Test (assessment)

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#tudents take e"ams in $ahatma %andhi #eva &shram, Jaura, 'ndia.

(ambodian students taking an e"am in order to apply for the )on *osco Technical #chool of #ihanoukville in +,,-.

&merican students in a computer fundamentals class taking a computer.based test

A test or examination is an assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered orally, on paper, on a computer, or in a confined area that requires a test taker to physically perform a set of skills. Tests ary in style, rigor and requirements. !or e"ample, in a closed book test, a test taker is often required to rely upon memory to respond to specific items whereas in an open book test, a test taker may use one or more supplementary tools such as a reference book or calculator when responding to an item. A test may be administered formally or informally. An e"ample of an informal test would be a reading test administered by a parent to a child. An e"ample of a formal test would be a final e"amination administered by a teacher in a classroom or an #.$. test administered by a psychologist in a clinic. !ormal testing often results in a grade or a test score.%&' A test score may be interpreted with regards to a norm or criterion, or occasionally both. The norm may be established independently, or by statistical analysis of a large number of participants. A standardi(ed test is any test that is administered and scored in a consistent manner to ensure legal defensibility.%)' *tandardi(ed tests are often used in education, professional certification, psychology (e.g., ++,#), the military, and many other fields. A non-standardi(ed test is usually fle"ible in scope and format, ariable in difficulty and significance. *ince these tests are usually de eloped by indi idual instructors, the format and difficulty of these tests may not be widely adopted or used by other instructors or institutions. A non-standardi(ed test may be used to determine the proficiency le el of students, to moti ate students to study, and to pro ide feedback to students. #n some instances, a teacher may de elop non-standardi(ed tests that resemble standardi(ed tests in scope, format, and difficulty for the purpose of preparing their students for an upcoming standardi(ed test.%-' !inally, the frequency and setting by which a non-standardi(ed tests are administered are highly ariable and are usually constrained by the duration of the class period. A class instructor may for e"ample, administer a test on a weekly basis or .ust twice a semester. /epending on the policy of the instructor or institution, the duration of each test itself may last for only fi e minutes to an entire class period.

#n contrasts to non-standardi(ed tests, standardi(ed tests are widely used, fi"ed in terms of scope, difficulty and format, and are usually significant in consequences. *tandardi(ed tests are usually held on fi"ed dates as determined by the test de eloper, educational institution, or go erning body, which may or may not be administered by the instructor, held within the classroom, or constrained by the classroom period. Although there is little ariability between different copies of the same type of standardi(ed test (e.g., *AT or 012), there is ariability between different types of standardi(ed tests. Any test with important consequences for the indi idual test taker is referred to as a high-stakes test. A test may be de eloped and administered by an instructor, a clinician, a go erning body, or a test pro ider. #n some instances, the de eloper of the test may not be directly responsible for its administration. !or e"ample, 2ducational Testing *er ice (2T*), a nonprofit educational testing and assessment organi(ation, de elops standardi(ed tests such as the *AT but may not directly be in ol ed in the administration or proctoring of these tests. As with the de elopment and administration of educational tests, the format and le el of difficulty of the tests themsel es are highly ariable and there is no general consensus or in ariable standard for test formats and difficulty. 3ften, the format and difficulty of the test is dependent upon the educational philosophy of the instructor, sub.ect matter, class si(e, policy of the educational institution, and requirements of accreditation or go erning bodies. #n general, tests de eloped and administered by indi idual instructors are non-standardi(ed whereas tests de eloped by testing organi(ations are standardi(ed.

Contents

/ 0istory + $odern day use of tests

o o o o o o

+./ !ducation +.+ 1icensing and certification +.2 'mmigration and naturali3ation +.4 'ntelligence 5uotient +.6 (ompetitions +.7 %roup memberships

2 Types of tests
o

2./ Written tests

2././ $ultiple choice 2./.+ &lternative response 2./.2 $atching type 2./.4 (ompletion type

 o o

2./.6 !ssay 2./.7 $athematical 5uestions

2.+ 8hysical fitness tests 2.2 8erformance tests

4 Test preparations 6 (heating on tests 7 #upport and criticisms of tests 9 #ee also
o

9./ 'nternational e"aminations

- :eferences ; Further reading /, !"ternal links

History

#tudents taking a scholarship e"amination inside a classroom in /;4,

Ancient 4hina was the first country in the world that implemented a nationwide standardi(ed test, which was called the imperial e"amination. The main purpose of this e"amination was to select for able candidates for specific go ernmental positions.%5' The imperial e"amination was established by the *ui /ynasty in 678 A/ and was later abolished by the $ing /ynasty &-77 years later in &978. 2ngland had adopted this e"amination system in &:76 to select specific candidates for positions in ;er +a.esty's 4i il *er ice. This e"amination system was later applied to education and it started to influence other parts of the world as it became a prominent standard (e.g. regulations to pre ent the markers from knowing the identity of candidates), of deli ering standardi(ed tests. Influence of World Wars on Testing <oth =orld =ar # and =orld =ar ## made many people reali(e the necessity of standardi(ed testing and the benefits associated with these tests. 3ne main reason people saw the benefits was

from the Army Alpha and Army <eta tests, which were used during ==# to determine human abilities. Alongside the Army Alpha, the *tanford-<inet #ntelligence *cale >added momentum to the testing mo ement.>%8' *oon after, colleges and industry began using tests to help in accepting and hiring people based on performance of the test. Another reason more tests began to come forth was that people were reali(ing that the distance between secondary education and higher education was widening after ==##. #n &98), the first Ad anced ,lacement (A,) test was administered to begin closing the gap between high schools and colleges.%6'

Modern day use of tests

Education
*ome countries such as the ?nited @ingdom and !rance require all their secondary school students to take a standardi(ed test on indi idual sub.ects such as the 0eneral 4ertificate of *econdary 2ducation (04*2) (in 2ngland) and <accalaurAat respecti ely as a requirement for graduation.%B' These tests are used primarily to assess a student's proficiency in specific sub.ects such as mathematics, science, or literature. #n contrasts, high school students in other countries such as the ?nited *tates may not be required to take a standardi(ed test to graduate. +oreo er, students in these countries usually take standardi(ed tests only to apply for a position in a uni ersity program and are typically gi en the option of taking different standardi(ed tests such as the A4T or *AT, which are used primarily to measure a student's reasoning skill.%:'%9' ;igh school students in the ?nited *tates may also take Ad anced ,lacement tests on specific sub.ects to fulfill uni ersity-le el credit. /epending on the policies of the test maker or country, administration of standardi(ed tests may be done in a large hall, classroom, or testing center. A proctor or in igilator may also be present during the testing period to pro ide instructions, to answer questions, or to pre ent cheating. 0rades or test scores from standardi(ed test may also be used by uni ersities to determine if a student applicant should be admitted into one of its academic or professional programs. !or e"ample, uni ersities in the ?nited @ingdom admit applicants into their undergraduate programs based primarily or solely on an applicant's grades on pre-uni ersity qualifications such as the 042 A-le els or 4ambridge ,re-?.%&7'%&&' #n contrast, uni ersities in the ?nited *tates use an applicant's test score on the *AT or A4T as .ust one of their many admission criteria to determine if an applicant should be admitted into one of its undergraduate programs. The other criteria in this case may include the applicant's grades from high school, e"tracurricular acti ities, personal statement, and letters of recommendations.%&)' 3nce admitted, undergraduate students in the ?nited @ingdom or ?nited *tates may be required by their respecti e programs to take a comprehensi e e"amination as a requirement for passing their courses or for graduating from their respecti e programs. *tandardi(ed tests are sometimes used by certain countries to manage the quality of their educational institutions. !or e"ample, the Co 4hild Deft <ehind Act in the ?nited *tates requires indi idual states to de elop assessments for students in certain grades. #n practice, these assessments typically appear in the form of standardi(ed tests. Test scores of students in specific

grades of an educational institution are then used to determine the status of that educational institution, i.e., whether it should be allowed to continue to operate in the same way or to recei e funding. !inally, standardi(ed tests are sometimes used to compare proficiencies of students from different institutions or countries. !or e"ample, the 3rganisation for 2conomic 4o-operation and /e elopment (324/) uses ,rogramme for #nternational *tudent Assessment (,#*A) to e aluate certain skills and knowledge of students from different participating countries.%&-'

Licensing and certification

*tandardi(ed tests are sometimes used by certain go erning bodies to determine if a test taker is allowed to practice a profession, to use a specific .ob title, or to claim competency in a specific set of skills. !or e"ample, a test taker who intends to become a lawyer is usually required by a go erning body such a go ernmental bar licensing agency to pass a bar e"am.

Immigration and naturalization

*tandardi(ed tests are also used in certain countries to regulate immigration. !or e"ample, intended immigrants to Australia are legally required to pass a citi(enship test as part of that country's naturali(ation process.%&5'

Intelligence quotient
$ain article: 'ntelligence 5uotient

Competitions
Tests are sometimes used as a tool to select for participants that ha e potential to succeed in a competition such as a sporting e ent. !or e"ample, serious skaters who wish to participate in figure skating competitions in the ?nited *tates must pass official ?.*. !igure *kating tests .ust to qualify.%&8'

Group memberships
Tests are sometimes used by a group to select for certain types of indi iduals to .oin the group. !or e"ample, +ensa #nternational is a high #.$. society that requires indi iduals to score at the 9:th percentile or higher on a standardi(ed, super ised #$ test.%&6'

Types of tests
Written tests

'ndonesian #tudents taking a <ritten test

=ritten tests are tests that are administered on paper or on a computer. A test taker who takes a written test could respond to specific items by writing or typing within a gi en space of the test or on a separate form or document. #n some testsE where knowledge of many constants or technical terms is required to effecti ely answer questions, like 4hemistry or <iology - the test de eloper may allow e ery test taker to bring with them a cheat sheet. A test de eloper's choice of which style or format to use when de eloping a written test is usually arbitrary gi en that there is no single in ariant standard for testing. <e that as it may, certain test styles and format ha e become more widely used than others. <elow is a list of those formats of test items that are widely used by educators and test de elopers to construct paper or computer-based tests. As a result, these tests may consist of only one type of test item format (e.g., multiple choice test, essay test) or may ha e a combination of different test item formats (e.g., a test that has multiple choice and essay items).

Multiple choice
$ain article: $ultiple choice

#n a test that has items formatted as multiple choice questions, a candidate would be gi en a number of set answers for each question, and the candidate must choose which answer or group of answers is correct. There are two families of multiple choice questions.%&B' The first family is known as the TrueF!alse question and it requires a test taker to choose all answers that are appropriate. The second family is known as 3ne-<est-Answer question and it requires a test taker to answer only one from a list of answers. There are se eral reasons to using multiple choice questions in tests. #n terms of administration, multiple choice questions usually requires less time for test takers to answer, are easy to score and grade, pro ide greater co erage of material, allows for a wide range of difficulty, and can easily diagnose a test taker's difficulty with certain concepts.%&:' As an educational tool, multiple choice items test many le els of learning as well as a test taker's ability to integrate information,

and it pro ides feedback to the test taker about why distractors were wrong and why correct answers were right. Ce ertheless, there are difficulties associated with the use of multiple choice questions. #n administrati e terms, multiple choice items that are effecti e usually take a great time to construct.%&:' As an educational tool, multiple choice items do not allow test takers to demonstrate knowledge beyond the choices pro ided and may e en encourage guessing or appro"imation due to the presence of at least one correct answer. !or instance a test taker might not work out e"plicitly that , but knowing that , they would choose an answer close to 5:. +oreo er, test takers may misinterpret these items and in the process, percei e these items to be tricky or picky. !inally, multiple choice items do not test a test taker's attitudes towards learning because correct responses can be easily faked.

Alternative response
TrueF!alse questions present candidates with a binary choice - a statement is either true or false. This method presents problems, as depending on the number of questions, a significant number of candidates could get &77G .ust by guesswork, and should on a erage get 87G.

Matching type
A matching item is an item that pro ides a defined term and requires a test taker to match identifying characteristics to the correct term.%&9'

Completion type
A fill-in-the-blank item pro ides a test taker with identifying characteristics and requires the test taker to recall the correct term.%&9' There are two types of fill-in-the-blank tests. The easier ersion pro ides a word bank of possible words that will fill in the blanks. !or some e"ams all words in the word bank are e"actly once. #f a teacher wanted to create a test of medium difficulty, they would pro ide a test with a word bank, but some words may be used more than once and others not at all. The hardest ariety of such a test is a fill-in-the-blank test in which no word bank is pro ided at all. This generally requires a higher le el of understanding and memory than a multiple choice test. <ecause of this, fill-in-the-blank tests%with no word bank' are often feared by students.

Essay
#tems such as short answer or essay typically require a test taker to write a response to fulfill the requirements of the item. #n administrati e terms, essay items take less time to construct.%&:' As an assessment tool, essay items can test comple" learning ob.ecti es as well as processes used to answer the question. The items can also pro ide a more realistic and generali(able task for test. !inally, these items make it difficult for test takers to guess the correct answers and require test takers to demonstrate their writing skills as well as correct spelling and grammar. The difficulties with essay items is primarily administrati e. !or one, these items take more time for test takers to answer.%&:' =hen these questions are answered, the answers themsel es are

usually poorly written because test takers may not ha e time to organi(e and proofread their answers. #n turn, it takes more time to score or grade these items. =hen these items are being scored or graded, the grading process itself becomes sub.ecti e as non-test related information may influence the process. Thus, considerable effort is required to minimi(e the sub.ecti ity of the grading process. !inally, as an assessment tool, essay questions may potentially be unreliable in assessing the entire content of a sub.ect matter.

Mathematical questions
+ost mathematics questions, or calculation questions from sub.ects such as chemistry, physics or economics employ a style which does not fall in to any of the abo e categories, although some papers, notably the +aths 4hallenge papers in the ?nited @ingdom employ multiple choice. #nstead, most mathematics questions state a mathematical problem or e"ercise that requires a student to write a freehand response. +arks are gi en more for the steps taken than for the correct answer. #f the question has multiple parts, later parts may use answers from pre ious sections, and marks may be granted if an earlier incorrect answer was used but the correct method was followed, and an answer which is correct (gi en the incorrect input) is returned. ;igher le el mathematical papers may include ariations on trueFfalse, where the candidate is gi en a statement and asked to erify its alidity by direct proof or stating a countere"ample.

hysical fitness tests

The e"amples and perspective in this article may not represent a !orld!ide vie! of the sub"ect. 8lease improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (December 2010) This article needs additional citations for verification . 8lease help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. =nsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009)

& $innesota >ational %uardsman performs pushups during a physical fitness test.

A physical fitness test is a test designed to measure physical strength, agility, and endurance. They are commonly employed in educational institutions as part of the physical education curriculum, in medicine as part of diagnostic testing, and as eligibility requirements in fields that focus on physical ability such as military or police. Throughout the )7th century, scientific e idence emerged demonstrating the usefulness of strength training and aerobic e"ercise in maintaining o erall health, and more agencies began to incorporate standardi(ed fitness testing. #n the ?nited *tates, the ,resident's 4ouncil on Houth !itness was established in &986 as a way to encourage and monitor fitness in schoolchildren. 4ommon tests%)7'%)&'%))' include timed running or the multi-stage fitness test, and numbers of pushups, sit-upsFabdominal crunches and pull-ups that the indi idual can perform. +ore specialised tests may be used to test ability to perform a particular .ob or role.

erformance tests
A performance test is an assessment that requires an e"aminee to actually perform a task or acti ity, rather than simply answering questions referring to specific parts. The purpose is to ensure greater fidelity to what is being tested. An e"ample is a behind-the-wheel dri ing test to obtain a dri er's license. 1ather than only answering simple multiple-choice items regarding the dri ing of an automobile, a student is required to actually dri e one while being e aluated. ,erformance tests are commonly used in workplace and professional applications, such as professional certification and licensure. =hen used for personnel selection, the tests might be referred to as a work sample. A licensure e"ample would be cosmetologists being required to demonstrate a haircut or manicure on a li e person. The 0roup-<ourdon test is one of a number of psychometric tests which trainee train dri ers in the ?@ are required to pass.%)-' *ome performance tests are simulations. !or instance, the assessment to become certified as an ophthalmic technician includes two components, a multiple-choice e"amination and a computeri(ed skill simulation. The e"aminee must demonstrate the ability to complete se en tasks commonly performed on the .ob, such as retinoscopy, that are simulated on a computer.

Test preparations
!rom the perspecti e of a test de eloper, there is great ariability with respect to time and effort needed to prepare a test. Dikewise, from the perspecti e of a test taker, there is also great ariability with respect to the time and needed to obtain a desired grade or score on any gi en test. =hen a test de eloper constructs a test, the amount of time and effort is dependent upon the significance of the test itself, the proficiency of the test taker, the format of the test, class si(e, deadline of test, and e"perience of the test de eloper.

The process of test construction has been greatly aided in se eral ways. !or one, many test de elopers were themsel es students at one time, and therefore are able to modify or outright adopt test questions from their pre ious tests. #n some countries such as the ?nited *tates, book publishers often pro ide teaching packages that include test banks to uni ersity instructors who adopt their published books for their courses. These test banks may contain up to four thousand sample test questions that ha e been peer-re iewed and time tested.%)5' The instructor who chooses to use this testbank would only ha e to select a fi"ed number of test questions from this test bank to construct a test. As with test constructions, the time needed for a test taker to prepare for a test is dependent upon the frequency of the test, the test de eloper, and the significance of the test. #n general, nonstandardi(ed tests that are short, frequent, and do not constitute a ma.or portion of the test taker's o erall course grade or score require do not require the test taker to spend great amounts preparing for the test.%)8' 4on ersely, nonstandardi(ed tests that are long, infrequent, and do constitute a ma.or portion of the test taker's o erall course grade or score usually require the test taker to spend great amounts preparing for the test. To prepare for a nonstandardi(ed test, test takers may rely upon their reference books, class or lecture notes, #nternet, and past e"perience to prepare for the test. Test takers may also use arious learning aids to study for tests such as flash cards and mnemonics.%)6' Test takers may e en hire tutors to coach them through the process so that they may increase the probability of obtaining a desired test grade or score. !inally, test takers may rely upon past copies of a test from pre ious years or semesters to study for a future test. These past tests may be pro ided by a friend or a group that has copies of pre ious tests or from instructors and their institutions.%)B' ?nlike nonstandardi(ed test, the time needed by test takers to prepare for standardi(ed tests are less ariable and usually considerable. This is because standardi(ed tests are usually uniformed in scope, format, and difficulty and often ha e important consequences with respect to a test taker's future such as a test taker's eligibility to attend a specific uni ersity program or to enter a desired profession. #t is not unusual for test takers to prepare for standardi(ed tests by relying upon commercially a ailable books that pro ide in-depth co erage of the standardi(ed test or compilations of pre ious tests (e.g., &7 year series in *ingapore). #n many countries, test takers e en enroll in test preparation centers or cram schools that pro ide e"tensi e or supplementary instructions to test takers to help them better prepare for a standardi(ed test. !inally, in some countries, instructors and their institutions ha e also played a significant role in preparing test takers for a standardi(ed test.

Cheating on tests
4heating on a test is the process of using unauthori(ed means or methods for the purpose of obtaining a desired test score or grade. This may range from bringing and using notes during a closed book e"amination, copying another test taker's answer or choice of answers during an indi idual test, or e en sending a paid pro"y to take the test. *e eral common methods ha e been employed to combat cheating. They include the use of multiple proctors or in igilators during a testing period to monitor test takers. Test de elopers may construct multiple ariants of the same test to be administered to different test takers at the

same time. #n some cases, instructors themsel es may not administer their own tests but will lea e the task to other instructors or in igilators, which may mean that the in igilators do not know the candidates, and thus some form of identification may be required. !inally, instructors or test pro iders may compare the answers of suspected cheaters on the test themsel es to determine if cheating did occur.

Support and criticisms of tests

/espite their widespread use, the alidity, quality, or use of tests, particularly standardi(ed tests in education ha e continued to be widely supported or critici(ed. Dike the tests themsel es, supports and criticisms of tests are often aried and may come from a ariety of sources such as parents, test takers, instructors, business groups, uni ersities, or go ernmental watchdogs. *upporters of standardi(ed tests in education often pro ide the following reasons for promoting testing in educationI

Feedback or diagnosis of test taker?s performance @+-A Fair and efficient@+;A 8romotes accountability@+-A@+;A 8rediction and selection@+-A 'mproves performance@+-A

4ritics of standardi(ed tests in education often pro ide the following reasons for re ising or remo ing standardi(ed tests in educationI

>arro<s curricular format and encourages teaching to the test.@2A 8oor predictive 5uality.@2,A %rade inflation of test scores or grades.@2/A@2+A@22A (ulturally or socioeconomically biased.@24A@26A