On Various Uses of Test Results

Abstract

The author describes four situations in which tests can be used: self-testing, consulting, development (or pedagogic purposes) and selection. Each of them sets different requirements in relation to the tests’ prognostic accuracy (the depth of the forecast) and the professional ethics of psychologists. The author suggests that many of the debated questions can be easily solved if one takes into account that some participants in the debates have in mind one kind of situation, and others have another. He justifies his positive attitude towards tests by saying that they are useful in situations when an individual ought to be tested not only for his or her own sake but also in order to protect surrounding people (for instance, before appointing a head of a company or a public body).