Use of the COPSystem in Career Assessment

Abstract

The COPSystem, one of the most widely used assessment systems for career exploration in the high-school setting (Lombard, 1994), has been developed to provide maximum interpretive usefulness. The development and use of this comprehensive assessment program of interests, abilities, and values is presented along with a demonstration of its interpretive appropriateness. The COPSystem structure of career clusters, based on the pioneering work of Roe (1956), is reviewed and results presented, which establish it as being a valid and useful tool in both career assessment and career counseling. Research regarding long-term predictive validity studies and the circularity of structure of the career clusters are reviewed. A brief summary of the 1995 revision of the COPS and COPES is presented.