Training and Research

Occupational Testing

The Society issues five levels of certification in Occupational testing to trained test users who have undergone training and been assessed as a competent test user by a Verified Assessor. These are:

• Test Administration
• Level A (Ability and Aptitude Testing)
• Level B Intermediate (Personality Testing): (Competence in ONE Personality Measure)
• Level B: Intermediate plus (Competence in a Second or subsequent sufficiently different Personality Measure)
• Level B: Full (Competence in Test Choice, Test Evaluation and completion of a Diary Record and Project Report)

Level A is a pre-requisite for progression on to Level B.

Educational Testing

The Society issues a Level A Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing for those who have undergone training with a Verified Assessor.

Plans to develop other levels of certification for educational test users are underway and will be published on this website in due course.

How do I get a Certificate?

For each certificate you must first undertake a training course and then have your competences affirmed by an Assessor (a Chartered Psychologist whose assessment methods have been verified by the Society). In many (but not all) cases, trainers are also Assessors. Before starting any training, you should check with the trainer that the course leads to eligibility to apply for a British Psychological Society (BPS) Certificate of Competence in Psychological Testing, and that the Assessor holds a valid Assessor's Certificate.

Details of the competences for each level of certification can be found in our General Information Packs. These can be downloaded from the How to Apply section.

Where can I train, and who can assess me?

The Directory of Training Course Providers, provides contact details of training providers offering courses in occupational testing in the UK. Details of the cost of training courses and when they are held can be obtained from the training course provider directly.

Please refer to the List of Level A Educational Assessors to find information about training in educational testing. List of Level A Educational Assessors.pdf

Distance Learning

Training at Level A (Occupational Testing) can also be achieved by completing the open learning programme. Please refer to the section called Supporting Publciations below and then to BPS Blackwell. We recommend that you consider the cost of the assessment with a Verified Assessor prior to purchasing the pack, as it is necessary to have your competences affirmed by an Assessor to be eligible for a BPS Certificate. See the List of Level A and Level B Assessors.

Am I eligible for Student Discount Rate?

To qualify for the discounted student rate of £30 for each Certificate of Competence you must, at the time of application:

• be enrolled on an undergraduate or postgraduate degree course;
• have your application form signed by a Verified Assessor who signs a declaration confirming that you are a student.
• apply for entry onto the Register of Competence for the first year (subscription fee of £25).
• sign a declaration that you are not in receipt of a taxable income.
  

Please ensure your Assessor completes and signs Section 5 of the application form to confirm this.

What is the List of Level A and B Assessors? (occupational)

The List of Level A and B Assessors is intended to provide you with names of Chartered Psychologists who are current Verified Assessors. Some Chartered Psychologists who run courses leading to eligibility for delegates to apply for BPS Certificates of Competence, also promote their services in the Directory of Training Course Providers through a paid listing.

What will the certificates enable me to do?

If you wish to purchase and use tests from a test publisher, by presenting the approriate BPS Certificate of Competence, you may get access to some tests; but this is at the discretion of the individual test publisher.

Those who hold the British Psychological Society's Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing and a Dyslexia qualification, which is verified by The British Dyslexia Association at Accredited Teacher Status, are eligible to apply for a practising certificate in SpLD (Special Learning Difficulties). For information on obtaining a practising certificate please download the FAQ's FAQsPractisingcertificate.pdf

For general information regarding the BPS Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing please refer to How to Apply and Packs

For details about the SpLD Certificate, please visit The PATOSS or The British Dyslexia Association website.

What if my qualifications were obtained overseas?

The Society's role is to set standards in psychological testing in the UK. Psychological Testing or Psychometrics is sometimes covered within a degree course or as a separate training course in countries outside the United Kingdom.

Whether the qualification is taken in or outside the UK, in order to have access to ability/aptitude tests and/or personality tests, you need to be registered with the test publisher or supplier. Most suppliers will require you to be in possession of the relevant BPS Certificate of Competence in Psychological Testing at either Level A and/or B. This can be obtained either by attending a training course, which covers the relevant competences, or you will need to have your competences signed off by an Assessor who has been verified by the Society at the relevant level. The role of the Assessor is to obtain a portfolio of evidence demonstrating your competence in the relevant areas (whether this has been obtained via a course or practice experience and self-study).

Some training organisations run courses overseas and can arrange to assess and sign off delegates who have completed the course overseas. For detailed information please contact the training course provider directly. Please view the Directory of Training Course Providers.

Supporting Publications

Educational Testing
A Competence-Based Approach
JAMES BOYLE & STEPHEN FISHER

Educational Testing provides support for those undertaking training in, and for training providers of, the Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) (Level A). Developed by the British Psychological Society the CCET aims to meet a need for standards for the use of tests in education in the UK, to encourage responsible test use by psychologists and non-psychologists alike. Written by the designers of the certificate and endorsed by the BPS's Steering Committee on Test Standards, Educational Testing is the only book of its kind available:

· Covers the 71 elements of the CCET in detail and acts as a ‘course text’ for those in training
· Describes each core competence
· Provides model answers and examples
· Offers an indication of the range of ways in which the core competences may be assessed by the Assessor, based upon the existing BPS Guidance for Assessors document
· Appendices offer guidance on BPS Standards, a glossary of technical terms, useful web-sites and on-line resources and Test Publishers Addresses.

December 2006 / 240 pages / ISBN 978 -1-4051-4659-3 £25.99 (20% discount for BPS Members)

Psychological Testing:
The BPS Occupational Test Administration Open Learning Programme
DAVID BARTRAM & PATRICIA LINDLEY

This self-study manual provides users with all the learning materials they need to train for the British Psychological Society’s new Test Administration Certificate.

· Provides a structured programme of training, covering all the learning requirements for the Certificate
· Also suitable for use on other courses in test administration
· Includes material on computer-based, Internet-based and other mixed modes of test administration
· Contains self-assessment exercises to enable users to monitor their progress and know when they are ready to be assessed.

January 2007 / 112 pages / ISBN: 978-1-4051-3107-0 /£55 , (20% discount for BPS Members)

Psychological Testing:
BPS Level A Open Learning Programme
DAVID BARTRAM & PATRICIA LINDLEY

January 2000/ ISBN 978-1-85433-291-2/ £195 (20% discount for BPS members)

For more information on BPS Blackwell titles and to purchase, please visit www.bpsblackwell.co.uk

BPS members receive a 20% discount on any BPS Blackwell Publishing title. Please ensure you have your BPS membership number ready when you check out.