This examination represents the expansion of paper and pencil psychological tests to include tests of vocational ability. It seeks to measure aptitude for clerical work, specifically for women entering that area. It was prepared by Dorothy M. Andrew (1909-1989), a graduate student in psychology at the University of Minnesota, under the direction of Donald G. Paterson (1892-1961). Test 1 lists 200 pairs of numbers and asks examinees to check those pairs where the numbers are the same. Test 2 lists 200 names and asks examinees to check when two names in a pair are the same.
After obtaining her M.A. at Minnesota, Andrew taught at the Pennsylvania College for Women. In 1944, she married University of Minnesota psychologist Charles Bird (1893-1957), took his last name, and returned to the Minneapolis area.
References:
Andrew, D.M., “The Construction and Standardization of a Test for File Clerks,” M.A. Dissertation, University of Minnesota, 1931.
Andrew, D. M., and Paterson, D. G., “Measured Characteristics of Clerical Workers, Bulletin of the Employment Stabilization Research Institute, University of Minnesota, 1934, 3, # 1.
Dorothy M. Andrew, “An Analysis of the Minnesota Vocational Test for Clerical Workers,” Journal of Applied Psychology, 1937, 21 #2, pp. 139–172.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.