Which of the following is an example of an informal assessment?

Which of the following is an example of an informal assessment?

• A. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
• B. Clinical interview focusing on history and current functioning.
• C. Wechsler WAIS Processing Speed subtest.
• D. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.

Answer: (B)

Understanding informal versus formal assessment hinges on structure and standardization. Informal assessments rely on the clinician’s judgment and flexible methods rather than fixed procedures and normative scoring. A clinical interview that focuses on the client’s history and current functioning fits this style because it is conversational, adapts to the individual, and its findings are interpreted through professional judgment rather than a standardized scoring system or norm comparisons. This approach captures rich, qualitative information about how the client has lived with problems, what the presenting issues look like in daily life, and how functioning has been affected over time. It may guide diagnostic impressions and treatment planning but does not by itself yield standardized scores or normative comparisons that formal assessments provide. In contrast, the other options are standardized instruments with established administration procedures, scoring rules, and normative data, designed to produce objective, comparable scores across individuals. That combination characterizes formal assessment rather than informal.

Understanding informal versus formal assessment hinges on structure and standardization. Informal assessments rely on the clinician’s judgment and flexible methods rather than fixed procedures and normative scoring. A clinical interview that focuses on the client’s history and current functioning fits this style because it is conversational, adapts to the individual, and its findings are interpreted through professional judgment rather than a standardized scoring system or norm comparisons.

This approach captures rich, qualitative information about how the client has lived with problems, what the presenting issues look like in daily life, and how functioning has been affected over time. It may guide diagnostic impressions and treatment planning but does not by itself yield standardized scores or normative comparisons that formal assessments provide.

In contrast, the other options are standardized instruments with established administration procedures, scoring rules, and normative data, designed to produce objective, comparable scores across individuals. That combination characterizes formal assessment rather than informal.