Sentence Completion Tests With an Empirical Foundation: A Systematic Review

Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, this study systematically reviews the reliability and validity evidence of two prominent sentence completion tests (SCT): the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (RISB) and the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (WUSCT). SCTs have often been conceptualized as projective tests and summarily dismissed as lacking efficacy in psychological assessment, though this characterization is not entirely accurate. Conceptually and methodologically, SCTs are more aptly characterized as performance-based measures. Interest in potential applications of SCTs with clinical populations continues to persist. This review incorporated 51 studies conducted in the United States that met rigorous reliability and validity criteria. Although there is evidence to support the reliability and validity of the RISB and WUSCT, results vary widely depending on sample characteristics (e.g., age, race/ethnicity), study context, and the purpose of score interpretations examined in the study. Therefore, practitioners who utilize results from SCTs should consider these characteristics when engaging in interpretation.