Which statement describes criterion validity?

Which statement describes criterion validity?

• A. Does the test appear to measure what it claims to measure
• B. Does the test correlate with an established gold standard
• C. Does the test cover the full domain of the construct
• D. Does the test have high internal consistency

Answer: (B)

Criterion validity asks whether a measure relates to an external standard that truly represents the construct being measured. It’s about how well the test agrees with an established criterion—often a gold standard—so we can trust that the test is capturing the same concept in a meaningful way. When a test correlates with that external standard, it provides evidence that the instrument is measuring what it’s intended to measure, not just appearing relevant or superficially related. That’s why the statement about correlating with an established gold standard is the best description. It explicitly ties the test’s performance to an external benchmark, demonstrating real-world validity in relation to the construct. By contrast, appearance validity focuses on whether the test looks like it measures the construct, which is about perception rather than actual measurement. Content validity concerns whether the test covers all aspects of the construct, not how it relates to another measure. Internal consistency is about reliability among items, not about how the test compares to an external standard.

Criterion validity asks whether a measure relates to an external standard that truly represents the construct being measured. It’s about how well the test agrees with an established criterion—often a gold standard—so we can trust that the test is capturing the same concept in a meaningful way. When a test correlates with that external standard, it provides evidence that the instrument is measuring what it’s intended to measure, not just appearing relevant or superficially related.

That’s why the statement about correlating with an established gold standard is the best description. It explicitly ties the test’s performance to an external benchmark, demonstrating real-world validity in relation to the construct.

By contrast, appearance validity focuses on whether the test looks like it measures the construct, which is about perception rather than actual measurement. Content validity concerns whether the test covers all aspects of the construct, not how it relates to another measure. Internal consistency is about reliability among items, not about how the test compares to an external standard.