Third, perhaps the test is too short. Paradoxically, many performance-based tests, while several hours in length, may not measure a person on enough important skills or on a proper mix of skills to produce a reliable score. A few years ago, I read an article that described an educator s opinion of a recently published performance-based test, which data showed was not very reliable. The educator felt the value of the test lay in its face validity, and it should be used even if the reliability was not very good. That is like saying that because the rubber tape measure looks like a good tape measure, it should be used.
Certification is a high-stakes endeavor.
A person s ability to be promoted, get a job and keep a job is affected by the scores produced by today s IT exams. As players in the certification game, we have accepted the standards for the development of quality high-stakes exams. Reliability is one of these standards and may be the most important. MediaTec Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.