The Validity of a Psychological Test
A psychological test is administered to evaluate individuals’ responses. Responses are assessed under carefully prescribed guidelines. Scores are typically thought to reflect individual or group differences.
Validity
The validity of a psychological test is a crucial part of the assessment process. It is not only important to assess how well a person is doing cognitively, but also whether the test was designed appropriately.
There are many ways to measure validity. For example, there are tests to evaluate the accuracy of the information that an examinee provides in a questionnaire. Another way to test the validity of a test is to see whether it has a reliable and valid criterion. This is especially important for cognitive domain tests, such as the MMPI-2, which are administered at different times of the day.