Counselor Education Comprehensive Exam (CECE) Practice Exam

What does reliability refer to in testing?

1. The accuracy of an instrument's measurement

2. The consistency of scores across different test administrations

3. The relevance of the test content

4. The overall validity of the test

The correct answer is: The consistency of scores across different test administrations

Reliability in testing specifically refers to the consistency of scores across different test administrations. This means that if a test is reliable, a student should receive similar scores if they take the same test multiple times under similar conditions. High reliability indicates that the test produces stable and consistent results, which is crucial for the credibility of any measurement tool in educational and psychological assessments. In the context of testing, various methods such as test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, and internal consistency are used to evaluate how reliably a test performs. The focus here is on how reproducible the results are—not on the actual accuracy of measurements, relevance of content, or overall validity, which is a separate concept that pertains to how well a test measures what it is intended to measure. Consistent test scores ensure that any changes observed in outcomes are likely due to real differences in the construct being measured, rather than fluctuations from the instrument itself.