Consistency is partly ensured if the attribute being measured is stable and does not change suddenly. The form of assessment is said to be reliable if it repeatedly produces stable and similar results under consistent conditions. It refers to the consistency and reproducibility of data produced by a given method, technique, or experiment. ◉ Validity – The test being conducted should produce data that it intends to measure, i.e., the results must satisfy and be in accordance with the objectives of the test. ◉ Standardization – All testing must be conducted under consistent and uniform parameters to avoid introduction of any erroneous variation in text results.

In order to ensure these qualities, each method or technique must possess certain essential properties. However, to be able to formulate accurate profiles, the method of assessment being employed must be accurate, unbiased, and relatively error-free. Such profiles are also constructed in courts to lend context and justification to legal cases, in order to be able to resolve them quickly, judiciously, and efficiently. Career counselors employ a similar approach to identify the field most suited to an individual. Such profiles are often created in day-to-day life by various professionals, e.g, doctors create medical and lifestyle profiles of the patient in order to diagnose and treat health disorders, if any. The data obtained via this process is then interlinked and integrated to form a rounded profile of the individual. It is an exhaustive process that examines and measures all aspects of an individual’s identity. The science of psychometrics forms the basis of psychological testing and assessment, which involves obtaining an objective and standardized measure of the behavior and personality of the individual test taker. Reliability and validity are key concepts in the field of psychometrics, which is the study of theories and techniques involved in psychological measurement or assessment.

Examples of reliability and validity