Test Collection Database Help

Test Collection Database Help

Looking for Tests

Before beginning a search, it is important to consider the type of information that is needed.

• Are you looking for information about a specific test or are you looking for a test that can be used to assess a particular aptitude or trait?
• Are you looking for a test in a particular subject and subdivision area? See the Test Classification System for further information.
• Are you looking for a published test/instrument (provided by a commercial publisher), or for an unpublished instrument (a research or experimental measure which might also appear in a journal)?

For additional information on locating tests please, see SSHEL’s Guide to Sources of Information on Tests and Measurements. If you have any further questions or need help locating a test, Ask a Librarian!

Using the Search Fields

The Test Collection Database can be searched using multiple keywords in different search fields. All searching is case insensitive and does not allow use of wildcards.

Title
Currently, it is only possible to do a search by phrase or keyword fragment. In other words, the search engine will find ALL instances of the exact phrase or word that is entered. For example, if the word affect is entered, all of the records with that word or word fragment in the title will be retrieved (for example: Affect Scale and Affective Interview Blank and Fuller Affective Interaction Records).

Author
Enter only the last name in the author field. Since the database is limited and few last names are repeated, this is a highly efficient means of searching. More often than not, only the last name has actually been entered in the database. Also, since people sometimes publish under differing syntax of their names (i.e., John Zimmerman, or J. Zimmerman, or just Zimmerman) your search is likely to be more fruitful if entering only the last name. If there are multiple authors it is best to enter only one author’s name to begin with.

Publisher
Most test publishers are corporate bodies. If you know the official name of a corporate entity, enter the name as it would legally appear. If this yields no results, try entering a key identifying word from the corporate name.

Contents & Notes
The Contents field contains information about the test component pieces such as manuals, stimulus charts, blocks, and so on. The Notes field can include the call number for Speech and Hearing Assessment Instruments (Kits) and the location, such as Storage, Oversized, Missing, SSHEL tests, etc. Note: Not all tests include information in the Contents and Notes fields, so restricting your search this way will give only partial results.

Year
The database may be searched by a specific year or by decade. To search by decade, enter only the first three numbers of the year. For example, to find the tests in the collection from the 1950s, search for 195. Note: Not all tests in the collection have known dates and this field may be left blank. If you are searching for a test and keep returning no results, try just searching keywords from the test’s title.

Subject & Subdivision
Subject and Subdivision headings are based on the classification system developed by the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements. There are 18 general classification subject headings with 14 having further subdivision classifications. The general headings “Achievement Batteries,” “Development,” “Multi-Aptitude Batteries,” and “Neuropsychological” do not have subdivisions. The complete list of subjects and subdivisions are listed at Test Classification System.

You may search either the Subject or Subdivision field separately or you may search them both at the same time. If you search both, the Subdivision selected must be listed as a Subdivision of the selected Subject. For example, if you chose the Subject heading Character and Personality, you need to select either Nonprojective or Projective as the Subdivision (see Test Classification System). Choosing a different subdivision would lead to no results.

Displaying Results

The database displays 20 records per page in either alphabetical, ascending order by title or in ascending order by year. If there are more than 20 results, links to additional results pages will be present.