Although psychometrists are an important part of many psychological assessment processes, they’re usually not licensed psychologists. Working under the direction of a psychologist, psychometrists, who are also known as psychology technicians, administer tests, which are frequently electronic in nature, as an aid to help professionals develop a diagnosis for a patient.

Average Salary

Psychometrists earn average annual salaries of $41,600 as of January 2011, according to I Hire Mental Health. Half of all psychometrists earn salaries that fall between $31,200 and $56,160. Psyhcometrists are frequently employed as aides to school psychologists, and when they are, their average earnings tend to be lower than those employed in a clinical setting by a practicing psychologist, according to Salary Expert.

Experience and Salary

The more opportunity a psychometrist has to hone his testing abilities and the longer he works in the industry, the more valuable he becomes to employers. Inexperienced psychometrists with less than four years in their field earn annual salaries that range from $30,959 to $42,729 as of January 2011, according to PayScale. After five years of experience, average earnings rise to between $36,623 and $58,598. Although veterans with a decade in psychometry may earn slightly higher wages, their maximum earnings top out after five years of experience.

Clinical vs. School Positions

Psychometrists who work in a practicioner’s office usually earn more than those employed by school districts. For example, clinical psychometrists in Chicago earn average salaries of $85,423 as of January 2011, according to Salary Expert, while their counterparts in the Chicago school system average salaries of $57,999 per year. Although the difference between the two fields isn’t as large in areas with lower wages, such as Phoenix where clinical psychometrists earn $68,787 and school psychometrists earn $46,704, it’s consistent in all labor markets.

Licensing and Certifcation

Although some states require psychometrists to be licensed, it’s not mandatory across the nation. The National Association of Psychometrists certified those in the field as a seal of approval. Although no formal courses of study for psychometrists exist in the nation, applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the field in a written exam to receive certification.