Our goal is to make psychologists' work easier while respecting the work of researchers.

Today, it is not easy for psychologists to know which assessment tools they can use freely, which ones require purchasing a license, and from whom to obtain that license.

A common example: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) can easily be found online on many websites. Yet its use requires purchasing a license from Pearson (ECPA). Many professionals use it without knowing that they should obtain this prior authorization.

At Mentaal, we want to help build a reference framework for psychometric tools. Usage rights are often lost in a maze of implicit rules, unofficial versions and vague notices. By working with authors, researchers and publishers, we aim to build a clear, ethical and accessible foundation.

Our process

When we add a test or questionnaire to the platform, the selection is primarily based on the votes of the psychologists who use Mentaal, who thereby indicate the tools they would most like to see added first. Once a test has been chosen, we systematically try to identify the type of license governing its use. This information is often hard to find, especially for older tools or for tools translated without any clear statement of the associated rights.

We distinguish between 3 scenarios:

Case 1: Tool under a commercial license
When a test is protected by a commercial license, as is the case for tools such as the BDI, the WAIS or the Conners, its use is strictly controlled by a publisher, and a paid user license is required. Unless the publisher has given its consent or a partnership has been established between Mentaal and the publisher, we do not make these tools available on the platform. Instead, we systematically redirect users to the publisher's official website so that they can obtain a license in full compliance.

Case 2: Open-access / public domain tool
When a test is made freely available by its authors, whether through an explicit license (such as a Creative Commons license), an open-access scientific publication or its release on the creator's official website, professionals may lawfully use it. In such cases, the tool is added to the platform and made available to psychologists free of charge, in compliance with the conditions set by the authors.

Case 3: License not found or ambiguous
When information about a test's license cannot be found or is ambiguous, Mentaal adds the tool to the platform on a provisional basis. At the same time, we contact the authors or publishers to obtain clarification on the terms of use. If any of them informs us that distribution is not authorized, we immediately remove the test in question or reclassify it based on the information received, in full respect of their decision.

If you are the author of a licensed test that was published inadvertently, please contact us without delay. Despite our checks, an error may occasionally occur when verifying rights. In that case, we will immediately remove the test in question.

Technical support for researchers

We also put our technical expertise at the service of researchers and authors of psychometric tools. If you have developed a test and want to make it easier to distribute while keeping control over it, we can help you publish it on Mentaal. This includes custom development of the necessary features, as well as setting up a payment module so that psychologists can purchase a user license directly from the platform. This service is entirely free of charge: we take no commission on license sales, as our sole aim is to support the ethical and controlled distribution of your work.

If you are developing a new psychometric tool and need technical support, our team can also help. Whether it is creating an administration interface, automating scoring or integrating specific calculations, we can develop custom solutions tailored to your needs. Feel free to contact us to explore opportunities for collaboration.