The margin of error to be expected in an individual's test score as a result of the degree of reliability in the test is known as

The margin of error to be expected in an individual's test score as a result of the degree of reliability in the test is known as

• A. standard error of measurement
• B. error of measurement
• C. measurement bias
• D. sampling error

Answer: (B)

Reliability shaping how much an observed score might differ from a person’s true ability is captured by the standard error of measurement. This value represents the margin of error you would expect in an individual's score because the test is not perfectly reliable. The SEM quantifies how much scores would vary if the same person took the test repeatedly under the same conditions, linking reliability to measurement precision. A higher reliability yields a smaller SEM, meaning less expected fluctuation around the true score. In practice, you can use the SEM to form a confidence interval around an observed score (for example, true score is likely within observed score ± 1 SEM about 68% of the time). The broader term error of measurement is less precise, and measurement bias and sampling error refer to different ideas (systematic bias in measurement and errors from sampling, respectively) and do not describe the specific margin of random measurement error in an individual test score.

Reliability shaping how much an observed score might differ from a person’s true ability is captured by the standard error of measurement. This value represents the margin of error you would expect in an individual's score because the test is not perfectly reliable. The SEM quantifies how much scores would vary if the same person took the test repeatedly under the same conditions, linking reliability to measurement precision. A higher reliability yields a smaller SEM, meaning less expected fluctuation around the true score. In practice, you can use the SEM to form a confidence interval around an observed score (for example, true score is likely within observed score ± 1 SEM about 68% of the time). The broader term error of measurement is less precise, and measurement bias and sampling error refer to different ideas (systematic bias in measurement and errors from sampling, respectively) and do not describe the specific margin of random measurement error in an individual test score.