objective test

{{about|tests in social science that aim to maximize scientific objectivity|legal test for reasonableness|subjective and objective standard of reasonableness}}

Objective tests are measures in which responses maximize objectivity, in the sense that response options are structured such that examinees have only a limited set of options (e.g. Likert scale, true or false).{{Cite journal|last=Meyer|first=G. J.|last2=Kurtz|first2=J. E.|date=2006|title=Advancing personality assessment terminology: Time to retire "objective" and "projective" as personality test descriptors|journal=Journal of Personality Assessment|volume=87|issue=3|pages=223–5|doi=10.1207/s15327752jpa8703_01|pmid=17134328}} Structuring a measure in this way is intended to minimize subjectivity or bias on the part of the individual administering the measure so that administering and interpreting the results does not rely on the judgment of the examiner.

Although the term ‘objective test’ encompasses a wide range of tests with which most people are somewhat familiar (i.e. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Graduate Record Examination, and the Standardized Achievement Test), it is a term that arose out of the field of personality assessment, as a response and contrast to the growing popularity of tests known as projective tests. These ‘projective tests’ require examinees to generate unstructured responses to ambiguous tasks or activities, the content of which is supposed to represent their personal characteristics (e.g. internal attitudes, personality traits).{{Cite web|url=https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/projective-test/61516|title=Projective test|date=2018|website=Encyclopædia Britannica}}

However, the distinction between objective and projective testing is deceptive since it indicates that objective tests are immune to bias.{{Cite journal|last=Wagner, E. E.|date=2008|title=Beyond "objective" and "projective": A logical system for classifying psychological tests: Comment on Meyer and Kurtz (2006)|journal=Journal of Personality Assessment |volume=90 |issue=4|pages=402–405|doi=10.1080/00223890802108246|pmid=18584450}} Although the fixed response style of objective tests does not require interpretation on the part of the examiner during the administration and scoring of the measure, responses to questions are subject to the examinee's own response style and biases, in much the same way they are for projective measures; therefore, both test ‘types’ are vulnerable to subjective factors that may affect scores.{{Cite journal|last=Bornstein, R. F.|date=2007|title=Toward a process-based framework for classifying personality tests: Comment on Meyer and Kurtz (2006) |journal=Journal of Personality Assessment|volume=89 |issue=2|pages=202–207|doi=10.1080/00223890701518776|pmid=17764397}} Furthermore, understanding and giving meaning to the results of any assessment, projective and objective alike, is done within the context of an examinee's personal history, presenting concerns, and the myriad of factors that can affect examinee's scores on the assessment. Thus, both objective and projective tests carry potential sources of bias and require judgment in interpretation to varying degrees.Lumen Learning (2022). Assessing Personality. Lumen Learning https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-psychology/chapter/assessing-personality/ Instead of categorizing tests based on overt but superficial test qualities, the merits of a particular usage of test scores should be assessed.