Most Commonly Used Psychological Tests in Portugal: Findings from a Survey of Portuguese Psychologists

2024
Simões, M. R., Seabra-Santos, M. J., Almiro, P., & Almeida, L. (2024). Testes psicológicos mais usados em Portugal: Resultados de um inquérito a psicólogos portugueses [Most used psychological tests in Portugal: Results of a survey of Portuguese psychologists]. Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Evaluación – e Avaliação Psicológica, 72(2), 91-110. https://doi.org/10.21865/RIDEP72.2.07.

A total of 1,383 Portuguese psychologists took part in this research and responded to an online survey. One of the aims of this survey was to identify the "psychological tests and/or questionnaires" most commonly used in their professional practice.

This article: (i) lists the 50 most frequently mentioned tests and other instruments; (ii) compares the results obtained with data from similar national and international studies; (iii) highlights some important instruments that have recently become available for psychological assessment in Portugal and which were not identified in the responses to this survey; (iv) analyses the implications of the results for the teaching, dissemination and professional practice of psychological assessment and the use of tests in this context.

The list of the 50 most commonly used tests in Portugal includes instruments that have been the object of research by members of the PsyAssessmentLab, namely: 1 WISC-III (1st); Rey Complex Figure Test (2nd); WAIS-III (4th); Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (6th); BDI-II (8th); MMSE (12th); TRF (13th); CBCL (14th); WPPSI-R (20th); Toulouse and Piéron Cancelation Test (23rd); MoCA (26th); BANC (38th); TMT A & B (42nd); ACE-R (43rd); GDS-30 (45th).

This study was supported by the Portuguese Psychologists' Association (OPP).

Abstract

Psychological assessment has been a relevant and exclusive activity of Psychology, justifying an analysis of the evolution of its practice. This article identifies the tests and other psychological assessment instruments most commonly used in Portugal. A total of 1383 psychologists took part and responded to an online survey. The results show that intelligence assessment tests (Wechsler Intelligence Scales, particularly the WISC) and non-verbal reasoning tests (Raven's Matrices) are among the most widely used. There has been an increase in the use of neuropsychological tests, cognitive screening tests, behavioral assessment scales and school performance or achievement tests, while there has been a decrease in the use of projective tests. On the other hand, there was a greater use of psychopathological symptom inventories than more classic personality inventories. The discussion of the results points to the need for more research into the instruments used, focusing on data relating to the reliability, validity and standardization of their results, promoting the quality of the tests in use and ensuring a more rigorous use of the instruments available to Portuguese psychologists in their psychological assessment practices.

Keywords: Psychological assessment; Psychological tests; Psychometrics; Psychological practice; Portuguese psychologists.