Psychological testing, one aspect of psychological assessment, has developed clinically along two paths which provide information about an individual. While cognitive testing provides data about skills such as intelligence and memory, personality testing produces information about emotional states, behavioral patterns, and interpersonal tendencies. This article traces the modern development of psychological testing with particular emphasis on personality testing with adults. Application of personality testing within a forensic context is discussed.

Psychological testing provides the means of assessing characteristics, attributes, abilities, functional capacities, and other constructs that describe individuals and predict their behavior. Measurement of such constructs provides useful clinical information and is essential for theory development. A wide range of tests have been developed for use in clinical, educational, and organizational settings. This article contrasts the roles and methods of psychology and psychiatry, discusses major types of tests and their clinical applications, presents several fundamental psychometric concepts, and provides a framework for understanding testing in a historical context. This leads to more detailed discussion of the use of testing in forensic settings and tensions between legal and scientific perspectives, followed by an overview of major personality tests currently in use in clinical and forensic settings.