Physical Therapy Assistant Practice Exam

What term describes the consistency between results of two tests constructed from the same content domain?

1. Intertester reliability

2. Reliability of parallel forms

3. Internal consistency reliability

4. Intratester reliability

The correct answer is: Reliability of parallel forms

The term that describes the consistency between results of two tests constructed from the same content domain is known as the reliability of parallel forms. This concept refers to the degree to which two different assessments that are designed to measure the same underlying construct yield similar results when administered to the same group of individuals. Using parallel forms allows for assessing whether the different versions of a test are measuring the same thing, which is crucial for ensuring that the results are not substantially impacted by variations in test content or format. When two tests yield consistent outcomes, it indicates that they are both reliable measures of the content domain being assessed, allowing practitioners to trust the assessments' validity. In contrast, intertester reliability pertains to the consistency of results when different testers measure the same thing, while intratester reliability focuses on the consistency of results from the same tester across multiple administrations. Internal consistency reliability, on the other hand, examines how well the items within a single test measure the same construct. Therefore, the focus of this question is specifically on the reliability of tests that aim to assess identical content, making it distinct from the other types of reliability mentioned.