The Sacks Sentence Completion Test (SSCT) is a 60-item test that asks respondents to complete 60 questions with the first thing that comes to mind across four areas: Family, Sex, Interpersonal, Relationships and Self concept. It is a projective technique that can reveal the personality, attitudes, conflicts and motivations of the test taker. The SSCT can be administered individually or in groups, and it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
Scoring the SSCT can be challenging, as there is no standardized scoring system or normative data available. However, some general guidelines can be followed to interpret the responses and gain insights into the test taker's psychological functioning. In this article, we will show you how to score the SSCT with a zip file that contains a scoring manual and a scoring sheet.
The first step is to download the zip file that contains the scoring manual and the scoring sheet for the SSCT. The scoring manual is based on the original work of Sacks and Levy, who proposed four categories of responses: Positive, Negative, Neutral and Ambiguous. The scoring sheet is a template that allows you to record the responses and assign scores for each category. You can download the zip file from this link: sacks-sentence-completion-test-scoring.zip.
The next step is to extract the zip file to a folder on your computer. You can use any software that can handle zip files, such as WinZip, 7-Zip or WinRAR. To extract the zip file, right-click on it and select "Extract All" or "Extract Here". You will see two files in the folder: SSCT_Scoring_Manual.pdf and SSCT_Scoring_Sheet.xlsx.
The third step is to open the scoring manual and read it carefully. The scoring manual explains the rationale and procedure for scoring the SSCT. It also provides examples of responses and scores for each category. The scoring manual has four sections:
You should read the scoring manual thoroughly before proceeding to score the SSCT.
The fourth step is to open the scoring sheet and enter the responses of the test taker. The scoring sheet is an Excel file that has two worksheets: Responses and Scores. The Responses worksheet has 60 rows, one for each item of the SSCT. You should enter the response of the test taker in column B, starting from row 2. You can copy and paste the responses from another source, such as a word document or an online form.
The fifth step is to score the responses according to the four categories: Positive, Negative, Neutral and Ambiguous. You can use the scoring manual as a reference for the criteria and examples of each category. You should enter the score for each response in column C, starting from row 2. The score can be either 1, 0 or -1, depending on the category. Here is a summary of the scoring system:
| Category | Criteria | Score |
|---|
| Positive | The response reflects a positive or healthy attitude, feeling or value. | 1 |
| Negative | The response reflects a negative or unhealthy attitude, feeling or value. | -1 |
| Neutral | The response reflects a neutral or indifferent attitude, feeling or value. | 0 |
| Ambiguous | The response is unclear, incomplete, irrelevant or contradictory. | 0 |
For example, if the response to item 1 is "My father was a good man", you should enter 1 in column C, row 2. If the response to item 2 is "I hate my mother", you should enter -1 in column C, row 3. If the response to item 3 is "I don't care about my siblings", you should enter 0 in column C, row 4. If the response to item 4 is "My family is...", you should enter 0 in column C, row 5.
The sixth step is to calculate the total score for the SSCT. The total score is the sum of all the scores for each category. You can use the Scores worksheet to see the total score and the percentage of each category. The Scores worksheet has four rows, one for each category. You should enter the sum of all the scores for each category in column B, starting from row 2. You can use the Excel formula =SUM(C2:C61) to calculate the sum for each category. For example, if you have 20 positive responses, 10 negative responses, 25 neutral responses and 5 ambiguous responses, you should enter 20 in column B, row 2; -10 in column B, row 3; 25 in column B, row 4; and 5 in column B, row 5.
The total score is calculated by adding all the sums in column B. You can use the Excel formula =SUM(B2:B5) to calculate the total score. You should enter the total score in cell B7. For example, if you have 20 positive responses, 10 negative responses, 25 neutral responses and 5 ambiguous responses, your total score would be (20 + -10 + 25 + 5) = 40. You should enter 40 in cell B7.
The percentage of each category is calculated by dividing the sum of each category by the total score and multiplying by 100. You can use the Excel formula =(B2/B7)*100 to calculate the percentage for each category. You should enter the percentage for each category in column C, starting from row 2. For example, if you have a total score of 40 and a sum of positive responses of 20, your percentage of positive responses would be (20/40)*100 = 50%. You should enter 50% in cell C2.
The final step is to interpret the scores and what they mean about the test taker's personality. The interpretation of the scores can vary depending on the purpose and context of the test. However, some general guidelines can be followed to understand the main themes and patterns of the responses. The interpretation of the scores has four steps:
For example, if you have a total score of 40 and a percentage of positive responses of 50%, a percentage of negative responses of 25%, a percentage of neutral responses of 12.5% and a percentage of ambiguous responses of 12.5%, you can interpret the scores as follows:
The SSCT is a useful tool for assessing the personality and psychological functioning of individuals. It has several benefits and limitations that should be considered when using it. Some of the benefits are:
Some of the limitations are:
The SSCT is a projective technique that can measure the personality, attitudes, feelings and values of individuals. It consists of 60 incomplete sentences that the test taker has to complete with the first thing that comes to mind. The responses are scored according to four categories: Positive, Negative, Neutral and Ambiguous. The scores are then interpreted to reveal the main themes and patterns of the test taker's personality. The SSCT has several benefits and limitations that should be considered when using it. The SSCT can be a valuable tool for personality assessment, but it should not be used alone or as a definitive measure of psychological functioning.
The SSCT is a projective technique that can measure the personality, attitudes, feelings and values of individuals. It consists of 60 incomplete sentences that the test taker has to complete with the first thing that comes to mind. The responses are scored according to four categories: Positive, Negative, Neutral and Ambiguous. The scores are then interpreted to reveal the main themes and patterns of the test taker's personality. The SSCT has several benefits and limitations that should be considered when using it. The SSCT can be a valuable tool for personality assessment, but it should not be used alone or as a definitive measure of psychological functioning.
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