What term denotes the extent to which a test measures what it is intended to measure?

• A. Validity
• B. Reliability
• C. Efficiency
• D. Fairness

Answer: (A)

Validity is the extent to which a test measures what it is intended to measure. It answers whether the content, tasks, and scoring truly reflect the target construct rather than something else. For example, if a test is meant to assess algebra skills, the questions should require algebra knowledge and not be overly influenced by reading ability or test-taking tricks. The more the test aligns with the actual construct, the higher its validity. There are facets like content validity (coverage of the right material), criterion validity (correlation with related outcomes), and construct validity (alignment with theoretical expectations). Reliability, meanwhile, is about consistency across retests or forms; efficiency relates to resource use; fairness concerns unbiased measurement across groups.