The Testing Psychologist Podcast 556. Wisdom Over Numbers: Writing Reports Differently
16 snips
Mar 13, 2026 A deep dive into rethinking clinical reports for real people. Short, front-loaded clinical snapshots replace score dumps. Strategies for two-sentence syntheses, the so what rule, and explaining domain interactions are highlighted. Practical ideas for tiered recommendations and reducing reader overwhelm are explored.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Long Reports Often Go Unread
- Jeremy Sharp recounts slaving over long reports only to have referrers ask about findings already in the document.
- He uses these experiences to argue the score dumping era is over and value is in generating wisdom.
Put Critical Findings On Page One
- The first half of page one is prime real estate and should present the most important clinical information upfront.
- Jeremy Sharp recommends a clinical snapshot with diagnosis, a two-sentence synthesis of key findings, and the top three recommendations to lower cognitive load.
Adopt The Inverted Pyramid For Reports
- Adopt the inverted pyramid: put the most important answers up front instead of burying diagnosis and recommendations at the end.
- This consumer-focused model improves retention for non-specialist audiences like families and teachers.
