What do confidence bands in testing indicate?

Confidence bands in testing are primarily used to represent the range of uncertainty around a predictive outcome or an estimation, illustrating how precisely we can predict scores. They provide an interval estimate within which we expect the true value or parameter to lie, given the data and the analysis conducted.

Therefore, the expected range of scores is represented by the interval created by the confidence bands. This means that if you were to conduct the test multiple times, the true score would fall within these bands a certain percentage of the time, typically 95%. This significant aspect underscores the concept that confidence bands reflect not only the expected range of results but also provide insight into the reliability of those scores' estimations.

The other aspects mentioned in the options revolve around related but different concepts in measurement validity and reliability. The reliability of the test pertains to the consistency of the test measurements across various test situations, while error variance refers to the variability introduced by measurement error rather than capturing the prediction interval's essence. Validity strength looks at how well a test measures what it purports to measure, rather than focusing on the predictive range of scoring outcomes.

Thus, confidence bands primarily reflect the expected range of scores derived from testing outcomes and the inherent uncertainty surrounding those outcomes.