What is typically measured by "predictive validity"?

Predictive validity refers to the extent to which a test is able to predict outcomes or behaviors in the future based on the scores obtained from the test. This is particularly important in educational and psychological testing, where the aim is often to foresee how well an individual will perform in a specific context, such as academic success.

For instance, standardized tests, such as the SAT or ACT, are designed with predictive validity in mind, as they aim to forecast a student's future performance in college. If a test has strong predictive validity, higher scores would correlate well with measures of success, such as GPA or graduation rates, demonstrating that the test is an effective forecaster of academic achievement.

The other options address different aspects of testing but do not specifically relate to the ability to predict future performance. Assessing cognitive load is a different construct, measuring mental effort rather than predictive capacity. Test reliability concerns the consistency of test results over time, while the suitability for different populations pertains to fairness and accessibility in testing, rather than predictive abilities. Thus, the focus of predictive validity is primarily on forecasting actual future achievements, confirming that forecasting academic success is indeed the best representation of this concept.