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The Mental Measurements Yearbook: Psychology's Gold Standard for Test Reviews

The Mental Measurements Yearbook: Psychology's Gold Standard for Test Reviews

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If you've ever taken a personality inventory, an intelligence test, a depression questionnaire, or an aptitude assessment, you may have wondered a simple question: How do we know this test is any good? For psychologists, counselors, educators, and researchers, one of the most trusted resources for answering that question is the Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY). For more than 85 years, this reference series has served as the gold standard for evaluating psychological and educational tests, helping professionals distinguish well-developed assessments from those with questionable quality.

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A Brief History

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The Mental Measurements Yearbook was founded in 1938 by psychologist Oscar Krisen Buros, a professor of educational measurement who became frustrated with the lack of objective information available about commercially published tests. At the time, new psychological and educational assessments were appearing rapidly, yet there was no independent source that critically evaluated their quality.

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Rather than simply listing available tests, Buros created a resource that provided expert, independent reviews of each assessment. His goal was to help professionals make informed decisions when selecting tests for education, psychology, business, and healthcare.

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Although its name suggests an annual publication, the Mental Measurements Yearbook has never been published every year. Today, new editions are typically released every three years by the Buros Center for Testing at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Each volume supplements rather than replaces previous editions, allowing the collection to grow over time.

 

What Is Its Purpose?

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The purpose of the Mental Measurements Yearbook is simple: to provide objective, expert evaluations of commercially available psychological and educational tests. Unlike publishers' marketing materials, MMY reviews are written by independent experts with advanced training in psychometrics and assessment. Most tests receive two separate professional reviews, offering readers multiple perspectives on the strengths and limitations of an instrument.

 

A typical review includes:

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  • The purpose of the test

  • Intended population

  • Administration procedures

  • Scoring information

  • Evidence for reliability and validity

  • Strengths and weaknesses

  • Practical recommendations for use

 

Beginning with the Fourteenth Edition, tests also had to include sufficient technical documentation demonstrating their psychometric quality before they could be reviewed. This helped ensure that the series focused on assessments supported by meaningful evidence.

 

Why Is It Important?

 

Psychological tests can have significant consequences. They may influence educational placement, hiring decisions, clinical diagnoses, treatment planning, or research findings.

 

The Mental Measurements Yearbook helps professionals answer important questions such as:

  • Is this test reliable?

  • Does it actually measure what it claims to measure?

  • Is there evidence supporting its use?

  • Are there limitations or concerns I should know about?

  • Is there a better assessment available?

 

Because the reviews are written independently of the test publishers, the MMY provides an objective perspective that is difficult to find elsewhere.

 

How Many Tests Has It Covered?

 

Since its first publication in 1938, the Mental Measurements Yearbook has reviewed more than 7,500 commercially available tests and test revisions. Because many popular assessments are updated over time, multiple editions of the same instrument may be reviewed as new versions are released. The electronic edition now contains more than 10,000 full-text reviews covering those tests and their revisions across all editions of the series.

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The assessments span a wide variety of fields, including:

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  • Intelligence and cognitive ability

  • Personality

  • Academic achievement

  • Career interests and aptitude

  • Neuropsychological functioning

  • Mental health screening

  • Speech and language

  • Behavioral assessment

  • Leadership and business

  • Healthcare and rehabilitation


The MMY is widely used by:
 

  • Psychologists

  • School psychologists

  • Counselors

  • Researchers

  • Graduate students

  • Special education professionals

  • Human resource specialists

  • Healthcare providers


In many graduate psychology programs, learning how to evaluate assessments using the Mental Measurements Yearbook is considered an essential professional skill.


The Bottom Line
 

The Mental Measurements Yearbook remains one of the most respected resources in psychological assessment because it emphasizes evidence over marketing. Rather than asking whether a test is popular, it asks whether the scientific evidence supports its use. For anyone selecting a psychological or educational assessment, consulting the MMY is one of the best ways to ensure that decisions are based on reliable, valid, and professionally evaluated instruments—not simply on publisher claims.


Learn More
 

The Buros Center for Testing maintains information about the Mental Measurements Yearbook, including current editions and searchable indexes of reviewed tests.

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