Definition of Inkblot test

Inkblot test: A test used in clinical psychology and psychiatry involving inkblots. The inkblots are used to determine what a person perceives (reads into) in the enigmatic and highly ambiguous shapes. Ten standardized blots are shown one at a time to a subject and their responses are recorded. The Rorschach test became a common psychological test and is still in use in psychology and psychiatry.

The test was created by Dr. Hermann Rorschach (1884-1922), a young Swiss psychiatrist. He published the test (also called the Rorschach test) in 1921, not long before his untimely death.