Differentiate between assessment and testing. Explain the issues in assessment.

Assessment in counselling is crucial because if counselors do not have adequate assessment skills, they may overlook or underestimate important client-related information. The most controversial issue is related to the use of tests. For example, while testing culturally different clients, the counselor must consider the appropriateness of the test for such a diverse population. 

Interpretation and scoring must be done with utmost care. While interpreting the scores of such people, the test-administrator has to be very careful, otherwise, the validity of the test will be at stake. Use of unreliable and invalid test results can make more harm than good to the client. The socio cultural context needs to be taken into account while interpreting the test findings. Counselor needs to be aware of the adverse effect of labeling of the client based on test scores.

Especially in case of intelligence test, one may get labeled as being less intelligent or dull or good for nothing etc. based on low scores. Another issue is use of computers and technology in counselling and assessment. Computer-mediated assessments may pose several problems. First, it may not be suitable for all types of clients. In a country like India, not all people are educated enough to use technology, nor the facility to use technology is available to all.

Secondly, counselors are not unanimous regarding the comparability of computer-mediated assessment and traditional paper-pencil modes of assessment. While some studies report that both the methods yield identical results, others have obtained different results.

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