Does a Standard Reflect Minimal Competency of Examinees or Judge Competency?

The present study examines the influence of judges' item-related knowledge on setting standards for competency tests. Seventeen judges from different professions took a 122-item teacher-certification test in economics while setting competency standards for the test using the Angoff procedure. Judges tended to set higher standards for items they got right and lower standards for items they had trouble with. Interjudge and intrajudge consistency were higher for items all judges got right than items some judges got wrong. Procedures to make judges' test-related knowledge and experience uniform are discussed. (Contains 19 references and 3 tables.) (SLD)