Psychological, Health, and Educational Tests

Finding the actual test instrument can be challenging. NYU Division of Libraries, like most libraries, does not systematically collect tests due to access restrictions required by the test publishers. However, the information on this page gives you an idea of strategies you can use to find tests in collections, databases, and journal articles.

Broadly speaking, there are two types of tests and measures:

• Published tests and measures, which are available from commercial publishers who charge a fee and often allow access only to qualified professionals; and
• Unpublished tests and measures, which are developed and/or used by researchers but are not sold through a publisher.

Published Tests and Measures

Must be ordered directly from the publisher. Ordering information can be obtained through publisher catalogs, websites, and in such titles as:

• Mental Measurements Yearbook
• Tests: A Comprehensive Reference for Assessments in Psychology, Education, and Business (2008)
• Tests in Print

Since test makers and publishers often restrict access to qualified professionals, NYU Library does not collect published test and measures on a systematic basis. The library does, however, have a selection of unpublished tests and measures on microfiche from the Educational Testing Service's Tests in Microfiche series. Annotated indexes to these tests are available in the 1st floor Reference area and are listed on the Print Resources page.

Unpublished Tests and Measures

Information about unpublished tests and measures often appears in journal articles or dissertations, which can be located by searching in such databases as:

• PsycINFO (psychology)
• CINAHL (health), and
• ERIC (education).
• Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI) is a database that provides brief information about unpublished tests and measures, including citations to articles that report on use and psychometrics of an instrument and sometimes contain the original instrument within the article itself. See the Databases section for more information about using these databases to find actual tests and measures.

At other times, in order to obtain a copy of an unpublished instrument, you may need to contact the author/developer directly to request a copy of the test or measure as well as permission to use it. Researchers are usually willing to oblige.

Furthermore, actual instruments (usually brief) can sometimes be found in various books about tests and measures. Two of the most notable in Bobst Library are Measures for Clinical Practice and Research, by Corcoran and Fisher (2013), and Measures of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes, by Robinson et al. (1991), which are listed on the  Print Resources page.

To access APA PsycTESTS:

1. Enter APA PsycNET.
2. On the landing page, expand "Select Databases"  to reveal database options.
3. De-select all databases except PsycTESTS to search the tests subset.

Additional support can be found on the APA PsycTESTS help website and via PsycTESTS tutorials (YouTube).