In test validation, which measure indicates how often a test was correct overall?

Accuracy is the measure that indicates how often a test was correct overall. It is calculated by taking the total number of true positive and true negative results and dividing it by the total number of tests performed. This value provides a broad overview of the test’s performance, encompassing both correctly identified positive results (sensitivity) and correctly identified negative results (specificity).

Overall, accuracy is crucial in evaluating the effectiveness of a diagnostic test, as it reflects the proportion of all test results that are correct, regardless of whether the results are positive or negative. This makes it an essential metric for understanding how reliable a test is in diagnosing a condition accurately.