The CAARS 2 is intended for use by qualified professionals such as licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, other mental health care providers, physicians, and appropriately trained researchers. Professionals interpreting the CAARS 2 must have MHS b-level qualifications, requiring that, at a minimum, they have completed graduate-level university courses in tests and measurement or have received equivalent documented training (for more information on MHS qualification levels, go to https://mhs.com/who-can-order/). Professionals interpreting the CAARS 2 must be familiar with the CAARS 2 manual and test standard guidelines, such as those provided by the International Test Commission (2013), as well as those pertinent to the country in which they practice. For example, in the U.S., these guidelines include the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing developed by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME; AERA, APA, & NCME, 2014). Ideally, users of the CAARS 2 will also be members of professional associations that endorse a set of standards for the ethical use of psychological tests.

Although individuals who do not have advanced formal training in psychology or psychometrics can, under the guidance of a qualified user, administer and score the CAARS 2 by following the procedures outlined in this manual, interpretation should be conducted only by individuals with those qualifications described above.

The CAARS 2 qualified user must assume ultimate responsibility for the administration, scoring, and interpretation of any test materials they use. Individuals whose only exposure to testing is through this manual and who do not have b-level qualifications are not qualified interpreters of the CAARS 2. All CAARS 2 users should adhere to the administration and interpretation portions of this manual to ensure that accepted principles are followed and that best practices are used.

The CAARS 2 is a copyrighted assessment. Users are required to abide by copyright law which prohibits the unauthorized reproduction, use, distribution, or modification of any CAARS 2 materials whether in whole or in part. Considered proprietary to MHS, the CAARS 2 cannot be adapted, including the creation of a customized version, adapted scoring algorithms, or deploying the assessment in an alternate digital platform or format without the express written permission of MHS (see Ethical and Legal Guidelines in chapter 3, Administration and Scoring). For inquiries about permissions, please contact [email protected].