Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
📝 A test section 📏 A small scale
subscale

subscale

1 6.4
A part of a test that measures one specific area
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌbˌskeɪl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : subescala
  • Teachers evaluated students using a subscale focused on their ability to work collaboratively.
  • subscale scores
  • subscale items
  • subscale category

Examples

  • Job satisfaction scores were computed from subscale category ratings and were compared between the two settings.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Items were added together for a total score on each subscale to determine the level of job demand.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Item #34, schedule, of the Program Structure subscale was changed by nearly 50% of the teachers.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The Space and Furnishing subscale was reported as the highest changed subscale at 36.36%.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Significant differences were also present when comparing the mean ratings for JSS subscale categories between the two settings.

    Academic text (2012)

  • After the surveys are administered, a score for each subscale, including reading and self-concept as a reader, is obtained.

    Academic text (2013)

  • The Intrusion subscale score was lower than the Avoidance subscale score for males and females.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The internal consistency of the Brief Symptom Inventory Depression subscale has been estimated at .85.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The dependent variables were the GLTEQ scale scores, EMI-2 subscale scores, and Exercise Self-Efficacy scale scores.

    Academic text (2013)

  • The exam was divided into several sections, each with its own subscale to measure different competencies.

Synonyms

subtest
vssubscale
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A small part of a larger test that checks one skill

focuses on measuring a specific aspect within the larger assessment
subdimension
vssubscale
  • Specialized
8.4

A smaller part of a larger thing that is measured, like one skill in a test

is specifically a test section measuring an aspect rather than an abstract component

Antonyms

full-scale
49 4.1

Complete and using all available resources

How Specific

item
∞ 1.0
subscale
  • Specialized
1 6.4
section
∞ 1.0
scale
191 2.8
test
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

subscale singular
subscales plural

Morphology

subscale = scale (transparent) = sub + scale

The prefix 'sub-' (smaller/secondary) combines directly with 'scale' to mean a smaller or subordinate scale, a meaning readily inferable by learners.

Etymology

Subscale comes from the parts sub- meaning 'under' or 'part of' and scale meaning 'a measure' or 'a set of steps', so you can imagine a small section 'under' the whole test. It is like a short chapter of the main assessment that looks only at one part. So, a subscale is a smaller part of a larger test that measures a specific aspect.