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In my first post in this blog series, I explained how the D-KEFS™ Advanced represents a significant departure from traditional revisions of paper-pencil cognitive tests. We went all in and developed digital-only tests that are administered and scored exclusively on iPads. Unlike the WISC-5, WAIS-5, and WMS-5, which offer both print and digital-assist formats, the new D-KEFS Advanced has no print equivalent. There are no paper stimuli, record forms, or physical manipulatives, such as the round chips and wooden pegs used in the original D-KEFS Tower Test. Instead, examinees use a stylus to interact directly with the Client iPad, which presents the test stimuli and digital manipulatives, and automatically captures and scores responses. Examiners work solely from the Practitioner iPad, which provides instructions, prompts, timing, and a real-time record of the examinee’s responses.  

I have a confession to make. During the early years that the Pearson research team and I were developing the D-KEFS™ Advanced (all-digital tests of executive functions), I was reluctant to use digital assessments in my private practice. I felt a bit hypocritical; here we were striving to create state-of-the-art digital tests of executive functions, yet in my own practice, I was clinging to tried-and-true print versions of tests, even for questionnaires like the MMPI-3^®.

I’m excited to announce the launch of the D-KEFS™ Advanced. The original D-KEFS, published in 2001, arrived on the eve of the mobile digital revolution. By 2009, as we began planning its revision, we explored how best to harness this rapidly evolving technology. Our solution was to “go all in” by developing exclusively digital tests of executive functions, freeing ourselves from the constraints of producing equivalent paper-and-pencil versions.