Sexual offenders are a heterogeneous group. They differ with respect to personal and criminal histories, deviant sexual interests, relationship and skills deficits, educational and employment background, attitudes and beliefs, and offence characteristics. Assessments are therefore a key component of identifying this range of issues and translating them to risk, treatment focus and intensity, and required post-treatment supervision. Most specialized sexual offender assessments target cognitions, attitudes and beliefs, social functioning, sexual deviance, coping strategies and empathy. Risk assessment is one of the primary areas of importance. Some researchers in the field argue that risk assessment should focus on static historical factors, as they are said to be more reliable and more accurately predictive. Psychometric testing is deemed essential for most clinical problems. Clinicians are encouraged to consider the tools they use in their assessments and ensure that they adopt the most reliable and valid measures that are both time and cost-efficient.