Practice Test GeeksCODESP - Cooperative Organization for the Development of Employee Selection Procedures Practice Test
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Test Validation and Reliability Flashcards

7 cards from real CODESP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Test Validation and Reliability flashcards as text

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

    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.

  2. Which scenario best illustrates the problem of criterion contamination?

    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.

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

    Answer: The a-parameter (discrimination)

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

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

    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.

  5. Consequential validity refers to the idea that validation should include evidence about:

    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.

  6. 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:

    Answer: Compensatory combination

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

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

    Answer: Construct-irrelevant variance

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