correct Answer: A

  It is very important for counselors to follow through with reporting abuse, especially since they are mandated reporters. This is one of the instances when breaking confidentiality is warranted. It is not the counselor's job to get more information from the client in order to try to prove abuse occurred. If a counselor has the suspicion that abuse occurred, they need to report. In some instances, counselors do choose to let the parent know a report had to be made, but that is not required.