Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score differences were examined for Black and White examinees who entered American medical schools in 1978 and 1979. The incidence of academic difficulty resulting in delayed graduation, withdrawal, or dismissal was also examined. The MCAT provides six scores: biology, chemistry, physics, science problems,…

This paper summarizes and analyzes data from studies of differential validity and differential prediction for blacks versus whites and females versus males. Forty studies on racial differences and 53 on gender differences were selected from searches of the ERIC, PsychInfo, and Dissertation Abstracts International databases; Buros' Mental…

This paper investigated the predictive validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for members of different gender and minority status groups. The following data were obtainted on 45,067 undergraduates enrolled in 31 different institutions in a state college system: SAT Verbal (SAT-V) and SAT Mathematics (SAT-M) scores; high school average…

Since elementary school counselors frequently provide or interpret achievement test scores for academic placement decisions, they must be vigilant for invalid data. Standardized norm-referenced achievement tests can underestimate achievement or potential of low-income black children because of different learning styles and test bias. Recent…

The predictive validity of the revised Graduate Record Examination Analytical Test (GRE-A) was compared with the experimental form of the GRE-A, in terms of graduate school admissions as well as advancement to Ph.D. candidacy decisions. Prior to 1974 the Graduate Record Examination included just a verbal and a quantitative test; in 1974 it was…

This manual summarizes technical information regarding the 1982 Stanford Achievement Test, Seventh Edition when administered to hearing-impaired students. In Section 1, the procedures used to select the norming sample (7,557 hearing-impaired students) are described, and the demographic characteristics of the resulting sample are compared to those…

As data on the reliability and validity of ratings of infant temperament have accumulated, researchers have begun to ask what caregiver ratings really measure. An argument has been made that ratings of social behavior are less a reflection of enduring individual differences than a measure of rater characteristics and error variance. This study…

Research on assessing the cultural fairness of individual test items is reviewed, with emphasis on Birnbaum's three-parameter logistic model. As defined in this review, differential item characteristics are exhibited when examinees from one group have a lower probability of answering correctly than do examinees of equal ability from another group.…

Random samples of 1979 and 1980 entering freshmen were given the Non-Cognitive Questionnaire (NCQ), which was designed to assess noncognitive dimensions predicting minority student academic success. The validity of the NCQ in predicting graduation after five and six years was determined. The graduation rate was found to differ significantly for…

Trends in teacher competency testing, test bias against minority group teachers, and ways to encourage qualified personnel to join the teaching profession are discussed. Currently, 21 states require students to pass a test to enter a teacher education program, and 31 require teacher candidates to pass a certification test. Admission tests include…