FAA Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI)Assessment and CritiqueMedium
A CFI wants to determine whether a written stage exam on weather theory actually measures students' understanding of meteorology, rather than their general reading comprehension or test-taking speed. Which characteristic of a good test is the instructor most concerned with?
- AReliability
- BValidity
- CObjectivity
- DUsability
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Validity
Validity refers to the degree to which a test actually measures what it is intended to measure. A test that is confounded by unrelated skills, such as reading comprehension, lacks validity for assessing weather knowledge specifically.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Reliability concerns consistency of scores across administrations, not whether the content is on-topic.
- C. Objectivity relates to consistent, unbiased scoring, not the relevance of test content.
- D. Usability concerns practicality of administering and scoring the test, not content accuracy.
Validity (Test Characteristic)
The extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure, free from contamination by unrelated skills.
- Most important characteristic of a good test
- A test can be reliable but not valid
- Poorly worded or off-topic items reduce validity
Memory trick: 'VROCUD' — Validity, Reliability, Objectivity, Comprehensiveness, Usability, Discrimination