The present work reviews the methods to evaluate elastic-plastic material characteristics by indentation tests. Especially the representative stress and strain values used in some papers are critically analyzed. The values should not only represent the load-depth curve, but also represent the whole of deformed material around the impression. We briefly introduce other indentation techniques to evaluate residual stresses, creep properties, and fracture toughness. We also review some technical problems that are related to the accuracy issues in indentation tests.