What is concurrent validity?

• A. When the test correlates with a future outcome
• B. When the test has high internal consistency
• C. When the test score correlates with a measure that has previously been validated
• D. When the test shows no relationship to other measures

Answer: (C)

Concurrent validity asks whether a new test yields results that align with an already validated measure when both are assessed at the same time. This form of criterion-related validity uses an established, validated measure as the benchmark to see if the new test correlates with it in the moment, suggesting it’s measuring the same construct accurately in the current context. If the scores show a strong correlation with the validated criterion, the new test is considered valid for that purpose.

The match with a previously validated measure is what makes this approach distinct from predictive validity (which looks at correlation with a future outcome), and from reliability measures like internal consistency (which assess consistency of items within a test). A lack of relationship would not indicate validity at all.