Which validity refers to whether the test content represents the domain it is intended to cover?

Which validity refers to whether the test content represents the domain it is intended to cover?

• A. Content validity
• B. Construct validity
• C. Reliability
• D. Face validity

Answer: (A)

Content validity is about whether the test items actually sample the domain it’s meant to cover. It asks: does the content reflect the full range of topics, skills, and tasks that define that domain, and are essential areas included while irrelevant material is kept out? When experts review the items and map them to the domain, they check for comprehensive coverage and representatives of the domain’s content. If important aspects are missing or extraneous topics are included, the test isn’t truly representative of what it intends to measure, even if it happens to be reliable or appear reasonable to test-takers.

In contrast, construct validity looks at whether the test measures the intended underlying concept or construct and how it relates to other measures of that construct. Reliability concerns consistency of scores across items or administrations. Face validity concerns whether the test appears appropriate to test-takers, which is about appearance rather than actual content coverage.