Compared area scores from short-form version of Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test (Fourth) with those from long form for 33 gifted children. Found three of five mean difference contrasts were significantly different and correlation coefficients between corresponding area scores and Test Composite were statistically significant. Suggests that…

The development of a short form of the Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices Test is reported. Results from 3 studies with 663 college students indicate that the short form demonstrates psychometric properties similar to the long form yet requires a substantially shorter administration time. (SLD)

Factor structure of the Reactions to Tests (RTT) scale measuring test anxiety was studied by testing a series of confirmatory factor models including a second-order structure with 636 college students. Results support a shorter 20-item RTT but also raise questions about the cross-validation of covariance models. (SLD)

Examiners seeking guidance on multiple-choice and true/false tests are likely to encounter various faulty or questionable ideas. Twelve of these are discussed in detail, having to do mainly with the effects on test reliability of test length, guessing and scoring method (i.e. number-right scoring or negative marking). Some misunderstandings could…

In the early 1970s A. Constantinople wrote a seminal article that led to the development of the construct of psychological androgyny. The Bem Sex-Role Inventory is a popular measure of the construct, but the measure remains controversial. The construct validity of scores from the measure was explored using confirmatory factor analysis on data from…

The Feldt-Gilmer congeneric reliability coefficients make it possible to estimate the reliability of a test composed of parts of unequal, unknown length. The approximate standard errors of the Feldt-Gilmer coefficients are derived via a method using the multivariate Taylor's expansion. Monte Carlo simulation is employed to corroborate the…

Because it generally took over an hour to administer the Porch Index of Communicative Ability (PICA), a shorter but comparable version of the test was developed. The original test was designed to quantify aphasic patients' ability level on common communicative tasks and consisted of 18 ten-item subtests. Each item resulted in a proficiency rating,…

Six experimental approaches to the problems of setting cutoff scores and choosing proper test length are briefly mentioned. Most of these methods share the premise that a test is a random sample of items, from a domain associated with a carefully specified objective. Each item is independent and is scored zero or one, with no provision for…

Generalizability theory was applied to the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFF), an instrument commonly employed to assess reflection-impulsivity in children, in order to analyze the dependability of the MFF at four grade levels: second, third, fourth, and fifth. The MFF was individually administered to 114 boys. A completely crossed, two-facet…

A computerized adaptive testing procedure for measuring mathematical skills of 60 deaf college students was evaluated. Ability estimates were compared for stability to those obtained earlier from conventional testing. Adaptive testing increased measurement efficiency by reducing test length. Student attitudes toward computerized testing were…

The purpose of this paper is to derive optimal rules for variable-length mastery tests in case three mastery classification decisions (nonmastery, partial mastery, and mastery) are distinguished. In a variable-length or adaptive mastery test, the decision is to classify a subject as a master, a partial master, a nonmaster, or continuing sampling…

In mastery testing a linear relationship between an optimal passing score and test length is presented with a new optimization criterion. The usual indifference zone approach, a binomial error model, decision errors, and corrections for guessing are discussed. Related results in sequential testing and the latent class approach are included. (CM)

A series of behavioral expectation scale applications were analyzed in an attempt to point out an appropriate number of dimensions to be included in such studies. Results reflected the problems of dimension interdependence when the number of dimensions exceeds nine. (Author/JKS)

Interrelated analyses were conducted with more than 4,000 college students to examine the reliability and validity of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) and to develop and validate a short version of the scale. Results provide moderate support for the reliability and validity of both the TPQ and the short form. (SLD)

Articles in this special section consider (1) flow in test taking (Craig Deville); (2) testwiseness (Thomas O'Neill); (3) test length (Benjamin Wright); (4) cross-language test equating (Richard W. Woodcock and Ana Munoz-Sandoval); (5) computer-assisted testing and testwiseness (Richard Gershon and Betty Bergstrom); and (6) Web-enhanced testing…