The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the scores students earned on their statistics final examinations and the number of minutes students required to complete the exams. In a previous study, K. Bridges (1985) extended the range of interest in this relationship from a single study to a course-based series, examining…

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…

As a continuing part of its validity studies, the Association of American Medical Colleges commissioned a study of the speediness of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). If speed is a hidden part of the test, it is a threat to its construct validity. As a general rule, the criterion used to indicate lack of speediness is that 80% of the…

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,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the scores students earned on multiple choice tests and the number of minutes students required to complete the tests. The 5 tests were made up of 20 randomly drawn questions from a large pool of questions about research methods. Students were allowed an unlimited amount of time…

The Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory (MTAI) consists of 150 items in its original form. For practical and economical reasons, seven shorter versions formed from the 150 items and based on previous studies were tested on their validity and discrimination value. Responses of 90 teacher trainees, who in 1982 were enrolled at the Institute of…

Tailored testing increases the efficiency of tests by individually selecting for each person a set of items from an item pool so that the difficulty of the items selected will be such as to maximize the information provided by the score. The tailored testing procedure designed by Cliff orders persons and items on a common ordinal scale and…

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)