ABSTRACT
After having decided on an appropriate scoring system for the test, as indicated in the preceding chapter, we must make some decisions with reference to the distribution of gross scores obtained. In a scholarship examination some are awarded the scholarships, and the rest are not. For Civil Service Examinations, certain persons are placed on the eligible list, while others are considered ineligible for certain types of jobs. In the examinations given by the College Entrance Examination Board the scores are converted to a certain Standard form and reported to College admissions officers, who use these scores along with other information in deciding which applicants to accept and which to reject. In a College achievement test, given by an instructor in his course, it is necessary to decide which students failed the examination, which ones made an A grade, which ones made a B grade, etc. In general, we may say that, in using the scores from an examination, it is necessary to determine one or more “critical scores” or to report the results in some standardized form to persons who will make such decisions, and possibly study the relationship of these scores to other variables. We shall now consider various factors in, and the different methods available for, determining critical scores and for standardizing test scores.
