Bespoke Development of Psychometric Assessments

Creating reliable and valid assessments is becoming increasingly challenging and expensive, requiring extremely specialised knowledge and different approaches for different markets. Bespoke tests have advantages over off-the-shelf tests in that they can be particularly tailored to the specific needs of an organisation, and can also be appropriately branded and given enhanced face validity by specifically using the language of that organisation. The Psychometrics Centre offers services to organisations looking to develop psychological measures in all areas of assessment: educational, clinical and occupational. From large publishers to smaller consultancies and clinics, we have decades of experience in meeting customised test specifications.

Contact us today to discuss your needs and requirements.

​Services Offered

  • Test authorship from scratch:  The Centre can either take a detailed specification and create a test to meet it, or help in creating an appropriate solution to meet a particular unfilled market or portfolio need.
  • Test translation and adaptation: The Centre has huge experience in taking tests from English and non-English speaking countries and fully adapting them for both the UK and the international market.
  • Test restandardisation:  Tests need to be restandardised to keep up to date and continue to be relevant. The Centre has the experience and resources to carry out these large-scale, time-sensitive projects.
  • Moving tests onto electronic platforms:  Online testing facilities enable us to create and standardise electronic versions of tests quickly and cost-effectively.
  • Creating adaptive versions of tests:Our expertise in the mathematics and algorithms of Item Response Theory (IRT) enables us to develop adaptive online versions of tests quickly and inexpensively.

Why work with us?

  • Credibility. Respondents trust the Centre to collect and deal with sensitive personal information securely and ethically, greatly simplifying the data collection process for bespoke assessments. This means we can efficiently manage high quality, representative data at scale. 
  • Commercial awareness and experience. We understand tests and the testing business. Our consultancy experience ensures we come up with practical rather than ivory-tower, over-specified solutions.
  • Multidisciplinary excellence. We cover the full range of educational, clinical and occupational test markets and apply insights from one area to others.
  • Connections across the University. As part of the University of Cambridge, we have access to large-scale research resources and access to the knowledge and experience of psychometrics experts within the faculties of psychology, engineering, psychiatry, linguistics, education, medicine, and law as well as local enterprises and the Science Park.
  • An international network of collaborators. Our research efforts are multiplied through our worldwide links in industry and academia and our network of associates.

Our Experience

Our test publishing clients have included Pearson Assessment, Hogrefe, ECPA, TalentLens, Multi Health Systems (MHS), and NFER Nelson as well as several smaller testing companies. Developed products include:

  • AP5, a computer based psychometric questionnaire for the recruitment of machine operators for David S Smith packaging that focuses on health and safety issues.
  • AP6, a psychometric test for the identification of potential underwriters for Scottish Amicable Insurance.
  • OODIM. A computer administered psychometric test for the identification of computer programmers suited to operating within an object oriented framework rather than with script languages, developed for the IT division of the National Westminster Bank.
  • AP12. A computer delivered psychometric assessment for the recruitment of Loss Adjusters to AGF Insurance, part of the French Insurance Company 'Assurances Générales de France'
  • Dynamic Risk Profiler, developed for Distribution Technologies Ltd as an assessment instrument for attitudes to financial risk.
  • the Centre for High Performance Development (CHPD) developed an assessment for High Performance Behaviours as an integral part of their Management Consultancy programme.