CST Level 1 Land Surveyor Certification Practice

Which measurement refers to how close a measurement is to the true value?

1. Accuracy

2. Precision

3. Reliability

4. Consistency

The correct answer is: Accuracy

The measurement that refers to how close a measurement is to the true value is accuracy. Accuracy indicates the degree of closeness of a measured value to its actual (true) value. In surveying and other technical measurements, ensuring accuracy is crucial because it directly impacts the validity of the results. A highly accurate measurement reflects that the results align closely with the benchmark or standard value, thereby providing greater confidence in the conclusions drawn from such data. In contrast, precision is about the repeatability of measurements. It refers to how consistently the same measurement can be obtained under unchanged conditions, regardless of whether those values estimate the true value. Reliability generally pertains to the consistency of results over time or across different instances of measurement, which is not specifically tied to the correctness of the measurements themselves. Consistency speaks to the uniformity of results, but again does not address their closeness to the actual value. These definitions highlight why accuracy is the correct focus when referring to closeness to the true value in measurements.