In the Assessment and Testing core area, counselors must understand the foundations of test construction and evaluation. Three fundamental qualities that determine the overall value and usefulness of a test are commonly taught as:

Reliability – The consistency of test scores over time, across items, or across raters (e.g., test–retest reliability, internal consistency).

Validity – The extent to which the test measures what it purports to measure, and the appropriateness of interpretations and uses of scores.

Standardization – The presence of uniform procedures for administration and scoring, and norms based on a defined population, so scores can be interpreted meaningfully.

Option analysis:

A. Reliability, validity, and specificity – Specificity is not a core global criterion for all assessment tools; it is more relevant in certain diagnostic-test contexts.

B. Reliability, validity, and standardization – These three are repeatedly emphasized in counselor education as the key pillars for evaluating test quality.

C. Validity, standardization, and biserial correlation – Biserial correlation is a specific statistic used in item analysis, not a general property of the test itself.

D. Validity, standardization, and internal consistency – Internal consistency is one type of reliability, not a separate third global element.

Thus, the three broad elements that determine an assessment tool’s value are reliability, validity, and standardization, making B the correct answer.