VALIDATION OF PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE EXAMINATIONS - PROFESSIONS THEORY, TEST DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCT-VALIDITY

Although the unitary view of test validity has gained support recently , it has real limitations where professional licensing examinations ar e concerned. A strategy for validation of professional licensure tests requires modifying conventional approaches in three ways. First, a th eory of professions must be incorporated into the test development pro cess so as to acknowledge the social character of professions. Second, the importance of test design in the validation of licensing tests sh ould be enhanced Third, the concept of construct validation must be ex panded to accommodate the special features of content that inhere to p rofessional licensure testing. Methods for accomplishing these three t hings are described and the implications of these and other views disc ussed.