National Spanish Exam (2026)

Reliability

nse recognizes that test reliability is defined as the degree to which the test gives consistent results each time it is given.

In other words, reliability answers the following questions:

  1. Can I depend on the test to measure the same outcomes consistently?
  2. Given all the other variables being the same, will the test produce the same results again?

nse uses the Kuder-Richardson 21 formula to calculate reliability coefficients:

r (reliability) = (K)(SD2)-M(K-M)(SD2)(K-1)

K = the number of items in the list
SD = the standard deviation of the scores
M = the mean of the scores

The scores of reliability are judged against a perfect score of 1.00. The closer the reliability coefficient is to 1.00, the better it is. The relationship between variables is commonly considered strong over .7. Most standardized tests usually have a reliability coefficient of .90 or above.1

Reliability Coefficients

for the National Spanish Exam (2026)

Population Size Number of Questions (K) Mean Score (M) Standard Deviation (SD) Reliability Coefficient (r)
Level Name Category Name Exam Part
Level 01 Bilingual Reading And Listening 187.0 28.0 54.727273 7.280143 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 191.0 38.0 36.204188 5.133320 0.960343
Total 192.0 66.0 89.317708 15.314348 1.000000
Classroom Experience Reading And Listening 7315.0 28.0 45.692686 10.809499 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 7385.0 38.0 31.356940 6.644540 0.899509
Total 7405.0 66.0 76.409588 17.230685 1.000000
Outside Experience Reading And Listening 292.0 28.0 53.595890 9.143512 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 292.0 38.0 36.537671 4.242877 0.946811
Total 292.0 66.0 90.133562 11.921804 1.000000
Level 1 Bilingual Reading And Listening 562.0 28.0 52.583630 8.190847 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 563.0 38.0 36.982238 5.334599 0.991280
Total 565.0 66.0 89.155752 13.477762 1.000000
Classroom Experience Reading And Listening 19317.0 28.0 44.456334 10.039747 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 19463.0 38.0 29.771001 7.852001 0.919634
Total 19555.0 66.0 73.546203 17.814940 1.000000
Outside Experience Reading And Listening 876.0 28.0 50.197489 8.526807 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 885.0 38.0 34.712994 6.032970 0.942299
Total 888.0 66.0 84.114865 15.018393 1.000000
Level 2 Bilingual Reading And Listening 958.0 28.0 50.598121 8.419723 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 957.0 38.0 34.954023 5.649828 0.936880
Total 961.0 66.0 85.248699 13.010104 1.000000
Classroom Experience Reading And Listening 18915.0 28.0 42.634047 10.694733 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 19100.0 38.0 23.132618 7.330004 0.854026
Total 19192.0 66.0 65.040434 17.394721 1.000000
Outside Experience Reading And Listening 844.0 28.0 48.356635 9.403517 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 852.0 38.0 30.109155 7.531534 0.913825
Total 854.0 66.0 77.829040 15.551118 1.000000
Level 3 Bilingual Reading And Listening 1031.0 28.0 50.833172 8.699717 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 1037.0 38.0 35.490839 4.786187 0.921961
Total 1042.0 66.0 85.617083 12.736071 1.000000
Classroom Experience Reading And Listening 15331.0 28.0 44.636227 9.679147 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 15382.0 38.0 25.414771 7.218571 0.861128
Total 15492.0 66.0 69.406662 16.427371 1.000000
Outside Experience Reading And Listening 959.0 28.0 49.644421 9.250187 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 956.0 38.0 31.281381 6.868559 0.906625
Total 963.0 66.0 80.492212 14.736688 1.000000
Level 4 Bilingual Reading And Listening 1145.0 28.0 49.490830 8.485907 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 1156.0 38.0 33.338235 5.161807 0.869379
Total 1161.0 66.0 82.003445 13.461848 1.000000
Classroom Experience Reading And Listening 8470.0 28.0 44.546871 10.404073 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 8531.0 38.0 25.660884 7.608212 0.879188
Total 8581.0 66.0 69.481995 17.647358 1.000000
Outside Experience Reading And Listening 691.0 28.0 48.211288 10.007172 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 695.0 38.0 30.443165 6.098178 0.859830
Total 698.0 66.0 78.040115 15.003384 1.000000
Level 5 Bilingual Reading And Listening 692.0 28.0 50.989884 8.338133 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 701.0 38.0 33.961484 5.307110 0.895417
Total 703.0 66.0 84.056899 14.056972 1.000000
Classroom Experience Reading And Listening 2960.0 28.0 48.145270 9.215358 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 2986.0 38.0 29.194575 6.340789 0.854219
Total 3002.0 66.0 76.510660 15.646390 1.000000
Outside Experience Reading And Listening 355.0 28.0 49.312676 8.816485 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 367.0 38.0 31.463215 6.280729 0.886116
Total 369.0 66.0 78.734417 17.227316 1.000000
Level 6 Bilingual Reading And Listening 167.0 28.0 46.718563 9.213298 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 169.0 38.0 27.402367 6.133929 0.818425
Total 169.0 66.0 73.568047 14.923368 1.000000
Classroom Experience Reading And Listening 298.0 28.0 46.610738 9.205857 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 292.0 38.0 24.739726 6.742378 0.831989
Total 299.0 66.0 70.615385 15.124099 1.000000
Outside Experience Reading And Listening 91.0 28.0 45.307692 9.097388 1.000000
Vocabulary And Grammar 96.0 38.0 28.677083 5.059016 0.744700
Total 96.0 66.0 71.625000 15.526355 1.000000

1John A. Kaufhold, Basic Statistics for Educational Research (New York: iUniverse, Inc., 2007) pp. 43-46.