Baum Test - Advantages and Limitations

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages of the Baum test are that it can be administered quickly (usually 5–10 minutes), to a wide range of individuals, and it offers the clinician an opportunity to observe the patients motor skills.

Limitations of the Baum test are that it cannot be scored objectively. “One problem concerning the validity of the drawing technique is that researchers choose procedures that will no doubt result in nonsignificant findings. For example, they isolate one or a few indices from a figure drawing rating scale, taken completely out of context, and then attempt to correlate these indices with measure they view as excellent criterion variables, such as self-report inventories.” Additionally, the test typically not used on patients with very low IQs because their drawings tend to be quite meager.