Lthough there have been several minor updates since this test was published in 1989 and was revised to ensure that it more closely reflected cultural and social diversity. This is the standard adult version of the test and is the major revision of the original assessment. With this in mind, there are still several versions of the test available. This is a well-researched test that has had many studies completed on it, and revisions have been made to not only make it more relevant but also to work on bias that may have existed in early forms, particularly related to racism and homophobia. Types of MMPI TestsĪs can be expected with a test that was first published nearly 100 years ago, some of the relevance of the questions – as well as the validity of the assessment as a whole – have been called into question. You can find practice or example questions online, but you need to be invited to complete the test by someone who is appropriately licensed (usually a mental health professional).

This is why when you take the test, it will be administered at a specified location under supervision, although the test is computerized.

Moreover, the MMPI was first published by the University of Minnesota Press in 1972, and it is currently licensed for distribution to Pearson (among others) – although as a protected psychological test, it is not available online, and only professionals who hold the correct credentials are permitted to purchase it. This made the questions less obvious, but also more valid – which is why even today the MMPI is considered to be one of the most robust and valid psychological self-reporting tools available. The answer to this was the earliest version of the MMPI, which was created by selecting items that were based on the questions (and answers) given by those who had been diagnosed with different mental disorders. Hathaway and McKinley, along with other noted professionals in the area, considered the self-report tools of the time to be lacking they were too transparent which meant that a test taker could guess the intent behind the questions and manipulate their answers. Hathaway and J Charnley McKinley, a clinical psychologist and a neuroscientist respectively, who devised the test to be used in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota. In addition, the MMPI is usually used in tandem with other diagnosis tools to provide a clear picture of a person's mental health. The MMPI offers results that show on a scale what symptoms a person has, and what mental health problems that could be indicative of.

It has been updated multiple times over the years to make it more relevant, especially in terms of cultural sensitivity. The MMPI is a self-reporting tool that is administered by professionals, and during the assessment, you will be asked to answer hundreds of true/false questions, which help paint a picture of your mental health and your personality traits.Īs a diagnosis tool, the MMPI is considered to be clinically accurate. Originally developed in the late 1930s, it is used by mental health professionals, lawyers and even in some cases by employers when they are hiring for positions that are considered to be high-risk, such as working in the police, in nuclear power plants or in air traffic control. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is one of the most widely used assessment tools used to help clinically diagnose mental health disorders.

Practice mmpi test online