Understanding Test Scores and Norms

1. If not accompanied by further information, a high raw score is

a. Meaningless

b. Still always better than a low score

2. ____________________ constitute the most widely used frame of reference for test score interpretation.

a. Content domains

b. Work samples

c. Criteria

d. Norms

3. Of all the following developmental norms, which ones are the most universally applicable?

a. Theory-based ordinal scales

b. Mental age norms

c. Natural sequences

d. Grade-based norms

4. With regard to the samples used to establish within-group norms, the single most important requirement is that they should be

a. Gathered locally by the institution or organization that will use them.

b. Very large, numbering in the thousands.

c. Representative of the group for which they will be used.

d. Convenient to obtain in the process of standardization.

5. The concepts of test ceiling and test floor are most closely related to the issue of

a. Test validity.

b. Test difficulty.

c. The type of standard scores used in a test.

d. The type of items used in a test.

6. When transformed into the Wechsler-scale type of deviation IQs, a z-score of -1.00 would become a Wechsler IQ of

a. 85

b. 95

c. 105

d. 115

7. Which of the following score transformation procedures is the only one that qualifies as a linear transformation?

a. Normalized standard scores

b. Percentiles to stanines

c. Raw scores to percentile scores

d. z scores to T scores

8. If a group of present-day individuals were to take both the original Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and its latest revision, the WAIS-IV, chances are that their IQ scores would be

a. The same on both tests

b. Higher on the WAIS-IV than on the WAIS

c. Higher on the WAIS than on the WAIS-IV

9. The essential characteristic of item response theory models is that they place _______________ on a common scale.

a. Items and tests

b. Items and persons

c. Persons and tests

10. One of the main advantages of IRT methodology is that it is ideally suited for use in __________ testing.

a. Computer adaptive

b. Paper-and-pencil

c. Personality

11. Rank the following correlation coefficients on strength of their relationship…(list the weakest first). (3 points)

0.71

0.36

-0.45

0.47

-0.62

12. The correlation coefficient between exercise and GPA is 0.49.  What does this mean? (3 points)

13. The coefficient of determination between two variables is 0.64.

a. What is the Pearson correlation coefficient? (2 points)

b. How strong is the relationship? (1 points)

c. How much of the variance in the relationship between these two variables is unaccounted for? (3 points)

14. What is restriction in range?  Explain its effect on the correlation coefficient. (5 points)

15. A study was completed that examined the relationship between coffee consumption and the level of stress for a group of 50 undergraduates.  The correlation was 0.373.  The researchers concluded that “As a result of the data collected in this study and our rigorous analyses, we have concluded that if you drink less coffee, you will experience less stress.”  Were the researchers correct in this conclusion?  Why or why not? (3 points)