Evaluation of New Test Structure for the AFQT (U)

Abram Gustavus Bayroff · Warren R. Graham

Jan 1964 · U.S. Army Personnel Research Office

About this eBook

The paper presents a feasibility study of presenting the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) as four separate subtests rather than as one continuous test as a means of reducing possible distortion in mental measurement. An operational form of AFQT was restructured from current spiral omnibus form (successive blocks of items from four content areas) to separate subtest form. The experimental test and operational AFQT 7B were both administered to 900 examinees at AFES, selected to be representative of the mobilization population. Results on the two tests were compared primarily with respect to equivalence of total and subtest score distributions, and secondarily with respect to rate of completion of the subtests. Results were then compared with corresponding statistics for two equivalent operational forms, AFQT 7A and 8A, based on data obtained in a standardization sample. It was concluded that there is no significant difference between the spiral omnibus format of the AFQT 7B and the separate subtest format of the experimental qualification Test.