ABSTRACT

In a test consisting of as few as forty items even the most rigorous item analysis will not be able to remove the luck of the draw entirely. On balance, this chanciness is not so unfair as it may appear since the avowed purpose of the test is to gauge the range, not the depth, of the individual’s interests. In any case it has to be recognized at the outset that in pioneering a new field no advance will be possible without running abominable risks. Most readers belong to that class of people who are in the habit of consulting book-reviews and who feel that they owe it to themselves to keep abreast, however remotely, with the latest developments in science and technology. Before taking a poor view of the test-maker’s methods, they might do worse than reflect that there are others who do not share this habit or this sense of duty.