Because previous reports have suggested that the lowered validity of tests scored with empirical option weights might be explained by a capitalization of the keying procedures on omitting tendencies, a procedure was devised to key options empirically with a "correction-for-guessing" constraint. Use of the new procedure with Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) data resulted in smaller increases in reliability than those observed when unconstrained procedures were used, but validities for quantitative subforms were not appreciably lowered. Validities for verbal subforms were lowered slightly, however.
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