Reliability and validity of the psychiatry resident in-training examination

The Psychiatry Resident In-Training Examination (PRTTE) has been produced annually since 1979. On each test from 1980 through 1987, the Kuder-Richardson reliability coefficient for the global score in psychiatry was above .90. This is adequate reliability for making comparisons among individual examinees. The reliability coefficients for the neurology score and psychiatry subscores were lower and correlated with subtest length. Small differences in these scores may reflect measurement error. Mean raw scores showed statistically significant increases across groups of examinees with increasing levels of training completed. This supports the presence of construct validity.