CAQ Score Interpretation

The CAQ (Clinical Analysis Questionnaire) is a self-report questionnaire that profiles 16 normal personality factors and 12 clinical syndrome scales as T-scores, for detailed clinical psychological evaluation ¹.

What does the CAQ measure?

The Clinical Analysis Questionnaire (CAQ) was developed by Samuel Krug in 1980 at the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing (IPAT) as a detailed psychometric tool for clinical psychological evaluation ¹.

The CAQ extends the 16PF (Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire), developed by Raymond Cattell, by adding 12 clinically oriented scales designed to identify and quantify psychopathological syndromes. The result is a single scale that profiles both normal personality structure and clinical symptom patterns, which suits it to detailed clinical evaluations.

For a public-domain measure of normal personality alone, see the IPIP; for a shorter profile of current symptom distress, the Brief Symptom Inventory.

The CAQ is a Level C restricted scale, available only to qualified professionals through IPAT. Administration requires no special training, but interpretation demands doctoral-level expertise in psychological assessment, factor-analytic personality theory, and clinical psychopathology.

It is used in clinical psychology for intake evaluations, forensic assessments, disability evaluations, differential clinical evaluation, and treatment planning in complex cases.

How do you give the CAQ?

The CAQ is completed directly by the respondent as a self-report questionnaire. It contains 272 items covering both the 16 normal personality factor scales and the 12 clinical syndrome scales, and typically requires 90 to 120 minutes. Administration can be supervised by a trained technician, but scoring and interpretation are restricted to qualified professionals, typically licensed psychologists with doctoral-level training in psychometric assessment and clinical psychopathology.

How do you score and interpret the CAQ?

The CAQ produces T-scores (standardized scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10) on all 28 dimensions, so scales can be compared with each other and with normative reference populations ¹:

• 40–60: the average band.
• 65 or above: clinically elevated; warrants clinical attention.
• 70 or above: a significant elevation, more than 2 standard deviations above the normative mean; requires careful clinical integration.

The 12 clinical scales extend the 16PF to capture psychopathological features.

CAQ T-score interpreter

Enter T-scores (20–80) for each of the 12 clinical syndrome scales directly. Each scale is flagged by severity band. Clinician reference tool, not a substitute for full clinical evaluation.

Clinician reference only. CAQ requires doctoral-level interpretation. This tool does not replace full clinical assessment.

16 personality factors (16PF component)

The CAQ shares all 16 primary personality factor scales with the 16PF. Each factor is bipolar: low scores and high scores both carry clinical meaning. T-scores of 40–60 fall in the average range for all factors.

The CAQ's clinical power comes from integrating elevated clinical syndrome scales with the full 16-factor personality profile. For example, elevated D2 (Suicidal Depression) combined with low C (Emotional Stability) and low H (Social Boldness) creates a clinically distinct picture from the same D2 elevation alongside high C and high H. Always interpret clinical scale elevations within the full personality context.

Psychometric properties

• Factor structure. In a factor analysis of 56 CAQ subscale marker variables alongside 62 items from existing depression measures, the majority of the 28 CAQ factors could be sustained using Cattell's procedures. The seven depression factors were not clearly distinct, suggesting item-level revisions are needed to distinguish the CAQ depression scales ².
• Brain injury. In a brain injury sample, CAQ psychopathology factors, rather than normal personality traits, were highly correlated with neuropsychological measures of brain injury, with depression substantially involved ³.

Limitations

• Not diagnostic. The CAQ is a profiling tool; diagnoses require clinical judgment that integrates CAQ findings with history, interview data and other sources.
• Overlapping depression scales. Factor-analytic work suggests the seven depression scales are not clearly distinguishable ².
• Length. At 272 items and 90 to 120 minutes, it is unsuited to routine brief outcome monitoring.
• Restricted access. As a Level C scale, interpretation requires doctoral-level expertise, and elevations must be read within the full 28-scale profile rather than scale by scale.