*Test Use

Colleges and universities commonly require multiple tests for their various admissions and placement decisions. The point of this analysis was to determine the degree to which three standardized tests involving eight subtests all administered to the same applicants provided nonredundant information. The instruments were the California Basic Education Skills Test (CBEST), given to teacher candidates to measure reading, mathematics and writing competencies, the Scholastic Assessment Test, and the Graduate Record Examination. Data were available for 88 students for all 3 measures. Analyses indicate that the eight subtests are related, some rather closely. Nearly 62% of the variability in all subtest scores could be explained by one component, and the fact that all subtest scores are substantially correlated with the component suggests a common element to all of the subtests. Findings suggest that it is feasible that committees could reduce the number of tests required of students and sacrifice little by way of predictive validity or diagnostic accuracy. (Contains 3 tables and 16 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document