Factors Affecting Validity
Factors How does each factor affect validity?
 Inappropriateness of the test item.
 Directions of the test items.
 Reading vocabulary and sentence
structure.
 Level of difficulty of the test item.
 Poorly constructed test items.
 Length of the test items.
 Arrangement of the test items.
Measuring the understandings, thinking skills,
and other complex types of achievement with
test forms that are appropriate only for
measuring factual knowledge will invalidate
the results (Asaad, 2004).
Directions that are not clearly stated as to how
the students respond to the items and record
their answers will tend to lessen the validity of
the test items (Asaad, 2004).
Vocabulary and sentence structures that do not
match the level of the students will result in
the test of measuring reading comprehension
or intelligence rather than what it intends to
measure (Asaad, 2004).
When the test items are too easy and too
difficult they cannot discriminate between the
bright and the poor students. Thus, it will
lower the validity of the test (Asaad, 2004).
Test items which unintentionally provide clues
to the answer will tend to measure the
students’ alertness in detecting clues and the
important aspects of students’ performance
that the test is intended to measure will be
affected (Asaad, 2004).
A test should be sufficient number of items to
measure what it is supposed to measure. If a
test is too short to provide a representative
sample of the performance that is to be
measured, validity will suffer accordingly
Asaad, 2004).
Test items should be arranged in an increasing
difficulty. Placing difficult items early in the
test may cause mental blocks and it may take
up too much time for the students; hence,
students are prevented from reaching items
they could easily answer. Therefore, improper
arrangement may also affect the validity by
 having a detrimental effect on students’
motivation (Asaad, 2004).

 Pattern of the answers. A systematic pattern of correct answers, and

this will lower again the validity of the test
(Asaad, 2004).

 Ambiguity. Ambiguous statements in test items contribute

to misinterpretations and confusion.
Ambiguity sometimes confuses the bright
students more than the poor students, casing
the items to discriminate in a negative
direction (Asaad, 200)

Reference/s:

Asaad, Abubakar S. (2004). Measurement and Evaluation Concepts and Application (Third
Edition).
856 Mecañor Reyes St., Sampaloc, Manila: Rex Bookstore Inc.