Construct validity refers to what?

• A. The underlying theory on which the instrument is based
• B. The test's reliability across testers
• C. The test's ability to predict future performance
• D. The test's sensitivity to change

Answer: (A)

Construct validity asks whether a test measures the theoretical construct it claims to assess, in line with the framework that defines that construct. The best choice matches this idea because it ties the test’s meaning directly to the underlying theory—the instrument should reflect the concept it’s built to measure, and evidence should show the scores align with predictions derived from that theory (for example, correlating with related measures and not with unrelated ones, and showing the expected factor structure).

The other options describe different psychometric properties: reliability across testers concerns consistency of scores; predicting future performance is about predictive validity; and sensitivity to change refers to how well the test detects changes over time.