Development and preliminary validation of a standardized measure of neuropsychological assessment readiness

Neuropsychological evaluations are typically conducted under specific preconditions as it has been long established that many factors unrelated to an individual's true neurocognitive functioning can influence their cognitive test performance. Assessment readiness refers to the extent to which a client is in a state appropriate for undergoing a neuropsychological evaluation (e.g., well rested, sober) as well as any atypical characteristics that require specific accommodations from the administering clinician (e.g., mobility limitations, colorblindness). The purpose of this study was to propose and investigate the preliminary validation of a screening measure of assessment readiness in order to introduce a systematic method for assessing this novel construct. Younger and older adults (N = 93) were administered the Barnett-Coldiron Assessment Readiness Inventory (BCARI) prior to completing a short battery of neuropsychological tests. Additionally, subject matter experts (SMEs) were asked to rate the content validity of this inventory. The BCARI showed preliminary evidence of discriminant validity when compared to other neuropsychological tests and produced the expected minimal variance in assessment readiness scores among healthy, assessment-ready participant samples and across multiple demographic variables. SMEs were largely in support of the BCARI as a valid scale for measuring assessment readiness and positively rated its application in both clinical and research settings. The BCARI shows potential as a useful tool in evaluating the profile validity of clients prior to neuropsychological testing and for reporting a standardized measure of assessment readiness within the profile validity of evaluation reports and research articles.