Box 1: No - The validation dataset is different from the test dataset that is held back from the training of the model. Box 2: Yes - A validation dataset is a sample of data that is used to give an estimate of model skill while tuning model`s hyperparameters. Box 3: No - The Test Dataset, not the validation set, used for this. The Test Dataset is a sample of data used to provide an unbiased evaluation of a final model fit on the training dataset. Reference: https://machinelearningmastery.com/difference-test-validation-datasets/