MMPI Administration and Scoring Procedures 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The MMPI-2-RF (Restructured Form) contains how many items compared to the full MMPI-2?
- 338 items (Correct answer)
- 478 items
- 567 items
- 370 items
Correct answer: 338 items
The MMPI-2-RF was shortened to 338 items while retaining the psychometric core of the MMPI-2.
Question 2: When a non-English-speaking client must take the MMPI-2, which step is most critical before using a translated version?
- Verify that the translated version has been standardized with appropriate normative data for that population (Correct answer)
- Simply back-translate the items from English
- Use a live interpreter to read each item aloud
- Administer the English version and note language difficulty
Correct answer: Verify that the translated version has been standardized with appropriate normative data for that population
Translated MMPI-2 versions must have separate normative data to be valid; linguistic equivalence alone is insufficient without appropriate norms.
Question 3: The F-K Index (Dissimulation Index) on the MMPI-2 is calculated by:
- Subtracting the raw K score from the raw F score (Correct answer)
- Adding the F and Fb scales together
- Dividing the F scale T-score by the K scale T-score
- Subtracting the Fp scale from the F scale
Correct answer: Subtracting the raw K score from the raw F score
The F-K index = raw F score minus raw K score; high positive values suggest malingering and large negative values suggest defensiveness.
Question 4: Which administration format is NOT considered standard for the MMPI-2?
- Verbal administration by the examiner reading items aloud to all group members simultaneously (Correct answer)
- Booklet-and-answer-sheet format
- Audio recorded version for visually impaired clients
- Computer-administered version
Correct answer: Verbal administration by the examiner reading items aloud to all group members simultaneously
Standardized formats include individual booklet, audio, and computer administration; having an examiner read items aloud to a group is not a validated format.
Question 5: On the MMPI-2, a raw score K-correction is added to which clinical scales?
- Hs, Pd, Pt, Sc, and Ma (Correct answer)
- Hs, D, Pd, Pa, and Pt
- All 10 clinical scales equally
- Only the Pt and Sc scales receive the full K weight
Correct answer: Hs, Pd, Pt, Sc, and Ma
K-correction fractions are added only to scales 1 (Hs), 4 (Pd), 7 (Pt), 8 (Sc), and 9 (Ma) to improve discriminant validity.
Question 6: What does a significantly elevated Fp (Infrequency-Psychopathology) scale suggest compared to an elevated F scale alone?
- The elevated F is more likely due to malingering or random responding than genuine psychopathology (Correct answer)
- The client is endorsing symptoms consistent with severe psychiatric inpatient populations
- The protocol should be rescored using inpatient norms
- The client is being overly defensive
Correct answer: The elevated F is more likely due to malingering or random responding than genuine psychopathology
Fp items are rarely endorsed even by genuine psychiatric patients, so high Fp with high F points to overreporting or random responding rather than true disorder.
Question 7: In MMPI-2 computer-based scoring, which score is automatically adjusted before profile plotting to account for test-taking defensiveness?
- K-corrected T-scores on scales 1, 4, 7, 8, and 9 (Correct answer)
- All clinical scale raw scores are doubled
- L scale raw score is added to every clinical scale
- No automatic adjustments are made; raw scores are plotted directly
Correct answer: K-corrected T-scores on scales 1, 4, 7, 8, and 9
Computer scoring programs apply the standardized K-correction weights to scales 1, 4, 7, 8, and 9 before converting to T-scores.
MMPI Administration and Scoring Procedures 3
The MMPI-2-RF (Restructured Form) contains how many items compared to the full MMPI-2?