BCP Standardized Administration & Protocols 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A psychometrist notices the testing room's fluorescent light is flickering during administration. What is the best course of action?
- Continue testing and note the environmental distraction in the behavioral observations (Correct answer)
- Stop testing, move to a different room, and restart the subtest from the beginning
- Ask the examinee if they are bothered and proceed based on their answer
- Dim the lights and continue without documentation
Correct answer: Continue testing and note the environmental distraction in the behavioral observations
Environmental factors that cannot be immediately resolved should be documented in behavioral observations so the supervising psychologist can consider their potential impact.
Question 2: Which of the following best defines 'discontinue rule' in standardized testing?
- The rule that ends an entire testing battery when the examinee becomes fatigued
- The rule that halts administration of a subtest after a specified number of consecutive failures (Correct answer)
- The rule that removes an examinee from the testing session for non-compliance
- The rule that stops timing when the examinee asks for a break
Correct answer: The rule that halts administration of a subtest after a specified number of consecutive failures
A discontinue (ceiling) rule stops a subtest after a specified number of consecutive failures, preventing unnecessary distress from items the examinee cannot answer.
Question 3: During vocabulary subtest administration, an examinee gives a response that could be scored at two different point levels. What should the psychometrist do?
- Assign the higher score to give the benefit of the doubt
- Record the response verbatim and defer scoring ambiguity to the supervising psychologist (Correct answer)
- Assign the lower score to be conservative
- Query the examinee immediately to clarify the response
Correct answer: Record the response verbatim and defer scoring ambiguity to the supervising psychologist
Verbatim recording and deferral to the supervising psychologist ensures ambiguous responses are scored by the qualified professional.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of conducting a 'query' (Q) during testing?
- To give the examinee a second attempt at an incorrect response
- To obtain additional information when a response is unclear, incomplete, or ambiguous as specified in the manual (Correct answer)
- To encourage the examinee when they appear discouraged
- To rephrase a question the examinee did not understand
Correct answer: To obtain additional information when a response is unclear, incomplete, or ambiguous as specified in the manual
A query is a neutral prompt used to elicit elaboration when a response is ambiguous, incomplete, or unclear, as specified in the test manual.
Question 5: An examinee asks the psychometrist 'Did I get that right?' after completing a problem-solving item. The appropriate response is:
- 'Yes, you did a great job on that one!'
- 'No, but let's keep going.'
- 'You're doing fine, let's move on to the next one.' (Correct answer)
- 'I can't tell you the answers, but keep trying your best.'
Correct answer: 'You're doing fine, let's move on to the next one.'
A neutral, encouraging response avoids confirming or denying correctness, preserving standardized conditions while supporting the examinee.
Question 6: Before beginning a standardized assessment, the psychometrist should verify all of the following EXCEPT:
- The testing environment is free from distractions
- The examinee's name and date of birth are confirmed for correct form selection
- The examinee's diagnosis to select the most appropriate scoring criteria (Correct answer)
- All required materials, record forms, and timing devices are present and functional
Correct answer: The examinee's diagnosis to select the most appropriate scoring criteria
Diagnosis is not used by the psychometrist to select scoring criteria; standard scoring rules apply regardless of diagnosis unless approved accommodations specify otherwise.
Question 7: Which of the following is a core reason why a psychometrist must not coach an examinee during standardized testing?
- It wastes valuable testing time
- It invalidates the normative comparison by altering the stimulus conditions from those used during standardization (Correct answer)
- It may cause the examinee to feel embarrassed
- It increases the length of the testing session
Correct answer: It invalidates the normative comparison by altering the stimulus conditions from those used during standardization
Coaching changes the conditions under which the examinee responds, making their performance incomparable to the normative sample.
BCP Standardized Administration & Protocols 3
A psychometrist notices the testing room's fluorescent light is flickering during administration.
What is the best course of action?