Concern on how interest inventories are being used in career counseling and other preventive interventions has resulted in heightened sensitivity to the impact of interest inventories and the emergence of the concept exploration validity. Various aspects of exploration validity were assessed using three different interest inventories. The immediate reactions of college students (N=64) who completed the old and revised Self-Directed Search (SDS) and the Strong Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII) were assessed as well as their attitudes and behaviors four weeks after counselor or self-interpretation. Treatment, sex, and time differences were assessed for all groups. Women were found to have greater clarity about and certainty of ideas about career planning than men, regardless of the treatment or time. The SCII had greater clarity of directions than the old SDS immediately after testing. The revised SDS group was found to have greater clarity and certainty about their career planning than SCII immediately after testing. The revised SDS indicated significantly less decrease in clarity and certainty about career planning than the old SDS four weeks after interpretation. These differences suggest that a test user's sex and the treatment assigned may produce differential effects and outcomes. (Author/NRB)