BCP Ethics and Professional Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A psychometrist notices that a colleague is administering a standardized test while skipping items the examinee finds difficult. What is the MOST appropriate initial action?
- Ignore it since the colleague is more experienced
- Document the observation and report it to a supervisor (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly during testing
- Invalidate the examinee's entire test record immediately
Correct answer: Document the observation and report it to a supervisor
Observing and reporting ethical violations through proper channels is required under professional codes of conduct.
Question 2: Which of the following BEST describes the ethical obligation of informed consent in psychometric testing?
- Obtaining verbal agreement from the examinee before beginning any assessment
- Providing examinee or guardian with information about test purpose, use, and limits before testing (Correct answer)
- Handing the examinee a printed brochure and proceeding with testing
- Ensuring the referring clinician signs a consent form on behalf of the examinee
Correct answer: Providing examinee or guardian with information about test purpose, use, and limits before testing
Informed consent requires that examinees or their legal representatives understand the nature, purpose, and potential uses of the assessment prior to its administration.
Question 3: A BCP-credentialed psychometrist is asked by an employer to administer a neuropsychological battery outside the scope of their training. The MOST ethical response is to:
- Administer the battery as directed since the employer bears responsibility
- Decline and explain that administering tests outside one's competence is an ethical violation (Correct answer)
- Attempt the battery and consult a colleague afterward if problems arise
- Ask the examinee's family for permission before proceeding
Correct answer: Decline and explain that administering tests outside one's competence is an ethical violation
Psychometrists must practice within their established competence and are individually responsible for maintaining those boundaries.
Question 4: Test security is BEST maintained by a psychometrist through which practice?
- Sharing test materials only with colleagues who promise confidentiality
- Storing test booklets and answer sheets in locked, access-controlled spaces (Correct answer)
- Memorizing test items to avoid carrying physical materials
- Photographing test items for personal study to improve administration quality
Correct answer: Storing test booklets and answer sheets in locked, access-controlled spaces
Physical security of test materials—locked storage with restricted access—is the cornerstone of maintaining test integrity.
Question 5: Under HIPAA, psychometric test results are considered:
- Public records accessible to any requesting party
- Protected Health Information (PHI) requiring appropriate safeguards and authorization for disclosure (Correct answer)
- Institutional property that can be shared freely within the hospital
- Non-sensitive data exempt from privacy regulations
Correct answer: Protected Health Information (PHI) requiring appropriate safeguards and authorization for disclosure
Psychometric test results that identify an individual and relate to health or mental status constitute PHI under HIPAA.
Question 6: A psychometrist discovers an error in scoring a patient's cognitive assessment after results have been communicated to the treatment team. The CORRECT course of action is to:
- Discard the original results and re-score without notifying anyone
- Immediately notify the supervising neuropsychologist and document the correction (Correct answer)
- Wait to see if the error affects treatment before taking action
- Recalculate scores privately and file only the corrected version
Correct answer: Immediately notify the supervising neuropsychologist and document the correction
Errors in scored data must be promptly disclosed to the supervising clinician and corrected in the record to maintain clinical and ethical integrity.
Question 7: Which situation represents a CLEAR dual-role conflict for a psychometrist?
- Administering tests to a patient referred by a different department
- Providing psychometric testing for a close personal friend and then scoring the results (Correct answer)
- Working in both an inpatient and outpatient setting for the same hospital
- Administering multiple standardized batteries to the same patient over time
Correct answer: Providing psychometric testing for a close personal friend and then scoring the results
Testing someone with whom one has a personal relationship creates a dual-role conflict that compromises objectivity and ethical practice.
BCP Ethics and Professional Standards 2
A psychometrist notices that a colleague is administering a standardized test while skipping items the examinee finds difficult.
What is the MOST appropriate initial action?