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Psychometrics & Testing

Incremental Validity

The extent to which a test improves prediction beyond what's already predictable from other sources. Does this test add new information?

A test has incremental validity if it predicts outcomes better than existing predictors. For example: Big Five Conscientiousness predicts job performance (r=0.30). Does adding a work ethic test improve prediction further? If yes, it has incremental validity.

In practice: IQ tests have high incremental validity for academic performance but low incremental validity for job performance (Big Five already captures it). Personality tests have low incremental validity for predicting IQ (they're orthogonal) but high incremental validity for predicting job satisfaction.

Incremenmental validity justifies using multiple assessments — each adds information the others don't capture.

Related Terms

Test-Retest Reliability
A measure of how consistent a test's results are when the same person takes it again. High reliability (0.70+) means you'll get similar results each time.
Validity (Psychometric)
Whether a test measures what it claims to measure. A valid personality test actually predicts real-world outcomes like job performance, relationship satisfaction, or mental health.
Likert Scale
A response format used in personality tests where you rate agreement on a scale (e.g., "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree"). Named after psychologist Rensis Likert (1932).
Psychometric Test
A standardized, scientifically designed assessment that measures psychological attributes — personality traits, cognitive abilities, aptitudes, or attitudes — in a reliable and valid way.
Cronbach's Alpha
A statistic measuring internal consistency — how closely related a set of test items are as a group. Values above 0.70 indicate acceptable reliability for personality scales.
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