Which statement accurately distinguishes reliability from validity in assessments?

• A. Reliability is consistency of results; validity is whether the assessment measures what it intends to measure.
• B. Reliability is about accuracy in measuring what is intended; validity is about consistency.
• C. Validity and reliability mean the same thing.
• D. Reliability refers to the length of an assessment.

Answer: (B)

Reliability means the results are consistent across administrations, items, or raters—the scores you get repeatable under similar conditions. Validity, on the other hand, asks whether the test actually measures what it is meant to measure. It’s possible for a test to give consistent results (reliable) but still not assess the intended skill or knowledge (not valid). For example, a math test could yield similar scores each time (reliable) but primarily gauge memorization of formulas rather than true problem-solving understanding (lacking validity). In general, a valid assessment must measure the right construct, and while reliability supports validity, reliability alone does not guarantee it. The statement that reliability is about consistency and validity is about measuring what the test intends captures this difference clearly. The other choices mix up the concepts or point to unrelated attributes.