The T.O.V.A. is one of the most sensitive psychophysiological tests that you can use for clinical work or research. Over one hundred fifty published studies (and thousands of clinical and research users) attest to the utility of this measure.

Because of its sensitivity to nearly any factor that impacts alertness or attention, the T.O.V.A. must be used carefully. Sequence effects, diurnal effects, different instructions, and examiner presence/absence all have the potential to affect the results. Ideally, you would administer the T.O.V.A. as the first task of your battery, at the start of the session (and in the morning). We recognize that you may not be able to meet all of these requirements, so you should strive for consistency in the manner in which the task is administered. If not the first task in a battery, take pains to ensure that it is administered at the same point in the battery across subjects. Please review A Guide to Using the T.O.V.A. in Research for more information.

As you plan your research battery, keep in mind that each administration of the T.O.V.A. takes about 25-30 minutes (a three minute practice test before the first full test plus 21.6 minutes or 11 minutes for 2.5 to 5 year olds). You should not administer the visual and auditory T.O.V.A. “back to back” – we recommend administering them about 90 minutes apart or on different days).