Constructing Test Items

By: Aghaliya Clara Farah Khalid

Questions to Ask yourself in Designing a Test

What objectives will (should) I be testing? What types of items will be included in the test? How long will the test be in terms of time and number of items? How much will each objective be worth in terms of weighting and number of items?

Planning a Test
First step: Outline learning objectives or major concepts to be covered by the test
Test should be representative of objectives and material covered Major student complaint: Tests dont fairly cover the material that was supposed to be canvassed on the test.

 Second Step: Create a test blueprint ( Test Specification) Third Step: Create questions based on blueprint
Match the question type with the appropriate level of learning

Fourth Step: For each check on the blueprint, jot down (might use 3x5 cards) 3-4 alternative question on ideas and item types which will get at the same objective Fifth Step: Organize questions and/or ideas by item types

 Sixth Step: Eliminate similar questions Seventh Step: Walk away from this for a couple of days Eighth Step: Reread all of the items try doing this from the standpoint of a student. Ninth Step: Organize questions logically Tenth Step: Time yourself actually taking the test and then multiply that by about 4 depending on the level of students Eleventh Step: Analyze the results (item analyses)

Translating Course Objectives/Competencies into Test Items

Syllabus
Specification table- what was taught/weight areas to be tested Blueprint- this is the test plan, i.e., which questions test what concept Plotting the objectives/competencies against some hierarchy representing levels of cognitive difficulty or depth of processing

Creating a Test Blueprint (see handout)

Thinking Skills
What level of learning corresponds to the course content Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
Knowledge (see handout) Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

Question Arrangement on a Test

Group by question type
Common instructions will save reading time

Limit the number of times students have to change frame of reference Patterns on test must be logical
Arrange from a content standpoint Keep similar concepts together

Group by difficulty (easy to hard)

Constructing the Test

Types of Test Questions:
Multiple-Choice Items True-False Items Matching Items Fill-In, Completion or Short-Answer Items Essay Questions

Multiple Choice Items

A. Constructing/improving the main stem

The main stem of the test item may be constructed in question form, completion form or direction form. The main stem should be clear. Avoid awkward stems. The question should not be trivial. There should be a consensus on its answer.

 Questions that tap only rote learning & memory should be avoided. Questions should tap only one ability. Each question should have only one answer, not several possible answers.

B. Constructing/improving alternatives
Alternative should be as closely related to each other as possible. Alternative should be arranged in natural order. Alternative should be arranged according to length. Alternatives should have grammatical parallelism. Arrangement of correct answers should not follow any pattern.

The English examination is divided into 2 papers: Paper 1 contains 40 objective questions and the student has 50 minutes to answer them. Each question is worth 1 mark. Usually, the questions should be in this placement: Question 1-4 - general questions Questions 5-7 - fill-in-the-blanks based on short paragraph with pictures Questions 8-15 - choose the best answer/question to a dialogue

Questions 16-21 - grammar Questions 22-23 - punctuation Questions 24-25 - spelling Questions 26-30 - similar to questions 1-4 Questions 31-40 - comprehension questions based on a story, label etc.

 Paper 2, which has subjective questions, contains three sections. A total of 40 marks has been allocated for this whole paper. Section 1 asks the students to describe a picture in 5 sentences. This question bears 10 points. Section 2 has two questions. The student is given 3 choices of items, packages, etc., each with their own pros and cons.

 The student is given a situation that involves the three items (birthday party, movie with friend, etc.) and has to pick one of the three items and write a paragraph about why he chose it. Section 3 contains 3 or 4 pictures that tell a story. Below each picture, words are given to guide the student. The student is to write an essay using all the words given in any order they like. This section is worth 15 points.

References: