Criterion validity examines how well test scores correspond with an external outcome measure.
Showing that a test comprehensively represents the intended curriculum is evidence of content validity, which is stronger than mere appearance.
Consistent scores from the same learners across two occasions show test-retest reliability.
Aptitude tests are designed to predict future performance.
Projective techniques use ambiguous stimuli to reveal personality traits not easily expressed directly.
Intelligence tests estimate general cognitive functioning rather than mastery of a taught curriculum.
If an item meant to measure critical thinking only rewards vocabulary recognition, it does not measure the intended construct, so construct validity is lacking.
A test developed by specialists and given under established procedures is a standardized test.
The basic difference is who develops the test: classroom teachers for teacher-made tests, specialists for standardized tests.
Achievement tests measure what has been learned from a particular instructional program.
A word limit and specified points to cover make this a restricted-response essay.
Freedom to select and organize content is the mark of an extended-response essay.
Restricted-response items limit the range and organization of acceptable answers, which makes scoring more consistent.
Extended-response essays give learners the most opportunity to select evidence, synthesize and organize an argument.
In extended-response tests students must generate and organize their own answers, so copying is comparatively difficult.
Criterion-referenced testing judges mastery of specified learning outcomes regardless of how other students perform.
Norm-referenced testing compares individuals with other members of the group, which suits selecting the top performers.
Criterion-referenced scores are interpreted against predetermined standards, so one student's score does not affect another's interpretation.
Criterion-referenced tests focus on a clearly defined learning domain, unlike norm-referenced tests that sample broadly to rank students.
Broad content sampling used to establish relative standing is characteristic of norm-referenced testing.
Explaining how motivations produce a turning point requires analysis, a higher-order process than simply recalling a definition.
Restricted-response essays limit the content and/or scope of the answer, while extended-response essays give wide freedom.
Ipsative assessment compares a learner's current performance with his or her own earlier performance rather than with others.
A final examination that judges course outcomes and informs program decisions is summative: product-oriented and given at the end.
Formative assessment addresses immediate instructional problems during learning, so calling this diagnostic would be inappropriate.