Purpose of Standardized Tests
Our goal at ETS and the purpose of standardized tests are the same — to provide fair, valid and reliable assessments that produce meaningful results. Standardized testing, if done carefully and with a high degree of quality assurance, can eliminate bias and prevent unfair advantages by testing the same or similar information under the same testing conditions.
Standardized tests allow the comparison of test takers from different areas of the state, the country and the world. What a test can do depends on whether it is well-designed for a particular purpose. Well-designed tests can provide results that can be used in a variety of meaningful ways, such as: