Testing and Evaluation: Selection, Order, and Interpretation
Qualities of a good test
Validity means a test measures what it claims; a vertical jump is not a valid test of aerobic capacity. Reliability means repeated trials give consistent results, and objectivity means different testers reach the same score. A test can be reliable but invalid, which is why questions swap those two words.
Order and standardization
Order matters because fatigue corrupts later tests. Sequence: (1) non-fatiguing measures such as height, body mass, body composition, and resting heart rate; (2) agility; (3) maximum power and strength (vertical jump, 1RM); (4) sprint; (5) muscular endurance; (6) anaerobic capacity; (7) aerobic capacity last. Standardize warm-up, equipment, surface, tester, time of day, and instructions. Provide familiarization trials to reduce learning effects and separate repeated maximal efforts with adequate rest.
Interpreting scores
Use percentiles, standard scores, or T-scores to compare athletes across tests with different units. A T-score of 50 is the mean, and each 10 points represents one standard deviation. Track typical error so a change is judged meaningful only when it exceeds measurement noise.
Worked example
A team's mean vertical jump is 55 cm with a standard deviation of 5 cm. An athlete jumps 60 cm: z = (60 - 55)/5 = 1.0, so T = 50 + 10(1.0) = 60. The same athlete would need 65 cm for a T-score of 70.