The college choices of the academically talented and their financing of college were studied through a 1981 survey of 280 National Merit scholars in Indiana. The influences of college majors, family size and income, parental occupation and education, and national test performance were examined. The Indiana Merit scholars more often majored in…

The use of item response theory (IRT) is a prerequisite to successful use of computerized test systems. In item response models, as opposed to classical test theory, the abilities of the examinees and the properties of the items are parameterized separately. Therefore, when measuring the abilities of examinees, the model implicitly corrects for…

This paper has shown the advantages of tailored testing over traditional methods, the need for latent trait theory in the application of tailored testing, and some of the results available to show the quality of estimates obtained by tailored testing procedures. Since the tailored testing procedures overcome many of the problems with traditional…

Data from the verbal portion of the College Entrance Examination Board Scholastic Aptitude Tests were used in an experimental test of the accuracy of equating for a variety of models in three categories: linear equating, equipercentile equating, and item characteristic curve equating. The models were tested for both mean squared error and bias.…

An actuarial model applied to the selection process of a special medical school program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine was tested. The 77 students in the study sample were admitted to the university's Fifth Pathway Program, which is designed for U.S. citizens who completed their medical school training, except for internship and…

Latent trait models are presented that can be used for test design in the context of a theory about the variables that underlie task performance. Examples of methods for decomposing and testing hypotheses about the theoretical variables in task performance are given. The methods can be used to determine the processing components that are involved…

The relationship between students' relative ability in visual-spatial tasks as well as their verbal and numerical skills to their performance in an introductory college chemistry course was investigated. For 700 subjects, verbal and mathematics Scholastic Aptitude Test scores (SAT-V) and (SAT-M) and the following four perceptual tests were…

Examinees (N=1,233) at the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation (JOCRF) were administered one of three test forms in which only item order differed. The study was undertaken to determine the validity of the assumption underlying item response theory (IRT) that there are fixed item parameters that can predict performance. The Rasch IRT model was…

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Aptitude Test has been in use since 1938. In 1975 the GRE Aptitude Test was broadened to include an experimental set of items designed to tap a respondent's recognition of logical relationships and consistency of interrelated statements, and to make inferences from abstract relationships. To test the…

A brief history of the Law School Admission Council and its work outlines its early role in aptitude testing, early organizational considerations, modern testing effort, and other services. A chart lists some law school applicant and student demographics from 1947 to the present. (MSE)

The common item equating method (weighted and unweighted) and the one-step missing data calibration method used with Rasch measurement models were compared using data from six equivalent forms of a perceptual ability test administered as part of the Dental Admission Test. Results suggest little difference among the equating methods. (SLD)

This study examined the construct validity of the Rod and Frame Test (RFT). Subjects were 554 clients (269 males and 285 females) (aged 14 to 65 years) of the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation (JOCRF), a vocational guidance service. In a battery of diverse ability and style tests (19 tests of the JOCRF battery and 4 tests of cognitive style),…

A study was done of the relationship between the American College Testing (ACT) Assessment and the ACT/COMP (College Outcomes Measures Program) test and general intellectual ability of college students. The subjects for the study were 133 undergraduates, mostly freshmen, in Introductory Psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The…

The study examined the efficacy of familiarity and positive verbal reinforcement in improving intelligence test scores of 48 third-graders who were low scorers on a previous test. The Quick Test was used to screen subjects, with a 90 IQ score being the criterion for inclusion in the study. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups. The…

A study investigated the reading comprehension levels, aptitude scores, high school graduation status, and years of education of United States Navy recruits and the relationship among these variables. Data for the study were obtained from the monthly computer managed instruction system reports on Navy recruit characteristics, which in turn is…