Deciding to use tests

Abstract

what are tests? In this article I shall restrict the use of the word test to those measures of attainment, intelligence and aptitude which consist of questions to which there are right and wrong answers. I shall not be discussing here the use of questionnaires which measure a person's interests or personal qualities. The distinction between a test and a questionnaire is a useful one. If in an interests questionnaire a person was asked whether he would prefer to write a novel, to do research into chemistry or to lecture on mathematics, there is nothing right or wrong in preferring one activity to another. If, however, in a test of numerical ability a person was asked to subtract 76 from 135, 59 would be the right answer and all other answers are wrong.

Citation

PENDLEBURY, C. (1970), "Deciding to use tests", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 2 No. 5, pp. 228-229. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb003063