BCP Knowledge of Assessment Tools 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When administering the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the examiner changes the sorting rule without telling the examinee. What does this procedure assess?
- Working memory capacity
- Perseveration and cognitive flexibility (Correct answer)
- Processing speed
- Verbal abstraction
Correct answer: Perseveration and cognitive flexibility
The WCST's unannounced rule shifts measure perseveration and the ability to shift cognitive set, both key executive functions.
Question 2: Which instrument uses T-scores with a mean of 50 and SD of 10 as its primary metric for clinical scales?
- WISC-V
- MMPI-3 (Correct answer)
- WAIS-IV
- Vineland-3
Correct answer: MMPI-3
The MMPI-3 reports clinical and validity scale scores as T-scores (M=50, SD=10), with scores at or above 65 considered clinically elevated.
Question 3: The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-2) relies primarily on which type of data source?
- Standardized performance tasks
- Parent and teacher rating forms (Correct answer)
- Neuroimaging biomarkers
- Clinician-administered structured interview
Correct answer: Parent and teacher rating forms
BRIEF-2 gathers ratings from parents and teachers (and a self-report form for older children) about real-world executive functioning behaviors.
Question 4: A child earns a raw score of 28 on a subtest. The examiner converts this to a scaled score of 12. What does the scaled score of 12 indicate?
- Average performance relative to same-age peers
- Above-average performance relative to same-age peers (Correct answer)
- Below-average performance relative to same-age peers
- Performance in the superior range
Correct answer: Above-average performance relative to same-age peers
Scaled scores of 11–12 fall in the high average range (above the mean of 10), indicating better-than-average performance for the age group.
Question 5: Which neuropsychological instrument is specifically designed to assess verbal learning and memory using a 16-item word list across five learning trials?
- WMS-IV Logical Memory
- California Verbal Learning Test-3 (CVLT-3) (Correct answer)
- Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure
- NEPSY-II
Correct answer: California Verbal Learning Test-3 (CVLT-3)
The CVLT-3 uses a 16-item shopping list across five immediate recall trials to assess verbal learning, retention, and recognition.
Question 6: The Symptom Validity Test (SVT) embedded in neuropsychological batteries is used to detect what?
- Malingering and insufficient effort (Correct answer)
- Neurological soft signs
- Attention deficit severity
- Cultural bias in test items
Correct answer: Malingering and insufficient effort
SVTs assess whether the examinee is putting forth genuine effort, with below-chance performance suggesting intentional symptom exaggeration.
Question 7: Which subtest from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) requires the examinee to generate words beginning with a specified letter within 60 seconds?
- Twenty Questions
- Letter Fluency (Letter-Number Switching)
- Verbal Fluency — Letter Condition (Correct answer)
- Design Fluency
Correct answer: Verbal Fluency — Letter Condition
The D-KEFS Verbal Fluency Test's Letter Condition requires generating as many words as possible beginning with a target letter within 60 seconds.
BCP Knowledge of Assessment Tools 3
When administering the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the examiner changes the sorting rule without telling the examinee.
What does this procedure assess?