Physical Therapy Assistant Practice Exam

What type of testing evaluates the same tool's scores across different testers for reliability?

1. Intertester reliability

2. Test-retest reliability

3. Internal consistency reliability

4. Parallel forms reliability

The correct answer is: Intertester reliability

The concept of intertester reliability pertains to the degree of agreement among different testers using the same assessment tool. This type of testing is crucial for ensuring that results are consistent and not significantly influenced by the individual administering the test. When multiple testers evaluate the same subjects with the same tool, intertester reliability assesses how closely their scores align. High intertester reliability indicates that the tool is able to produce consistent outcomes regardless of who is administering the test, thereby enhancing the trustworthiness and applicability of the assessment in clinical practice. In contrast, test-retest reliability focuses on the consistency of scores from the same test given at two different points in time, evaluating the tool's stability over time rather than across different testers. Internal consistency reliability examines how well different items on the same test measure the same construct, and parallel forms reliability evaluates the equivalence of scores from different forms of the same test administered to the same group. While these types of reliability are important in their own right, they do not capture the aspect of consistency across different testers that is central to intertester reliability.