Cross-Cultural Performance Validity Testing: Managing False Positives in Examinees with Limited English Proficiency

Base rates of failure (BRFail) on performance validity tests (PVTs) were examined in university students with limited English proficiency (LEP). BRFail was calculated for several free-standing and embedded PVTs. All free-standing PVTs and certain embedded indicators were robust to LEP. However, LEP was associated with unacceptably high BRFail (20–50%) on several embedded PVTs with high levels of verbal mediation (even multivariate models of PVT could not contain BRFail). In conclusion, failing free-standing/dedicated PVTs cannot be attributed to LEP. However, the elevated BRFail on several embedded PVTs in university students suggest an unacceptably high overall risk of false positives associated with LEP.