MoCA vs. MMSE: A comprehensive guide for mental health clinicians
Wondering about projective tests or projective assessments? Projective tests are among the many tools clinicians can use to better understand and support their clients.
This article helps clinicians understand projective tests and describes how they compare to other types of psychology personality tests.
Summary for therapists
Projective tests reveal unconscious thoughts and emotions that clients may not be able to verbalize, providing deeper psychological insights than objective assessments through ambiguous stimuli like inkblots or images.
Use projective tests as part of comprehensive assessment, not standalone tools—they work best when combined with objective measures, clinical interviews, and behavioral observations for complete client understanding.
Key advantages include accessing subconscious material and opening deeper therapeutic conversations, while main limitations involve interpretation bias, limited empirical support, and difficulty measuring reliability compared to standardized tests.
Common examples of projective assessments include the Rorschach Inkblot Test, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), and Draw-a-Person Test, each designed to bypass conscious defenses and reveal personality characteristics through creative responses.
Best administered early in treatment to inform case conceptualization and treatment planning, requiring proper training, cultural sensitivity, and careful documentation of client responses for accurate interpretation.
What is a projective test?
First things first. What is a projective test?
“Projective techniques are psychological tools designed to uncover unconscious thoughts, feelings, and motivations by presenting individuals with ambiguous stimuli and interpreting their responses,” says Clint Kreider, LMFT, Clinical Director of Still Water Wellness Group.
Projective tests are structured differently than other types of psychological testing.
“Projective tests differ from objective tests in that they have no identifiable, measurable answers like objective tests do,” says Kelsey Galer, LHMC, owner of the Tampa-based psychotherapy practice North Star Therapy.
For example, let’s take the depression assessment PHQ-9 (short for Patient Health Questionnaire).
When patients fill out the PHQ-9, they have four possible answers for each question, ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day).
After the patient finishes the questionnaire, clinicians add up the numbers—and then use the total to assess the patient’s current level of depression.
This is an objective test because there are clear, measurable, consistent results; clients will score somewhere between a 0 and a 27—and that’s the only possible outcome for the test.
With projective tests, however, clients offer their individual perspective on whatever they’re responding to (for example, an inkblot or abstract image)—which means there are an infinite number of unique responses for each test.
So, why are these tests important?
Projective tests give clinicians insight into parts of the clients’ mind that they may not be consciously aware of or be able/willing to verbalize.
“These tests aim to bypass conscious defenses and provide insights into more profound aspects of personality that may not surface through more structured methods like objective tests,” says Kreider.
Are projective tests the same as projective assessments and psychology personality tests?
One question people may have about projective testing is whether it’s the same thing as projective assessments and/or psychology personality tests, such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, aka MMPI test.
Assessment is another word for test—so yes, projective assessments and projective tests are the same thing. However, the same can’t be said about personality tests.
“While projective tests can provide insight into personality traits—and a trained mental health professional may use projective testing to assess or analyze features of personality—they are not personality tests,” says Galer. “Personality tests are objective measures with clear, limited answers to choose from, and the results would be matched with a corresponding personality type, such as the MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator).”
Benefits of projective tests
Projective tests offer unique benefits, including:
Depth of response
Unlike an objective test (which has set answers), projective tests lend themselves to much more in-depth responses—which can give the clinician a lot more information to work with.
“How an individual interprets an image, including the emotions that are evoked and the story that is constructed around the visual to fill in the missing information, provides insight into the individual's belief systems, thinking styles, subconscious drives, internal conflicts, defense mechanisms, worldview, life experiences, personality traits, and current mental health functioning,” says Galer. “As you can imagine, this is an invaluable insight into an individual's psyche.”
Ability to tap into subconscious/unconscious thoughts and beliefs
Most people have things outside of their conscious awareness that are contributing to their struggles.
Projective testing can help clinicians understand the underlying issues their clients may be dealing with—even if the patient or client isn’t consciously aware of those issues.
“One of the strong benefits of projective tests is that they are able to tap into unconscious processes that may not be accessible through more structured forms of assessment,” says Niloufar Esmaeilpour, Registered Clinical Counsellor and founder at Lotus Therapy & Counselling Centre. “Projective tests can be especially helpful in uncovering underlying emotions and conflicts that clients may not be able to state directly.”
This emotional insight complements other therapeutic tools, including emotions worksheets, by providing deeper context for emotional patterns and responses.
Opens the door to deeper conversation
Projective tests generally get clients thinking in a much deeper, more creative way than objective tests—which can open the door to more productive conversations.
“These tests can provide productive openings into deeper, more meaningful dialogue in therapy, aiding in a client's progress,” says Galer.
It’s clear that projective tests can be beneficial. But what are the main criticisms, disadvantages, or limitations of projective assessments?
Drawbacks of projective tests
Some potential downsides to projective testing include:
Hard to measure
Again, projective testing doesn’t have a set of stock responses to choose from—which makes it much harder to measure its effectiveness compared to objective tests.
“It's a challenge to measure the effectiveness of a test whose results could be as unique as a fingerprint each time it's taken,” says Galer.
Less evidence-based
Because the effectiveness of projective tests is so hard to measure, when you compare them to objective tests, there isn’t as much evidence or science to back them up.
“Projective testing…has limited empirical evidence, or real-world data collected from experimentation, which would give the test a degree of validity and reliability,” says Galer.
Prone to biases
Just as projective tests have no uniform results, there’s also no uniform way to interpret the results; it’s completely up to the clinician—which can make the process prone to biases.
“Interpretation relies heavily on the clinician’s expertise, challenging consistency and reliability,” says Kreider. “Additionally, cultural differences and personal biases can influence both client responses and therapist interpretations, potentially impacting the validity of results.”
Examples of projective tests
So, what do projective assessments look like in action?
Some examples of projective tests include:
Rorschach Inkblot Test, which asks participants to describe what they see in an inkblot image.
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), which provides an ambiguous image and asks participants to construct a story based on said image.
The Draw a Person test (DAP), which, as the name suggests, asks participants (often children) to draw a person.
Are projective tests more valid than objective tests?
Projective tests and objective tests are two completely different ways of assessing a patient. But is one more valid than the other?
“When projective tests are compared to objective tests, each of these tests has its strengths and limitations concerning validity,” says Esmaelipour.
For example, “objective tests, with their standardized procedures and scoring, often provide more reliable and quantifiable data,” says Esmaelipour. “In contrast, projective tests offer a more nuanced and individualized understanding—but may lack the same level of empirical support. Therefore, although these projective tests complement the objective measures, they are generally viewed as less valid with regard to consistency and replicability.”
How to use projective tests with patients or clients
Understanding how to use projective tests in patients is crucial for effective clinical practice.
Projective tests are often used at the beginning of a client’s therapeutic journey to help the clinician get a deeper insight into their current state—and to provide additional insight as they’re creating their treatment plan.
“A therapist might present the test to a client as part of an assessment process, interpreting responses to identify themes or unconscious conflicts,” says Kreider. “These insights often guide discussions and help clients better understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.”
However, it’s important to note that projective test results should be used as a part of a larger assessment strategy, not as the only assessment.
“The test results are typically used in conjunction with other assessments for a more comprehensive understanding,” says Kreider.
Sources
Aronow, E., Weiss, K. A., & Reznikoff, M. (2013). A Practical Guide to the Thematic Apperception Test: The TAT in Clinical Practice. Routledge.
Groth-Marnat, G., & Wright, A. J. (2016). Handbook of Psychological Assessment (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
McLeod, S. Simply Psychology. (2024). How Projective Tests Are Used to Measure Personality
ScienceDirect. (2023). Projective Tests.Elsevier.
ScienceDirect. (2023). Objective Tests. Elsevier.
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