Validation of Professional Licensure Examinations

Abstract

Although the unitary view of test validity has gained support recently, it has real limitations where professional licensing examinations are concerned. A strategyfor validation ofprofessional licensure tests requires modifying con- ventional approaches in three ways. First, a theory of professions must be incorporated into the test development process so as to acknowledge the social character of profes- sions. Second, the importance of test design in the validation of licensing tests should be en- hanced. Third, the concept of construct valida- tion must be expanded to accommodate the specialfeatures of content that inhere to pro- fessional licensure testing. Methods for ac- complishing these three things are described and the implications of these and other views discussed.