Hiring a Psychometrist for a Testing Practice: What They Can Do and Who Supervises

A psychometrist runs the testing logistics of your practice under a psychologist's supervision.

The role administers standardized psychological and neuropsychological tests, scores them, and observes test behavior.

Tennessee, for example, defines the role in statute: it certifies "certified psychological testing technicians" who may administer and score standardized psychological and neuropsychological tests and observe test behavior.

What the role leaves out matters just as much as what it includes.

Tennessee's certified testing technicians may not select psychological or neuropsychological tests or versions of tests, interpret test results, write test results, or give test feedback to clients.

That is one state's line, not a national one, but it is a usable sketch of the psychologist's side of the division of labor — the next section covers what the APA Ethics Code adds and where it stops.

Titles vary by state and by employer: psychometrist, testing technician, psychological testing technician.

For the clinician's own view of where testing fits against diagnosis, our career guide on diagnosis vs. psychological testing covers it; and if you are still building the licensed side of the practice, start with hiring a clinical psychologist.

The APA Ethics Code puts the delegation decision on the psychologist who delegates the work.

Standard 2.05 requires psychologists who delegate work to employees or supervisees to authorize only those responsibilities the person can be expected to perform competently on the basis of their education, training or experience, either independently or with the level of supervision being provided — and to take steps to see that they perform competently.

Standard 9.07 adds that psychologists do not promote the use of psychological assessment techniques by unqualified persons, except when such use is conducted for training purposes with appropriate supervision.

Read together, those standards set a competence test — the specific task lines come from state law.

Neither standard names particular tasks.

Tennessee writes the most specific line we found into statute: administration, scoring and observing test behavior are the technician's work, while test selection, interpretation, report writing and client feedback stay with the psychologist.

Nebraska draws a softer line — its supervised testers may develop interpretations under a psychologist's supervision but may not independently provide interpretive information or treatment recommendations.

Other states address the role differently — the examples below show how much the answers vary.

One caution on the national picture: we were not able to retrieve an APA or NAN position statement specifically on the use of psychometrists, so the anchors you can rely on here are the Ethics Code and your state's psychology practice act.

Put your own line in writing before the first patient — which instruments the role administers, which tasks are delegated, and which decisions you never delegate.

Where state boards address this work, they have landed in noticeably different places.

These are named examples, not a survey of all states — check your own board's practice act before you write the job description.

Tennessee certifies the role.

Since 2023, under Tennessee Code section 63-11-207(c), the state has certified "certified psychological testing technicians," who may administer and score standardized psychological and neuropsychological tests and observe test behavior, but may not select tests, interpret results, write results, or give feedback.

A certified technician there must work under a psychologist or senior psychological examiner registered with the board as supervisor of record, and must be employed by or contracted with the same work setting as that supervisor.

Practicing as one without the certificate is unlawful — and Tennessee makes practicing psychology without the required license or certificate, including as a certified psychological assistant or testing technician, a Class B misdemeanor.

Nebraska exempts a supervised tester category.

Master's-level clinical, counseling or educational psychology graduates, and school psychology specialists, may administer and score psychological tests — and may develop interpretations of them — under a psychologist's supervision, but they may not independently provide interpretive information or treatment recommendations to clients or other health care professionals.

Texas licenses a broader associate tier.

Its master's-level Licensed Psychological Associate must practice under a licensed psychologist's supervision unless they document at least 3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience — over 24 to 48 consecutive months, in no more than three placements — qualifying them for independent practice.

States also control the vocabulary.

In Colorado, only a licensed psychologist may use the title "psychologist" or the terms "psychology" and "psychological" to indicate that they are a licensed psychologist — wording that reaches your job ads and the other public-facing materials you write.

The psychological testing codes have two tracks — the professional's and the technician's.

Per Washington L&I's July 1, 2026 fee-schedule card, codes 96136 (first 30 minutes) and 96137 (each additional 30 minutes) cover psychological or neuropsychological test administration and scoring by the physician or qualified health professional, while 96138 (first 30 minutes) and 96139 (each additional 30 minutes) cover administration and scoring by a technician.

Caps can bind both tracks at once.

The same Washington card caps psychological testing evaluation and test administration time at eight hours combined for provider and technician — a Washington workers' compensation rule, not a national billing limit.

Who may bill the technician codes is the unanswered part.

Payer rules for who may bill 96138 and 96139 — Medicare, Medicaid and commercial — were not researched for this guide.

CMS's Medicare mental health publication lists 96136 through 96139 among its covered mental health codes, but it does not describe technician billing rules.

Before you build a psychometrist into your revenue model, ask each payer you bill how it treats the technician codes, including any enrollment or supervision conditions it attaches.

The clearest statutory floor we found is Tennessee's, and it makes a sensible benchmark for a job posting anywhere.

Tennessee requires testing-technician candidates to hold a bachelor's or graduate degree and complete at least 72 hours of education and training in test administration and scoring, including at least 20 hours of observation and 40 hours of supervised administration and scoring.

If a candidate lists a psychometrist certification, such as one from the Board of Certified Psychometrists, verify it with the issuing board.

We could not verify that board's eligibility or exam requirements — its site blocked our check — so do not treat any specific BCPPT requirement as confirmed: ask candidates for verification of the certificate and confirm current requirements directly with the board.

Where your state sets no requirements, the delegation standard still runs on documentation.

Whatever training you require for the role, record it: the APA's Standard 2.05 duty turns on what the person was trained to do and the level of supervision you provide.

Screen the hire as carefully as a licensed role — our guide to screening and license verification covers the checks, and role-by-role guidance sits in our behavioral health hiring hub.

Name the supervising psychologist and put the relationship in the structure the regulating states use.

Tennessee requires the technician's supervisor of record — a psychologist or senior psychological examiner registered with the board — to be employed by or contracted with the same work setting as the technician.

Even where your state says nothing that specific, same-setting supervision is the arrangement that lets you actually observe the work you are signing.

Enforce the scope line day to day, not just at hire.

Nebraska's supervised testers may develop interpretations under a psychologist's supervision but may not independently provide interpretive information or treatment recommendations to clients or other health care professionals.

One conservative way to run it: the psychometrist hands the psychologist scored protocols and behavior notes; the psychologist selects tests, interprets, writes the report, and delivers the feedback.

The APA's duty is continuing, not a hiring-day formality.

Standard 2.05 obliges the delegating psychologist to take steps to see that delegated work is performed competently.

Quality control that holds up under that standard: a written role description listing the instruments and tasks, psychologist review of protocols before interpretation, documented initial training, and a defined escalation path when test behavior or scores look invalid.

Keep the title honest too — call the role what your state's rules allow, in the job ad and on the door.