Internal consistency as one rationale for item selection from the unverse of possible test items is discussed and formulae are presented which relate the maximum internal consistency of a test to the largest eigenvalue of the interitem correlation matrix. A computer program to perform these calculations is presented. (Author/JKS)

Investigated empirically through post mortem item-examinee sampling were the relative merits of two alternative procedures for allocating items to subtests in multiple matrix sampling and the feasibility of using the jackknife in approximating standard errors of estimate. The results indicate clearly that a partially balanced incomplete block…

The use of matrix sampling to overcome the impracticality of the pair comparison method for obtaining scale values is empirically tested. Results indicate that matrix sampling is useful in such applications. (Author/JKS)

The effect of stratified sampling of items based on item difficulty and/or interitem correlations on the estimation of test score distribution parameters using multiple matrix sampling was studied. Results indicated that stratification did not consistently improve the stability of parameter estimation. (Author/JKS)

Empirical evidence is presented related to the effects of using a stratified sampling of items in multiple matrix sampling on the accuracy of estimates of the population mean. Data were obtained from a sample of 600 high school students for a 36-item mathematics test and a 40-item vocabulary test, both subtests of the Iowa Tests of Educational…