ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a general overview of multistage tests (MSTs) and briefly discusses the important concepts associated with MSTs. We describe how an MST differs from other tests, including linear tests and computerized adaptive tests (CATs), and the benefits it provides over them. The features of an MST and the considerations needed in the process of its implementation are discussed in detail because these considerations provide the organizing themes for this volume. The book is structured to take the reader through all the operational aspects of implementing an MST, from the design to the postadministration analyses. This introductory chapter also provides the basic concepts for MSTs and an overview of subsequent chapters.
