The Vital Role of Testing in Career Guidance.

An attempt is made to show that career development theory and career decision-making theory both provide a firm foundation for the role of tests in career guidance. This role is primarily to stimulate, broaden, and provide focus to the exploration of self in relation to career. To effectively implement this role, test publishers must devote much more attention to transforming test scores (data) into counseling information. It is suggested that more than information is needed to obtain real benefit from tests. Counselors must help students transform the information obtained from tests into exploratory activities and self-evaluated experiences. For this reason, test interpretation can no longer be treated as a hot-house experience devoid of the real world. Career development and decision-making principles indicate that tests must be used in the context of a developmental career guidance program. When this is done, tests can play a vital role in career guidance. (Author/CK)