CODESP Test Validation and Reliability — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which type of validity evidence examines whether test scores correlate with an external criterion measured at the same time?

Predictive validity
Concurrent validity (Correct answer)
Content validity
Construct validity

Correct answer: Concurrent validity

Concurrent validity is established when test scores correlate with a criterion measure collected simultaneously.

Question 2: A reliability coefficient of 0.50 for a selection test would generally be considered:

Excellent and exceeds standards
Acceptable for high-stakes decisions
Too low for most selection purposes (Correct answer)
Appropriate only for cognitive tests

Correct answer: Too low for most selection purposes

A reliability coefficient of 0.50 is generally considered too low for employment selection tests, which typically require 0.70 or higher.

Question 3: What does the standard error of measurement (SEM) primarily tell us?

The average score on the test
The expected variation in an individual's scores across repeated administrations (Correct answer)
The correlation between two test forms
The difference between observed and true scores for a group

Correct answer: The expected variation in an individual's scores across repeated administrations

SEM estimates how much an individual's observed score is likely to vary if the test were administered multiple times.

Question 4: When a test is used to predict future job performance measured six months after hiring, this is an example of:

Concurrent validity
Content validity
Predictive validity (Correct answer)
Face validity

Correct answer: Predictive validity

Predictive validity involves collecting criterion data after a time delay following test administration.

Question 5: Which reliability method requires only a single test administration?

Test-retest reliability
Parallel forms reliability
Internal consistency reliability (Correct answer)
Inter-rater reliability

Correct answer: Internal consistency reliability

Internal consistency methods (e.g., Cronbach's alpha, KR-20) assess reliability using data from a single test administration.

Question 6: Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis is used to identify items that:

Are too difficult for all test takers
Perform differently for subgroups after matching on ability (Correct answer)
Have low point-biserial correlations
Are outside the content domain

Correct answer: Perform differently for subgroups after matching on ability

DIF flags items that favor or disadvantage a particular subgroup after controlling for overall ability level.

Question 7: In classical test theory, a person's observed score is defined as:

True score minus measurement error
True score plus measurement error (Correct answer)
True score divided by reliability
Error score minus true score

Correct answer: True score plus measurement error

Classical test theory states that Observed Score = True Score + Error Score.

Question 8: A job analysis identifies five critical task clusters for a position. A test that covers only two of those clusters likely lacks:

Predictive validity
Content validity (Correct answer)
Construct validity
Criterion-related validity

Correct answer: Content validity

Content validity requires adequate coverage of all critical KSAs and tasks identified in the job analysis.

Question 9: The attenuation of a validity coefficient due to restriction of range refers to:

A coefficient that is artificially inflated because of a broad range of scores
A coefficient that is artificially deflated because the sample lacks score variability (Correct answer)
An error in the criterion measure only
Measurement error in the predictor test only

Correct answer: A coefficient that is artificially deflated because the sample lacks score variability

Range restriction occurs when hired employees represent a narrow band of scores, which deflates observed validity coefficients.

Question 10: Which statistic is most commonly used to assess internal consistency reliability for tests with polytomous (multi-point) items?

Kuder-Richardson 20 (KR-20)
Cronbach's alpha (Correct answer)
Spearman-Brown formula
Cohen's kappa

Correct answer: Cronbach's alpha

Cronbach's alpha is appropriate for items with multiple response categories, while KR-20 is for dichotomous items.

Question 11: A validity generalization (VG) study concludes that a test has consistent validity across multiple settings. This finding supports:

The need for local validation in every organization
The transportability of test validity to new settings without local studies (Correct answer)
That criterion-related validity is unnecessary
That content validity supersedes criterion validity

Correct answer: The transportability of test validity to new settings without local studies

Validity generalization supports using existing validity evidence to infer a test's validity in a new setting without conducting a full local study.

Question 12: When evaluating construct validity, convergent evidence is demonstrated when:

The test correlates highly with theoretically unrelated measures
The test does NOT correlate with measures of similar constructs
The test correlates highly with measures of theoretically similar constructs (Correct answer)
The test predicts job performance six months later

Correct answer: The test correlates highly with measures of theoretically similar constructs

Convergent evidence shows that measures of the same or related constructs correlate substantially with each other.

Question 13: The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures recommend that a content validity strategy is most defensible when the selection procedure measures:

General cognitive ability
Observable work behaviors or knowledge used on the job (Correct answer)
Personality traits predictive of job success
Motivational factors assessed by interviews

Correct answer: Observable work behaviors or knowledge used on the job

The Uniform Guidelines indicate content validity is most appropriate for tests measuring observable work behaviors or directly job-related knowledge.

Question 14: Inter-rater reliability is MOST critical to establish when:

A multiple-choice test is machine-scored
Structured interviews or work samples involve human judgment in scoring (Correct answer)
A standardized test is administered online
Scores are derived from a biodata inventory

Correct answer: Structured interviews or work samples involve human judgment in scoring

Inter-rater reliability ensures that different evaluators assign consistent scores when human judgment is involved in the scoring process.

Question 15: A test developer applies the Spearman-Brown prophecy formula. What is the primary purpose of this formula?

To correct for criterion unreliability
To estimate the reliability of a lengthened or shortened test (Correct answer)
To assess differential item functioning
To calculate the standard error of estimate

Correct answer: To estimate the reliability of a lengthened or shortened test

The Spearman-Brown formula predicts how reliability will change as a function of increasing or decreasing test length.

Question 16: Which scenario best illustrates the problem of criterion contamination?

Supervisors rate employee performance without knowing the employee's test score
Supervisors know an employee's test score before providing performance ratings (Correct answer)
The criterion measure is collected six months after hiring
Two raters independently score the same work sample

Correct answer: Supervisors know an employee's test score before providing performance ratings

Criterion contamination occurs when supervisors' knowledge of test scores influences their performance ratings, biasing the criterion.

Question 17: In item response theory (IRT), which parameter describes how steeply an item distinguishes between higher and lower ability test takers?

The b-parameter (difficulty)
The c-parameter (pseudo-guessing)
The a-parameter (discrimination) (Correct answer)
The d-parameter (differential functioning)

Correct answer: The a-parameter (discrimination)

The a-parameter in IRT reflects item discrimination — how sharply the item separates individuals with different ability levels.

Question 18: A selection test shows high validity for a sample of incumbents but poor validity for a sample of applicants. The MOST likely explanation is:

The test lacks content validity
Range restriction in the incumbent sample inflated the coefficient (Correct answer)
The criterion measure is unreliable
Construct irrelevant variance affected the applicant sample

Correct answer: Range restriction in the incumbent sample inflated the coefficient

Incumbent samples are often range-restricted because low performers have already left, which can inflate validity coefficients relative to applicant samples.

Question 19: Consequential validity refers to the idea that validation should include evidence about:

Correlation with job performance criteria only
The intended and unintended social consequences of test use (Correct answer)
Whether the test was developed by an internal team or consultants
The test's face validity as perceived by applicants

Correct answer: The intended and unintended social consequences of test use

Consequential validity (Messick's framework) incorporates evidence about the ethical and social impact of testing decisions.

Question 20: When a test battery includes both a cognitive ability test and a structured interview, and the two are combined into a total score, this practice is known as:

Multiple hurdle selection
Compensatory combination (Correct answer)
Differential weighting
Banding

Correct answer: Compensatory combination

Compensatory combination allows high scores on one predictor to offset low scores on another when computing a composite score.

Question 21: A test that consistently measures a construct that is NOT the intended construct is said to have high:

Construct-relevant variance
Construct-irrelevant variance (Correct answer)
Criterion deficiency
Criterion contamination

Correct answer: Construct-irrelevant variance

Construct-irrelevant variance occurs when test scores reflect factors unrelated to the target construct, threatening construct validity.

CODESP Test Validation and Reliability

Which type of validity evidence examines whether test scores correlate with an external criterion measured at the same time?

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