Interpretations and uses of test scores are central to contemporary definitions of validity. The output from tests, available to test takers, their teachers, or whomever is interested in interpreting the scores tests are so often end products of the complex process of educational testing. The scores, often presented in the form of reports (and not just numbers), are fundamental to the process of communication between test developers and their audiences. As such, the effectiveness of the interpretations made by users based on the reports and the ensuing actions or uses they plan are of the utmost significance, and fundamental to claims about the validity of tests.

This paper presents design principles for score reports, utilising a think-aloud method to gain understanding into the cognitive process of test score report users engagement with score reports. The paper argues that in order to optimise the effectiveness of both action and outcomes based upon score reports, design principles must employ an iterative approach that considers existing report design, practice and user experience. Ultimately, the insights generated from this paper will help to inform test development, can be among the starting places for developing tests, and hold relevance for researchers, practioners and policy makers interested in improving the impact of their reporting strategies.