IQ and Test Format: A Study into Test Fairness

The aim of this paper was to investigate the relationship between IQ and test format considering test fairness. This study took this relationship into account to see if people (examinees) with different levels of IQ performed differently on different test formats. To this end, 90 advanced learners of English from College of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran were asked to complete Wechsler’s IQ test and a reading test which included four test formats (multiple choice, cloze test, c-test, summary writing) prepared by the researchers. The results of the correlational study indicate a significant relationship between IQ and its subscales and some test formats. The result of the t-test also demonstrated that the differences of the mean between high and low IQ groups were significant regarding certain test formats. The results of the regression equations also indicated that IQ and some of its subscales can also predict performance on certain test formats.