Physical Therapy Assistant Practice Exam

What is assessed when determining the agreement of scores recorded by two testers?

1. Intertester reliability

2. Intratester reliability

3. Construct validity

4. Criterion validity

The correct answer is: Intertester reliability

Intertester reliability assesses the consistency of scores between two different testers measuring the same outcome or trait. This is important in ensuring that the measurements taken are not dependent on who is conducting the assessment, thereby enhancing the credibility of the results. High intertester reliability indicates that testers yield comparable results under similar conditions, which is critical in a clinical setting where different practitioners may assess the same patient. Other concepts such as intratester reliability focus on the consistency of scores by the same tester over multiple assessments, while construct validity and criterion validity relate to the accuracy and relevance of a measurement instrument in assessing the theoretical concept it's intended to measure or its correlation with a benchmark, respectively. Understanding these distinctions helps in recognizing why intertester reliability specifically pertains to the agreement of scores between two different testers.