What does it mean to say that the MMPI was devised "empirically"?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When the MMPI was developed, researchers used a method called empirical criterion-keying. This involved selecting questions based on how well they discriminated between groups of people with known psychiatric diagnoses and groups without diagnoses. The questions that best differentiated these two groups were then selected for the test. This approach is considered empirical because it relies on data and evidence rather than theory or intuition.

What Does It Mean to Say That the MMPI Was