Criterion-referenced test

A criterion-referenced test is one that provides for translating the test score into a statement about the behavior to be expected of a person with that score or their relationship to a specified subject matter. Most tests and quizzes written by school teachers are criterion-referenced tests. The objective is simply to see whether or not the student has learned the material.

By contrast, with a norm-referenced test, the translated score tells where the person stands in some population of persons who have taken the test. For example, if the criterion is "Students should be able to correctly add two single-digit numbers," then reasonable test questions might look like "2+3 = ?" or "9+5 = ?" A criterion-referenced test would report the student's performance strictly according to whether or not these questions were answered correctly. A norm-referenced test would report primarily whether this student correctly answered more questions compared to other students in the group.

The same test can be used in both ways, as the ACT provides both a ranking, and indication of what level is considered necessary to likely success in college. Robert Glaser originally coined both terms. Therefore, the term "criterion-referenced test" is somewhat of a misnomer, as it more accurately refers to the interpretation that is made of the score and not the test itself.

A common misunderstanding regarding the term is the meaning of criterion. Many, if not most, criterion-referenced tests involve a cutscore, where the examinee passes if their score exceeds the cutscore and fails if it does not (often called a mastery test). The criterion is not the cutscore; it is the domain of subject matter that the test is designed to assess. The criterion-referenced interpretation of a test score identifies the relationship to the subject matter. In the case of a mastery test, this does mean identifying whether the examinee has "mastered" a specified level of the subject matter by comparing their score to the cutscore. However, not all criterion-referenced tests have a cutscore, and the score can simply refer to a person's standing on the subject domain. Again, the ACT is an example of this; there is no cutscore, it simply is an assessment of the student's knowledge of high-school level subject matter.

Because of this common misunderstanding, criterion referenced tests have been referred to by the arguably clearer term standards-based assessments by some education agencies, as students are assessed with regards to standards that define what they "should" know, as defined by the state.

Criterion-referenced testing was a major focus of psychometric research in the 1970s.

Relationship to high-stakes testing
Many criterion-referenced tests are also high-stakes tests, where the results of the test have important implications for the individual examinee. Examples of this include high school graduation examinations and licensure testing where the test must be passed to work in a profession, such as to become a physician or attorney. However, being a high-stakes test is not specifically a feature of a criterion-referenced test. It is instead a feature of how an educational or government agency chooses to use the results of the test.