Examining the properties of the standard comprehensive examination through the use of factor analysis and multidimensional scaling

The purpose of this study was to examine the properties of a departmental comprehensive examination in the course of Elementary Statistics-I (MATH 1703) as used by the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science in Texas Woman's University during the semesters Fall 2012 through Spring 2015. Item performance was assessed with standard discrimination and difficulty indices. Factor analysis and multidimensional scaling were used to assess construct validity from unique perspectives. Internal consistency reliability was defined with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The data and findings support use of the examination, while studies of predictive and concurrent validities remain to be done.