Psychological assessments or testing is a process of evaluation that uses a combination of techniques to help arrive at some hypotheses about a person and their behavior, personality and capabilities. It is the mental equivalent of physical examination. For example a mental health assessment is done to find out about and check on mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and anorexia nervosa. On the other hand, an aptitude test is designed to assess what a person is capable of doing; to predict what a person is able to learn or do given the right education and instruction. It represents a person’s level of competency to perform a certain type of task. Psychological assessments also help to tell the difference between mental and physical health problems. The length of the evaluation depends upon the age of the client and the type of evaluation requested. The time it takes for a mental health assessment varies depending on the reason for the assessment.
