Short Category Test, Booklet Format
by Linda Wetzel, Ph.D. and Thomas J. Boll, Ph.D.
At a Glance
Purpose: Provides the diagnostic power
of the Halstead-Reitan
Category Test in a quick,
convenient format
Ages: 20 years and up
Administration
15 to 30 minutes
Time:
Format: 100 Stimulus Cards in 5
compact booklets
Scores: Raw scores, T-scores, and
percentile equivalents
Related Products
Hooper Visual Organization Test (VOT)
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST)
Comprehensive Trail-Making Test (CTMT)
Shipley-2
The Short Category Test, Booklet Format (SCT) reduces the length and complexity of the HalsteadReitan Category Test, one of the most sensitive indicators of brain damage.
Brief, portable, and easy to administer, the SCT uses less than half the items on the original test and
presents them in convenient, spiralbound booklets. It eliminates entirely the expensive and
cumbersome equipment required by the Category Test. Yet this practical new format retains the
diagnostic power of the original test, effectively assessing cognitive deterioration in adults age 20 and
older.
Compact, Convenient Test Materials
The SCT includes five subtests, each in a 5" x 7" booklet of 20 Stimulus Cards. As in the original
Category Test, the cards show various geometric shapes, lines, colors, and figures. All the cards within
each booklet are organized around a single principle.
The client is shown the cards, one at a time. In order to respond correctly, he or she must discern the
principle underlying each series of cards. This requires specific mental abilities: abstract concept
formation, learning capacity, adaptive skill, and cognitive flexibility. By testing these abilities, the SCT
uncovers the important, but often subtle, deficits that are frequently present in brain-damaged
individuals.
Although the SCT measures a complex set of abilities, it is quite easy to administer and score. Under
appropriate supervision, a paraprofessional can administer all five subtests in just 15 to 30 minutes.
The only materials required are the SCT Answer Sheet and the five subtest booklets.
The test can be given to anyone who can see clearly and is alert enough to give a simple one-word
response. (Individuals who are language impaired can respond by pointing to numbers on a special
card provided with each subtest booklet.) And because the test materials are compact and portable,
the SCT is easy to administer at bedside.
Scoring the test requires only a few minutes. Errors are totaled to produce raw scores, which are then
converted to T-scores and percentile equivalents.
Diagnostic Power of the Category Test
The SCT functions in a manner very similar to the Category Test--in terms of psychometric properties,
discriminative ability, and correlation with other neuropsychological tests. It serves as a sensitive
screening device in a variety of medical and mental health settings. Typically, the test is used to:

Detect the subtle effects of closed-head injuries

Isolate the organic components of psychiatric illness

Identify the early stages of dementia related to Alzheimer's disease, multiple infarcts, drug
and alcohol abuse, or drug toxicity

Assess the effects of chronic conditions, such as renal failure and diabetes

Measure cognitive status following neurosurgery or rehabilitation

Confirm suspected deficits in abstract concept formation
The SCT gives you the diagnostic power of the Category Test--without its practical limitations.
Component
KIT: Includes 1 Set of Stimulus Cards; 100 Answer Sheets; 1 Manual