A school counsellor meets Meera, a new student, in a relaxed setting. There is no fixed list of questions; the counsellor asks her many questions on varied topics and pays attention to how Meera presents herself while answering, in order to form an overall impression of her. Which method of personality assessment is the counsellor using?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Unstructured interview
Option (1) Situational test — Incorrect. A situational test places a person in an arranged situation and records how she acts in it. No such situation is set up for Meera; she is only answering questions.
Option (2) Structured interview — Incorrect. A structured interview asks very specific questions in a set procedure, the same for everyone. Here there is no fixed list, so it does not fit.
Option (3) Behavioural observation — Incorrect. Behavioural observation means watching a person's behaviour in natural settings, such as a client with family members. Meera is being questioned.
Option (4) Unstructured interview — Correct. The counsellor talks with Meera, asks a number of questions with no set plan and forms an impression from how she presents herself. This is an unstructured interview.
NCERT (2026-27): “Interview “In unstructured interviews, the interviewer seeks to develop an impression about a person by asking a number of questions. The way a person presents her/ himself and answers the questions carries enough potential to reveal her/his personality. The structured interviews address very specific questions and follow a set procedure. This is often done to make objective comparison of persons being interviewed. Use of rating scales may further enhance the objectivity of evaluations.” |