A study investigated optimal length of screening tests used to sort out medical students needing to take a full-length performance-based standardized-patient test from those not needing it. Receiver operating characteristic analysis determined a good length is one-third the full test, with cutoff just above the mean case pass level. (Author/MSE)

Constraints on criterion-referenced tests to make mastery/nonmastery classifications of motor skills can lead to excessively long tests. A sequential probability ratio test classified many subjects' golf shots quickly but required many trials for four subjects. The test's classification accuracy makes it a potentially useful device for physical…

To test further for efficacy of three-option achievement items, parallel three- and five-option item tests were distributed randomly to college students. Results showed no differences in mean item difficulty, mean discrimination or total test score, but a substantial reduction in time spent on three-option items. (Author/BS)

This study evaluated the degree to which 102 undergraduate participants objected to questions on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) which referred to sex, religion, bladder and bowel functions, family relationships, and unusual thinking in comparision to degree of objection to length of the MMPI and repetition of questions.…

Used samples of 142 management and 123 nursing undergraduates to evaluate the psychometric properties and factor structure of the newly developed Form S (short form) of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (G. Watson and E. Glaser, 1964, 1994). Results provide only limited support for Form S, and further refinement is suggested. (SLD)

The usefulness of examining the structural validity of scores on multidimensional measures using nested hierarchical model comparisons was evaluated in 2 studies using the Social Problem Solving Inventory (SPSI) with samples of 464 and 216 undergraduates. Results support the conceptual model of the SPSI. (SLD)

Investigates the relationship between total scores on the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and the time taken to complete it. Finds that slower test takers obtained significantly higher scores. Discusses implications of these findings for college instruction. (SG)

Examines test scores of students who selected a chapter-by-chapter testing program, and those who chose unit (four-chapter) testing. Findings show neither option associated with superior performance, unlike earlier studies. Suggests instructors allow their students to choose their preferred testing option. (NL)

Undergraduate psychology examinations from 48 schools were analyzed to determine the proportion of items at each level of Bloom's Taxonomy, item format, and test length. Analyses indicated significant relationships between item complexity and test length even when taking format into account. Use of higher items may be related to shorter tests,…

A shortened version of Zaichkowsky's 20-item Personal Involvement Inventory was created, removing four items which might be difficult to understand for noncollege-educated populations. The 16-item modified version had acceptable internal consistency; test-retest reliability; and factorial and predictive validity. (Author/GDC)

The effects of increasing the test time to reduce the speediness of verbal and quantitative experimental sections of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Aptitude Test were investigated. Results show that extension of testing time so as to reduce intergroup differences is not indicated. (Author/GK)

Reliabilities and concurrent validities of teacher-made multiple-choice and true-false tests were compared. No significant differences were found even when multiple-choice reliability was adjusted to equate testing time. (Author/MH)

Reports the development of a paragraph-descriptor short form of the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP); (L. Clark, 1993) with self- and other versions. Data from 294 college students, with parental ratings for 94 students, support the reliability and validity of the measure. (SLD)

The number of rating items preferred by students on an instructional evaluation instrument was investigated. The median length preferred was 25 items. (Author/GK)

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)