INTRODUCTION: Embedded performance validity tests (PVTs) may show increased positive findings in racially diverse examinees. This study examined positive findings in an older adult sample of African American (AA) and European American (EA) individuals recruited as part of a study on aging and cognition. METHOD: The project involved secondary analysis of deidentified National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center data ( RESULTS: Age, education, sex, MMSE, and premorbid ability estimate were not significantly different by race. Thirteen percent of AA and 3.8% of EA participants failed two or more raw score PVTs ( CONCLUSIONS: PVT failure rates were significantly higher among AA participants. Findings indicate a need for cautious interpretation of embedded PVTs with underrepresented groups. Adjustments to embedded PVT cutoffs may need to be considered to improve diagnostic accuracy.