Criterion-Referenced Test

A criterion-referenced test is a style of test that uses test scores to generate a statement about the behavior that can be expected of a person with that score, in contrast with a norm-referenced test, which instead compares a test taker's performance to that of other test takers, and with ipsative assessment, which compares a test taker to their own earlier performance. Most tests and quizzes written by school teachers can be considered criterion-referenced tests, since their objective is simply to see whether a student has learned the material rather than to rank the student against peers. Criterion-referenced testing was a major focus of psychometric research in the 1970s.