Does the texas adult performance level test measure functional competence?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Adult Performance Level (APL) test used in the original APL project measures functional competence, as has been asserted in the literature but never demonstrated. The national survey data (N = 1537) collected for the Univer sity of Texas APL project were reanalyzed to determine the concurrent and construct validity and the reliability of the APL test. The findings indicate that the APL test does not measure func tional competence, but, rather, is a reasonably good measure of verbal, writing, and computation abilities of American adults.