What Is Concurrent Validity? | Examples & Definition
When researchers want to measure constructs (i.e., abstract concepts) like “happiness” or “job satisfaction,” they rely on instruments like surveys or tests. However, how can they ensure that these tools are accurately measuring what they are intended to? This is where concurrent validity comes in.
Concurrent validity evaluates the accuracy of a new test by comparing it to one that’s already well established. Both tests are measured at the same time—concurrently—and the established measure acts as a gold standard. If both tests yield similar results, the new test has high concurrent validity.
Concurrent validity is a type of criterion validity and is commonly used in psychology, business, healthcare, and education research.
You could determine the concurrent validity of your new measure by comparing its results to those of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), a well-established anxiety assessment tool. A sample of students could complete your survey alongside the GAD-7. If the results of both tests are very similar, they will be highly correlated. You can therefore conclude that the concurrent validity of your new survey is high.
Concurrent validity definition
Concurrent validity is a type of criterion validity that captures how well the results from one test or measure relate to an existing one; this existing test acts as a “gold standard,” or benchmark. Both tests are administered at the same time. A strong correlation between both tests provides evidence of concurrent validity.
Concurrent validity is often used in fields like psychology to determine if a new test measures what it’s supposed to, especially when it offers improvements (lower costs, ease of use, time requirements) compared to existing measures.
If the new quiz accurately measures eating habits, its scores should be highly correlated to those of the existing questionnaire. The concurrent validity of this tool would therefore be high, and you might consider implementing it instead of the lengthy assessment to optimize user experience.
How to determine concurrent validity
We can determine concurrent validity by computing the correlation between the new and benchmark tests. If the two yield similar results, they will be highly correlated, indicating concurrent validity.
- For relatively stable traits, like intelligence, concurrent validity could be assessed using two measures taken a few days apart.
- For constructs that fluctuate more rapidly, such as stress levels, measurements should be taken within close proximity to each other (e.g., within the same testing session) to more accurately assess concurrent validity.
Comparing one test to data obtained much later is instead called predictive validity, which is the second type of criterion validity.
When to use other types of validity
An inherent limitation of concurrent validity is that it requires an existing measure to act as a benchmark. If no such measure exists, a different measure of validity must be used. Moreover, if the test you use as a benchmark is biased or inaccurate, high concurrent validity simply indicates that your new test has similar problems.
In addition to predictive validity other types of validity include content validity, ecological validity, internal validity, external validity, and face validity.
Concurrent vs convergent validity
Concurrent validity is a form of criterion validity that establishes how well a new measure corresponds to an existing, well-established measure of a similar construct.
Convergent validity is a form of construct validity that measures how well two measures of the same construct correspond to one another.
Though both concurrent and convergent validity are used to compare two measures, they are subtly distinct:
- Concurrent validity emphasizes the similarity between two measurements taken at the same time, where one acts as a benchmark or gold standard for the other.
- Convergent validity also compares two measures that should, in theory, be related, but measurements do not have to be taken at the same time and there is no need for a gold standard.
To assess its concurrent validity, you administer your test to students the same week they complete a standardized math exam used for official academic assesment. If your test scores are strongly correlated with the standardized exam, your test shows concurrent validity.
To assess its convergent validity, you might instead see how your test relates to other measures that are theoretically connected to math ability. You give your students the math test alongside a quantitative reasoning task and a working memory test. Though these tools don’t directly measure math skills, they tap into related skills. Alignment across these scores would indicate convergent validity.
Concurrent vs predictive validity
There are two types of criterion validity: concurrent and predictive validity. Both assess how well one test relates to another related outcome. However, the key difference between these measures is the timeline of comparison:
- Concurrent validity compares two measures taken at the same time.
- Predictive validity assesses how well a measure relates to a future measure taken later in time.
- They could measure concurrent validity by comparing the questionnaire results to students’ recently obtained SAT scores.
- To determine predictive validity, they could instead wait and compare the questionnaire results to students’ GPAs at the end of their freshman year.
Frequently asked questions about concurrent validity
- What is the difference between convergent and concurrent validity?
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Convergent and concurrent validity both indicate how well a test score and another variable compare to one another.
However, convergent validity indicates how well one measure corresponds to other measures of the same or similar constructs. These measures do not have to be obtained at the same time.
Concurrent validity instead assesses how well a measure aligns with a benchmark or “gold-standard,” which can be a ground truth or another validated measure. Both measurements should be taken at the same time.
- What are the two types of criterion validity?
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Criterion validity measures how well a test corresponds to another measure, or criterion. The two types of criterion validity are concurrent and predictive validity.
- Concurrent validity compares two measures obtained at the same time.
- Predictive validity indicates how well a test correlates with a measurement taken later on.
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Heffernan, E. (2025, July 23). What Is Concurrent Validity? | Examples & Definition. Quillbot. Retrieved August 11, 2025, from http://qbot.seotoolbuy.com/blog/research/concurrent-validity/
