1. If you know the title of the test, use the alphabetical page headings to go directly to the test entry.

2. If you do not know, cannot find, or are unsure of the title of a test, consult the Index of Titles for possible variants of the title or consult the appropriate subject area of the Classified Subject Index for other possible leads or for similar or related tests in the same area.

3. If you know the author of the test, consult the Index of Names and look up the author's titles until you find the test you want.

4. If you know the test publisher, consult the Publishers Directory and Index and look up the publisher's titles until you find the test you want.

5. If you are looking for a test that yields a particular kind of score, look up the score in the Score Index and locate the test or tests that include that score.

6. Once you have found the test or tests you are looking for, read the descriptive entries for these tests carefully so that you can take advantage of the information provided. A description of the information provided in these test entries will be presented later in this section.

7. Once you have read the descriptive information and test reviews, you may want to order a specimen set for a particular test so that you can examine it firsthand. The Publishers Directory and Index has the address information needed to obtain specimen sets or catalogs.

Making Effective Use of the Test Entries. The test entries include extensive information. For each test, descriptive information is presented in the following order:

a) titles. Test titles are printed in boldface type. Secondary or series titles are set off from main titles by a colon.

b) purpose. For each test we have included a brief, clear statement describing the purpose of the test. Often these statements are quotations from the test manual.

c) population. This is a description of the groups for which the test is intended. The grade, chronological age, semester range, or employment category is usually given. "Grades 1.5--2.5, 2--3, 4--12, 13--17" means that there are four test booklets: a booklet for the middle of first grade through the middle of the second grade, a booklet for the beginning of the second grade through the end of third grade, a booklet for grades 4 through 12 inclusive, and a booklet for undergraduate and graduate students in colleges and universities.

d) publication date. The inclusive range of publication dates for the various forms, accessories, and editions of a test is reported.

e) acronym. When a test is often referred to by an acronym, the acronym is given in the test entry immediately following the publication date.

f) scores. The number of part scores is presented along with their titles or descriptions of what they are intended to represent or measure.

g) administration. Individual or group administration is indicated. A test is considered a group test unless it may be administered only individually.

h) forms, parts, and levels. All available forms, parts, and levels are listed.

i) manual. Notation is made if no manual is available. All other manual information is included under Price Data.

j) restricted distribution. This is noted only for tests that are put on a special market by the publisher. Educational and psychological restrictions are not noted (unless a special training course is required for use).

k) price data. Price information is reported for test packages (usually 20 to 35 tests), answer sheets, all other accessories, and specimen sets. The statement "$17.50 per 35 tests" means that all accessories are included unless otherwise indicated by the reporting of separate prices for accessories. The statement also means 35 tests of one level, one edition, or one part unless stated otherwise. Because test prices can change very quickly, the year that the listed test prices were obtained is also given. Foreign currency is assigned the appropriate symbol. When prices are given in foreign dollars, a qualifying symbol is added (e.g., A$16.50 refers to 16 dollars and 50 cents in Australian currency). Along with cost, the publication date and number of pages on which print occurs is reported for manuals and technical reports (e.g., '85, 102 pages). All types of machine-scorable answer sheets available for use with a specific test are also reported in the descriptive entry. Scoring and reporting services provided by publishers are reported along with information on costs. In a few cases, special computerized scoring and interpretation services are given in separate entries immediately following the test.

l) foreign language and other special editions. This section concerns foreign language editions published by the same publisher who sells the English edition. It also indicates special editions (e.g., Braille, large type) available from the same or a different publisher.

m) time. The number of minutes of actual working time allowed examinees and the approximate length of time needed for administering a test are reported whenever obtainable. The latter figure is always enclosed in parentheses. Thus, "50(60) minutes" indicates that the examinees are allowed 50 minutes of working time and that a total of 60 minutes is needed to administer the test. A time of "40--50 minutes" indicates an untimed test that takes approximately 45 minutes to administer, or--in a few instances--a test so timed that working time and administration time are very difficult to disentangle. When the time necessary to administer a test is not reported or suggested in the test materials but has been obtained through correspondence with the test publisher or author, the time is enclosed in brackets.

n) comments. Some entries contain special notations, such as: "for research use only"; "revision of the ABC Test"; "tests administered monthly at centers throughout the United States"; "subtests available as separates"; and "verbal creativity." A statement such as "verbal creativity" is intended to further describe what the test claims to measure. Some of the test entries include factual statements that imply criticism of the test, such as "1980 test identical with test copyrighted 1970."

o) author. For most tests, all authors are reported. In the case of tests that appear in a new form each year, only authors of the most recent forms are listed. Names are reported exactly as printed on test booklets. Names of editors generally are not reported.

p) publisher. The name of the publisher or distributor is reported for each test. Foreign publishers are identified by listing the country in brackets immediately following the name of the publisher. The Publishers Directory and Index must be consulted for a publisher's address.

q) foreign adaptations. Revisions and adaptations of tests for foreign use are listed in a separate paragraph following the original edition.

r) sublistings. Levels, editions, subtests, or parts of a test available in separate booklets are sometimes presented as sublistings with titles set in small capitals. Sub-sublistings are indented and titles are set in italic type.

s) cross references. For tests that have been listed previously in a Buros Institute publication, a test entry includes--if relevant--a final paragraph containing a cross reference to the reviews, excerpts, and references for that test in those volumes. In the cross references, "T3:467" refers to test 467 in Tests in Print III, "8:1023" refers to test 1023 in The Eighth Mental Measurements Yearbook, "T2:144" refers to test 144 in Tests in Print II, "7:637" refers to test 637 in The Seventh Mental Measurements Yearbook, "P:262" refers to test 262 in Personality Tests and Reviews I, "2:1427" refers to test 1427 in The 1940 Yearbook, and "1:1110" refers to test 1110 in The 1938 Yearbook. In the case of batteries and programs, the paragraph also includes cross references--from the battery to the separately listed subtests and vice versa--to entries in this volume and to entries and reviews in earlier editions of TIP and the MMY.