Psychometrics (Furr & Bacharach, Ch 1–11) Practice
Questions and Answers
1. Psychometrics is primarily concerned with:
a. Observing behavior directly
b. Measuring psychological attributes through observable indicators
c. Conducting interviews
d. Writing case studies
Rationale: Psychometrics translates latent traits into measurable outcomes.
2. The main purpose of psychometric testing is:
a. Entertainment
b. Reliable and valid measurement
c. Personality profiling only
d. Eliminating bias
Rationale: Reliability and validity are the foundation of psychometrics.
3. In CTT, the observed score equals:
a. True score + bias
b. True score + error
c. True score – variance
d. True score × reliability
Rationale: Formula: .
4. Reliability in CTT is defined as:
a. Error variance / total variance
b. True variance / total variance
c. Total variance / true variance
d. True variance – error variance
Rationale: Reliability reflects consistency of measurement.
5. Which type of validity examines whether test items represent the construct
domain?
a. Criterion validity
b. Content validity
c. Construct validity
d. Predictive validity
Rationale: Content validity ensures coverage of the construct.
6. Construct validity is considered:
a. Narrowest form of validity
b. Most comprehensive form
c. Irrelevant in applied settings
d. Equivalent to reliability
Rationale: It integrates multiple sources of evidence.
, 7. An item with high discrimination index:
a. Is too easy
b. Differentiates high vs. low scorers
c. Has low reliability
d. Is biased
Rationale: Discrimination shows item effectiveness.
8. Item difficulty is optimal when:
a. 0% correct
b. 100% correct
c. Around 50% correct
d. 75% correct
Rationale: Mid-level difficulty maximizes discrimination.
9. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is used to:
a. Confirm hypotheses
b. Discover underlying dimensions
c. Test reliability
d. Eliminate bias
Rationale: EFA explores structure without prior assumptions.
10. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used to:
a. Explore unknown factors
b. Test hypothesized factor structures
c. Measure reliability
d. Assess bias
Rationale: CFA validates theoretical models.
11. Cronbach’s alpha measures:
a. Test-retest reliability
b. Internal consistency
c. Parallel forms reliability
d. Construct validity
Rationale: α reflects item interrelatedness.
12. Acceptable Cronbach’s alpha threshold:
a. ≥ 0.50
b. ≥ 0.60
c. ≥ 0.70
d. ≥ 0.90
Rationale: ≥ 0.70 is widely accepted.
13. A z-score of +2 means:
a. Two points above mean
Questions and Answers
1. Psychometrics is primarily concerned with:
a. Observing behavior directly
b. Measuring psychological attributes through observable indicators
c. Conducting interviews
d. Writing case studies
Rationale: Psychometrics translates latent traits into measurable outcomes.
2. The main purpose of psychometric testing is:
a. Entertainment
b. Reliable and valid measurement
c. Personality profiling only
d. Eliminating bias
Rationale: Reliability and validity are the foundation of psychometrics.
3. In CTT, the observed score equals:
a. True score + bias
b. True score + error
c. True score – variance
d. True score × reliability
Rationale: Formula: .
4. Reliability in CTT is defined as:
a. Error variance / total variance
b. True variance / total variance
c. Total variance / true variance
d. True variance – error variance
Rationale: Reliability reflects consistency of measurement.
5. Which type of validity examines whether test items represent the construct
domain?
a. Criterion validity
b. Content validity
c. Construct validity
d. Predictive validity
Rationale: Content validity ensures coverage of the construct.
6. Construct validity is considered:
a. Narrowest form of validity
b. Most comprehensive form
c. Irrelevant in applied settings
d. Equivalent to reliability
Rationale: It integrates multiple sources of evidence.
, 7. An item with high discrimination index:
a. Is too easy
b. Differentiates high vs. low scorers
c. Has low reliability
d. Is biased
Rationale: Discrimination shows item effectiveness.
8. Item difficulty is optimal when:
a. 0% correct
b. 100% correct
c. Around 50% correct
d. 75% correct
Rationale: Mid-level difficulty maximizes discrimination.
9. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is used to:
a. Confirm hypotheses
b. Discover underlying dimensions
c. Test reliability
d. Eliminate bias
Rationale: EFA explores structure without prior assumptions.
10. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used to:
a. Explore unknown factors
b. Test hypothesized factor structures
c. Measure reliability
d. Assess bias
Rationale: CFA validates theoretical models.
11. Cronbach’s alpha measures:
a. Test-retest reliability
b. Internal consistency
c. Parallel forms reliability
d. Construct validity
Rationale: α reflects item interrelatedness.
12. Acceptable Cronbach’s alpha threshold:
a. ≥ 0.50
b. ≥ 0.60
c. ≥ 0.70
d. ≥ 0.90
Rationale: ≥ 0.70 is widely accepted.
13. A z-score of +2 means:
a. Two points above mean
