What is implied when a test is described as being 'reliable'?

When a test is described as being 'reliable,' it primarily means that it yields similar results under consistent conditions. Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of a test's results over time or across different instances. If a test is reliable, repeating the same test under similar circumstances should produce comparable scores, thereby indicating that the test is measuring what it intends to measure in a dependable manner.

The other aspects related to testing, such as always providing a true score or covering a broad range of topics, are not directly tied to reliability. A reliable test does not necessarily guarantee that it measures only the true score, as all tests have some degree of error. Similarly, the breadth of topics assessed is more related to validity than reliability. Lastly, producing scores on a specific scale does not inherently convey anything about the consistency of the results; a test could be on any scoring scale and still be reliable or unreliable.