Any of various standardized methods of assessing or measuring mental abilities and personality traits. Where selected for their reliability and validity, mental tests are indispensable aids in assessing educational attainment, in the clinical assessment of mental disorders and their treatment, and in careers guidance and job selection.
Of the various types of mental test, intelligence tests are among the most widely used, though their reliability and validity have frequently been called into question. In education, tests of attainment have been used for many years to assess language development, reading, elementary mathematics, and other school subjects. There are also tests of aptitude and special abilities, as well as the numerous tests employed by the occupational psychologist whose concern is with personnel selection, performance appraisal, and job analysis. In psychology, personality tests have contributed significantly to the scientific study of personality, as well as having important applications in clinical and occupational psychology.