Book excerpt: The MMPI-A is the most widely used personality inventory for adolescents, and there are no two people who know it better than Carolyn L. Williams and James N. Butcher. A Beginner's Guide to the MMPI-A provides an introduction to an assessment standard that is solidly grounded in adolescent psychology. It can be used as a text in graduate classes, as a how-to for psychologists interpreting the MMPI-A, or as a reference book. It is written for a diverse audience to include physicians, social workers, counselors, and attorneys, along with psychologists. Williams and Butcher explain, in jargon-free language, how the MMPI-A was developed and how it can be interpreted using the multiple scales added over its almost 70-year history. The book walks the reader through the steps of test administration, scoring, interpretation, and how to integrate the MMPI-A into a psychological evaluation. The authors also demystify computerized interpretive systems for the MMPI-A. Readers have the opportunity to quiz themselves on how scale scores take shape as interpretive statements, and to interact with 15 case scenarios. Finally, the authors provide step-by-step guidance on the best practices for sharing their interpretive reports with adolescents and parents in MMPI-A feedback sessions.