Certified Rehabilitation Counselor Practice

Which type of validity assesses how well a test predicts outcomes?

1. Face validity

2. Criterion validity

3. Content validity

4. Construct validity

The correct answer is: Criterion validity

The type of validity that assesses how well a test predicts outcomes is criterion validity. This form of validity evaluates the effectiveness of a test by comparing its results against a specific criterion or outcome, which is often observed in real-world scenarios. Essentially, criterion validity helps to determine how well a particular test can forecast or correlate with later performance or results in relevant activities, behaviors, or conditions. Criterion validity is often divided into two subtypes: concurrent validity, which assesses how well the test correlates with an established measure taken at the same time, and predictive validity, which examines the extent to which a test score can predict future outcomes. For instance, if a standardized test can be shown to effectively predict academic success or job performance, it demonstrates strong criterion validity. The other types of validity serve different purposes; for example, face validity focuses on whether a test appears to measure what it claims to measure, content validity assesses whether the test covers the representative breadth of the concept, and construct validity examines how well a test truly measures the theoretical construct it is intended to measure. Each of these forms of validity plays a unique role in evaluating the effectiveness and appropriateness of assessments, but criterion validity is specifically centered on the predictive capabilities of a test.