Which type of validity measures how well a test can predict future performance?

• A. Content validity
• B. Predictive validity
• C. Reliability
• D. Construct validity

Answer: (B)

Predictive validity is about forecasting future performance. It’s shown by linking test scores to later outcomes—like grades, job performance, or on-the-job success—and seeing whether higher scores tend to align with better future results. This type of validity focuses on how well the test predicts what comes next, rather than what the test covers or how consistently it measures. By contrast, content validity looks at whether the test covers the right material, reliability checks consistency of scores, and construct validity examines whether the test measures the intended underlying trait and relates to other measures as theory would expect. So, when the question asks which type predicts future performance, predictive validity is the best fit.