Achievement Test

Definitions:

An achievement test is a standardized test that is designed to measure an individual's

level of knowledge in a particular area. Unlike an aptitude test which measures a person’s
ability to learn something, an achievement test focuses specifically on how much a person
knows about a specific topic or area such as math, geography, or science. One of the most
well known achievement tests is the SAT, which is often used by college admission boards to
determine who gets accepted to college. Unfortunately, schools often use the SAT to predict
how well students will learn (or perform) in college, which means they are using an
achievement test as though it was an aptitude test.

The role of achievement tests in education has become much more pronounced since
the passage of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. This legislation focused on standard-
based education which was used to measure educational goals and outcomes. While this law
was later replaced by the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act, achievement testing remains a
key element in measuring educational success and plays a role in determining school funding.

But achievement tests are not just important during the years of K-12 education and college.
They can be used to assess skills when people are trying to learn a new sport. If you were
learning dance, martial arts, or some other specialized athletic skill, an achievement test can
be important for determining your current level of ability and possible need for further
training.

Examples of Achievement Tests:

Some more examples of achievement tests include:

• A math exam covering the latest chapter in your book

• A test in your social psychology class
• A comprehensive final in your Spanish class
• The ACT and SAT exams
• A skills demonstration in your martial arts class

Importance of an Achievement Test:

 There is vigorous debate in academic circles about the value and the importance of an
achievement test. Schools utilize achievement tests to measure the progress and academic
aptitude of their students, while city and state education departments use the results to inform
their understanding of how well students are being taught, and whether their performances
are up to state and city standards for students at their grade level.

Standardized tests are considered important because they serve as a sampling of

where students are in their learning and whether or not they are "on track" to hit the
achievement milestones that have been set for them. Standardized achievement tests,
according to those who are proponents, are valuable and useful information.

They keep a fair record of student achievement and help to ensure that teachers and
the school itself are accountable to the taxpaying public who are funding their salaries and
equipment. To ensure that schools are running effectively and that students are being taught
what it is agreed that they should know, standardized tests are a useful tool.

State and local officials can look at standardized as an unbiased look at student
achievement. If all students from all districts take the same tests, state and local officials can
measure their achievement by comparing their scores. This is a superior method, it is argued,
to evaluating learning based on grades from teachers who have a personal interest in
presenting good scores and favorable reflections on their teaching. Standardized tests are
used to make sure that all students are learning the appropriate material for their grade level
and class.

Purpose of Achievement Test:

The purpose of achievement testing is to measure some aspect of the intellectual

competence of human beings: what a person has learned to know or to do. Teachers use
achievement tests to measure the attainments of their students. Employers use achievement
tests to measure the competence of prospective employees. Professional associations use
achievement tests to exclude unqualified applicants from the practice of the profession. In
any circumstances where it is necessary or useful to distinguish persons of higher from those
of lower competence or attainments, achievement testing is likely to occur.

Another purpose of achievement tests, particular ones administered to students during

their years in primary and secondary school, is to get a sense of whether or not the lessons
they are learning in school are sticking with them.
 Standardized tests help to indicate whether the materials that is being communicated
to them has penetrated, and thereby gauge the effectiveness of their teachers, their
curriculum, their classroom practices, their resources and their course material. Very often
educators will use the results of standardized tests to make the decision that a certain subject
is too challenging, too mature or on the contrary, far too easy for a student population.

They can also help assess which students in which subject areas are being most
challenged, and use that to inform individual plans for students who may need extra
assistance or to be taught in another way.

Uses of an Achievement Test

Aside from college admissions, curriculum assessment and teacher evaluation,

achievement tests can be used to measure a student's knowledge of a particular subject area,
and pinpoint the concepts he or she is missing. Achievement tests are not simply used in
academic areas, however. People learning a new skill such as playing an instrument, playing
a new sport, training for a marathon or working on a craft might find the uses of an
achievement test helpful to check their skills and proficiency.

Athletes often time their runs, for instance, to see if they are getting faster or slower
with their training. Weightlifters often measure the amount they have lifted and test their
strength on various weights before they find the one most likely to help them strengthen and
move on. A demonstration of skills in an ice skating class or a ballet class is also a kind of
achievement test.

Achievement tests are used just as often for evaluation of an instructor as they are for
the evaluation of a student. Many students get nervous when it is time to take a standardized
test, but the fact of the matter is that the test is simply designed to see how effective the
teacher is at doing his or her job. Students who are taking a skills test in a martial arts class,
an equestrian qualification or in a tap dancing class are very likely being evaluated to see if
they have the skills necessary to move to the next round.

Merits of Achievement Tests

Achievement tests have their pros and cons. On the pro side, achievement tests allow
for data to be collected about student achievement and learning that helps to inform
educators, curriculum planners and the state officials who can help to determine the budget
for a school.

Standardized testing also helps to pinpoint instructional leaders who are falling short
of their duties and whose students are performing below standards. Very often, the data
gained from standardized tests have helped to improve and ameliorate failing education
systems, remove instructors who are no longer effective in the classroom, and reshape
curriculums that may have been less than effective. In these ways, having a measure or metric
of student achievement is important and useful, particularly when instructors are teaching a
large volume of students every day, and have few opportunities to do large assessments.

Research has also shown that standardized testing has a high effect on student
achievement. This could be because teachers begin to tailor their curriculum specifically so
that students perform well on achievement tests as opposed to coming away from their
learning with a real sense of the subject matter, but regardless, the test results do point to an
understanding of the presented subject matter in a way that demonstrates effective classroom
instruction.

Another argument in favor of standardized testing is that the tests are non-
discriminatory because the content evaluated on the tests has been presented to all students.
This ensures that all content given to all students is the same, and that there are not different
tests given to disabled or minority children, which helps create educational equity in our
schools.

Worldwide educational research has shown that students in nations, like China, who
have long histories of standardized testing routinely perform better in reading, math and
science than students from other nations.

Demerits of Achievement Tests

For as many positive merits of standardized achievement tests as there are, there are
possibly more criticisms of the tests that critics have used for years to make the case to
abolish the system entirely and find alternative means for evaluating student achievement.

There are arguments that the tests, in fact, do not help student achievement in any
meaningful way, and the increases in positive scores that are seen on the test is merely a
reflection of curriculum that is designed to help students score highly on these standardized
tests specifically while allowing the more important but perhaps less quantifiable learning
that should be taking place in the classroom fall by the wayside.

The argument is that the tests teach students to simply regurgitate knowledge for a
high mark rather than internalize consider, apply and adapt what they have learned. The tests
also come under fire for teaching students a lack of critical thinking skills and for being
focused mode predominantly on rote memorization.

There is also academic evidence to suggest that only a certain kind of student fares
well in the sort of educational atmosphere that leads to strong standardized tests scores, and
that performance on standardized tests is not indicative of strong instructional leadership in
the classroom nor an academically rigorous curriculum.

Many critics of standardized tests have pointed to the challenges that such tests pose
for children with learning disabilities, special needs or emotional issues, whom the stress of
the test or the structure of the questions may affect negatively.

These critics argue that the tests are discriminatory, setting up for failure the many
students who have cognitive issues with the material, or simply struggle with multiple choice
questions in a timed environment. This is also the case for students who are English language
learners, and those who may find the structure of the questions and the language used in the
test may be confusing or isolating.

One of the most compelling arguments for eliminating standardized or achievement

tests is that these tests, ultimately, are only a small measure of what makes effective learning
have meaning and use in a student's life. If the only reason to go to school is to memorize
facts which will be of little use in the future, the tests are measuring that, but most educators
agree that education is not simply about rote memorization of dates, names and historical
facts.

Critical thinking, learning reading comprehension, writing skills, recognizing patterns

and social skills are some of the most critical pieces of learning matter, and it is very difficult
if not impossible to assess any of these with a standardized test or an achievement test.
Arguments that teaching to the test is consistently forcing teachers to narrow their curriculum
and ignore good classroom practices in favor of drills that force students to memorize and
regurgitate useless.
Types of Achievement Tests in the U.S.

While some tests like New York State's Regent exams, California's California
Achievement Tests (CATs) and Iowa's Basic Skills Test (IBST) are regional, there are many
standardized tests that operate on a national level. Tests like the ERBs measure elementary
school student’s aptitude with certain skills and knowledge.

Anyone who has applied to college remembers the SATs, and some even took a
PSAT during secondary school. Postgraduate admissions are often heavily reliant on
standardized test results. Students hoping to attend medical school must take the MCATs.
Students applying to law school take the LSAT. Students applying to business school must
take the GMATs, and students in more traditionally liberal arts-related graduate programs
will take the GRE.

Method of Constructing and Standardization of Achievement Test:

Following are the major steps involved in constructing an achievement test:

• Planning the test

o Objectives of the Test
o Content of the Test
o Size & Type of Test
o Preparation of Blue Print
• Preparation of the test
o Item Writing
o Checking the Item
o Item Editing
• Administration of the Test
o Individual Try out
o First Try Out
o Second Try out/ Pilot Study
o Final Tryout
• Item analysis
o Arranging Answer sheets in Descending order
o Difficulty Value
o Discrimination Power
 • Standardization of test :
o Reliability
o Validity

Test Designing:

The first step in constructing an effective achievement test is to identify what you
want students to learn from a unit of instruction. Consider the relative importance of the
objectives and include more questions about the most important learning objectives. If,
however, the test focuses on a few objectives to the exclusion of others, students will not
have the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of other aspects of the material and
you may not be able to make an accurate assessment of each student's knowledge.

The learning objectives that you want to emphasize will determine not only what
material to include on the test, but also the specific form the test will take. For example, if it
is important that students be able to do long division problems rapidly, consider giving a
speeded test. The types of questions to be used will also depend on the learning objectives. If
it is important for students to understand how historical events affected one another, then
short answer or essay questions might be appropriate. If it is important that students
remember dates, then multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions might be appropriate.
Childs, Ruth Axman, 1989

Tryout:

At this stage the initial format of the test is administered on a small representative
sample. After that the process of item analysis is used to calculate difficulty level and
discriminative value. There are a variety of techniques for performing an item analysis, which
is often used, for example, to determine which items will be kept for the final version of a
test. Item analysis is used to help “build” reliability and validity is “into” the test from the
start. Item analysis can be both qualitative and quantitative. The former focuses on issues
related to the content of the test, e.g. Content validity. The latter primarily includes
measurement of item difficulty and item discrimination.

Item analysis

In this stage test constructer examining the responses of respondents in the sample to
each test item. It can also be define as it is a statistical procedure by which the appropriate
items are selected for the final draft and poor items are rejected. Item analysis is an analysis
of responses made to ‘teacher made tests’ by the pupil in the class. Suresh, 2012

Preparation of final test:

The test will provide useful information about the students’ knowledge of the learning
objectives. Considering the questions relating to the various learning objectives as separate
subtests, the evaluator can develop a profile of each student’s knowledge of or skill in the
objectives.

The final test is constructed after the above analysis for this a suitable format is prepared and
norms are specified. Also, instructions for examinees be prepared.

The test constructed in accordance to the above referred procedure will definitely assumes a
purpose or an idea of what is good or desirable from the stand point of individual or society
or both.

Item Difficulty Index:

The item difficulty index is one of the most useful, and most frequently reported, item
analysis statistics. It is a measure of the proportion of examinees who answered the item
correctly; for this reason it is frequently called the p-value. As the proportion of examinees
who got the item right, the p-value might more properly be called the item easiness index,
rather than the item difficulty. It can range between 0.0 and 1.0, with a higher value
indicating that a greater proportion of examinees responded to the item correctly, and it was
thus an easier item. For criterion-referenced tests (CRTs), with their emphasis on mastery-
testing, many items on an exam form will have p-values of .9 or above. Norm-referenced
tests (NRTs), on the other hand, are designed to be harder overall and to spread out the
examinees' scores. Thus, many of the items on an NRT will have difficulty indexes between
.4 and .6.

Item Discrimination Index:

The item discrimination index is a measure of how well an item is able to distinguish
between examinees who are knowledgeable and those who are not, or between masters and
non-masters. There are actually several ways to compute item discrimination, but one of the
most common is the point-biserial correlation. This statistic looks at the relationship between
an examinee's performance on the given item (correct or incorrect) and the examinee's score
 on the overall test. For an item that is highly discriminating, in general the examinees who
responded to the item correctly also did well on the test, while in general the examinees who
responded to the item incorrectly also tended to do poorly on the overall test.

The possible range of the discrimination index is -1.0 to 1.0; however, if an item has
discrimination below 0.0, it suggests a problem. When an item is discriminating negatively,
overall the most knowledgeable examinees are getting the item wrong and the least
knowledgeable examinees are getting the item right. A negative discrimination index may
indicate that the item is measuring something other than what the rest of the test is measuring.
More often, it is a sign that the item has been miss-keyed.

When interpreting the value of discrimination it is important to be aware that there is

a relationship between an item's difficulty index and its discrimination index. If an item has a
very high (or very low) p-value, the potential value of the discrimination index will be much
less than if the item has a mid-range p-value. In other words, if an item is either very easy or
very hard, it is not likely to be very discriminating. A typical CRT, with many high item p-
values, may have most item discriminations in the range of 0.0 to 0.3. A useful approach
when reviewing a set of item discrimination indexes is to also view each item's p-value at the
same time. For example, if a given item has a discrimination index below .1, but the item's p-
value is greater than .9, you may interpret the item as being easy for almost the entire set of
examinees, and probably for that reason not providing much discrimination between high
ability and low ability examinees.

Cognitive domains: given by Anderson, Krathwohl, Airasian, Cruikshank, Mayer, Pintrich,

Raths, Wittrock, 2000.

Examples, key words (verbs), and technologies for

Category
learning (activities)

Examples: Recite a policy. Quote prices from memory to

Remembering: Recall or retrieve a customer. Recite the safety rules.
previous learned information.
Key Words: defines, describes, identifies, knows, labels,
lists, matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes,

Understanding: Comprehending the
meaning, translation, interpolation,
and interpretation of instructions and
problems. State a problem in one's
own words.
Applying: Use a concept in a new
situation or unprompted use of an
abstraction. Applies what was
learned in the classroom into novel
situations in the work place.
Analyzing: Separates material or
concepts into component parts so that
its organizational structure may be
understood. Distinguishes between
facts and inferences.
reproduces, selects, states
Technologies: book marking, flash cards, rote learning
based on repetition, reading
Examples: Rewrite the principles of test writing. Explain
in one's own words the steps for performing a complex
task. Translate an equation into a computer spreadsheet.
Key Words: comprehends, converts, defends,
distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalizes,
gives an example, infers, interprets, paraphrases,
predicts, rewrites, summarizes, translates
Technologies: create an analogy, participating
in cooperative learning, taking notes, storytelling,
Internet search
Examples: Use a manual to calculate an employee's
vacation time. Apply laws of statistics to evaluate the
reliability of a written test.
Key Words: applies, changes, computes, constructs,
demonstrates, discovers, manipulates, modifies, operates,
predicts, prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves, uses
Technologies: collaborative learning, create a process,
blog, practice
Examples: Troubleshoot a piece of equipment by using
logical deduction. Recognize logical fallacies in
reasoning. Gathers information from a department and
selects the required tasks for training.
Key Words: analyzes, breaks down, compares,
contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates,
discriminates, distinguishes, identifies, illustrates, infers,
 outlines, relates, selects, separates

Technologies: Fishbowls, debating, questioning what

happened, run a test

Examples: Select the most effective solution. Hire the

most qualified candidate. Explain and justify a new
budget.

Evaluating: Make judgments about Key Words: appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts,
the value of ideas or materials. criticizes, critiques, defends, describes, discriminates,
evaluates, explains, interprets, justifies, relates,
summarizes, supports

Technologies: survey, blogging

Examples: Write a company operations or process

manual. Design a machine to perform a specific task.
Integrates training from several sources to solve a

Creating: Builds a structure or pattern problem. Revises and process to improve the outcome.

from diverse elements. Put parts

Key Words: categorizes, combines, compiles, composes,
together to form a whole, with
creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies,
emphasis on creating a new meaning
organizes, plans, rearranges, reconstructs, relates,
or structure.
reorganizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes, tells, writes

Technologies: Create a new model, write an essay,

network with others

Method

Instrument:

A self-made achievement test of 30 multiple choice items was prepared for the subject
of General Science. The items were prepared on the basis of following cognitive domains:

1. Knowledge
 2. Comprehension
3. Evaluation

Participants:

For the pilot study, 50 students of 8th class from Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School
no. 1 Bagh Sardaran, Rawalpindi were selected. However, for the final study 25 students
participated.

Procedure:

Items were prepared from the subject General Science. The test was given to the 25
students from Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School, Rawalpindi. The students were asked to
provide demographic information. After that, they were asked to mark the best possible
answer according to them. They were also narrated verbally so that the students could
understand them properly. The time limit for the test was 30 minutes. After that, responses
were checked and scored and item analysis was done. Items with insufficient difficulty and
discrimination level were excluded from the test.

Specifications Chart

Total students:

Pilot study=25

Main study=25

Class: 8th

Subject: General science

Total items=30

Item analysis

Item 1:

a b c
Upper group 0 0 7
Lower group 0 2 5
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=7+5/7+7

P=12/14

P=0.85

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=7-5/7=2/7

D=0.28

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 2:

a B c
Upper group 7 0 0
Lower group 5 1 1
Correct response: a

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=7+5/7+7

P=12/14

P=0.85

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U
D=7-5/7=2/7

D=0.28

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 3:

a b c
Upper group 0 0 7
Lower group 0 2 5
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=7+4/7+7

P=11/14

P=0.78

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=7-4/7

D=3/7

D=0.42

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 4:

a b c
Upper group 0 1 6
Lower group 4 3 0
Correct response: b

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=6+3/7+7

P=9/14

P=0.64

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=6-3/7

D=3/7

D=0.42

The item will remain in the test.

Item 5:

A b c
Upper group 1 0 6
Lower group 1 0 6
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=6+6/7+7

P=12/14

P=0.85

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=6-6/7

D=0/7
D=0

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 6:

A b c
Upper group 7 0 0
Lower group 4 0 3
Correct response: a

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=7+5/7+7

P=12/14

P=0.78

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=7-5/7

D=2/7

D=0.28

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 7:

a b c
Upper group 0 0 7
Lower group 4 0 3
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L
P=7+3/7+7

P=10+14

P=0.71

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=7-3/7

D=4/7

D=0.57

The item will remain in the test.

Item 8:

a b c
Upper group 2 0 5
Lower group 5 1 1
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=5+1/7+7

P=6/14

P=0.42

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=5-1/7

D=4/7

D=0.57
The item will remain in the test.

Item 9:

a b c
Upper group 4 1 2
Lower group 0 2 5
Correct response: a

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=4+0/7+7

P=4/14

P=0.28

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=4-0/7

D=4/7

D=0.57

The item will remain in the test.

Item 10:

a b c
Upper group 0 2 5
Lower group 0 4 3
Correct response: b

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=2+4/7+7
P=6/14

P=0.42

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=2-4/7

D=-2/7

D=-0.28

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 11:

a b c
Upper group 0 2 5
Lower group 5 2 0
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=5+0/7+7

P=5/14

P=0.35

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=5-0/7

D=5/7

D=0.71

The item will remain in the test.

Item 12:

a b c
Upper group 1 0 6
Lower group 2 0 5
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=6+5/7+7

P=11/14

P=0.78

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=6-5/7

D=1/7

D=0.14

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 13:

a b c
Upper group 1 6 0
Lower group 1 6 0
Correct response: b

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=6+6/7+7

P=12/14
P=0.85

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=6-6/7

D=0/7

D=0

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 14:

a b c
Upper group 1 3 3
Lower group 3 3 1
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=3+1/7+7

P=4/7

P=0.28

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=3-1/7

D=2/7

D=0.29

The item will remain in the test.

Item 15:
 a b c
Upper group 1 2 4
Lower group 5 1 1
Correct response: b

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=2+1/7+7

P=3/14

P=0.21

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=2-1/7

D=1/7

D=0.14

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 16:

a b c
Upper group 6 1 0
Lower group 6 1 0
Correct response: a

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=6+6/7+7

P=12/14

P=0.85
 2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=6-6/7

D=0/7

D=0

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 17:

a b c
Upper group 3 2 2
Lower group 6 1 0
Correct response: a

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=3+6/7+7

P=9/14

P=0.64

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=3-6/7

D=-3/7

D=-0.42

The item will retain in the test.

Item 18:
 a b c
Upper group 6 1 0
Lower group 7 0 0
Correct response: a

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=6+7/7+7

P=13/14

P=0.85

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=6-7/7

D=-1/7

D=-0.14

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 19:

a b c
Upper group 6 0 1
Lower group 1 3 3
Correct response: a

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=6+1/7+7

P=7/14

P=0.50
 2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=6-1/7

D=5/7

D=0

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 20:

a b c
Upper group 1 6 0
Lower group 4 3 0
Correct response: b

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=6+3/7+7

P=9/14

P=0.64

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=6-3/7

D=3/7

D=0.42

The item will remain in the test.

Item 21:
 a b c
Upper group 0 7 0
Lower group 0 7 0
Correct response: b

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=7+7/7+7

P=14/14

P=1

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=7-7/7

D=0/7

D=0

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 22:

a b c
Upper group 3 4 0
Lower group 2 5 0
Correct response: b

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=4+5/7+7

P=9/14

P=0.64
 2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=4-5/7

D=-1/7

D=-0.14

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 23:

a b c
Upper group 0 4 3
Lower group 0 5 2
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=3+2/7+7

P=5/14

P=0.38

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=3-2/7

D=1/7

D=0.14

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 24:
 a b c
Upper group 0 4 3
Lower group 6 0 1
Correct response: b

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=4+0/7+7

P=4/14

P=0.28

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=4-0/7

D=4/7

D=0.57

The item will remain in the test.

Item 25:

a b c
Upper group 6 1 0
Lower group 2 2 3
Correct response: a

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=6+2/7+7

P=8/14

P=0.57
 2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=6-2/7

D=4/7

D=0.57

The item will remain in the test.

Item 26:

a b c
Upper group 1 1 5
Lower group 0 5 2
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=5+2/7+7

P=7/14

P=0.50

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=5-2/7

D=3/7

D=0.42

The item will remain in the test.

Item 27:
 a b c
Upper group 0 2 5
Lower group 0 6 1
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=5+1/7+7

P=6/14

P=0.42

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=5-1/7

D=4/7

D=0.57

The item will remain in the test.

Item 28:

a b c
Upper group 4 3 0
Lower group 2 5 0
Correct response: b

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=3+5/7+7

P=8/14

P=0.57
 2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=3-5/7

D=-2/7

D=-0.28

The item will be discarded from the test.

Item 29:

a b c
Upper group 2 0 5
Lower group 4 0 3
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=5+3/7+7

P=8/14

P=0.57

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=5-3/7

D=2/7

D=0.28

The item will remain in the test.

Item 30:
 a b C
Upper group 1 1 5
Lower group 3 0 4
Correct response: c

1. Item difficulty index

P= Up+Lp/U+L

P=5+4/7+7

P=9/14

P=0.64

2. Item discrimination

D= Up-Lp/U

D=5-3/7

D=2/7

D=0.14

The item will be discarded from the test.

Report

Total number of items was 30. On the basis of item analysis, 13 items were retained whereas
17 items were discarded. The score of the reliability calculated on SPSS was 0.80.
 Achievement Test

Class: ____________ Max. Marks: 30

Subject: ____________ Time Allowed: 30 Min.

Choose the correct options from the following:

1) Heartbeat is controlled by:

a) hypothalamus b) midbrain c) medulla oblongata
2) The part of the body which filters nitrogenous waste from the blood is:
a) kidney b) stomach c) liver
3) Sensory neurons carry messages towards:
a) muscles b) brain c) brain and spinal cord
4) Sections of DNA serving as codes for developing characters in an organism are called:
a) Proteins b) genes c) nucleotides
5) Cell makes copies of its chromosomes during:
a) nuclear division of mitosis
b) nuclear division of meiosis
c) interphase
6) Chromosomes are made of:
a) DNA and proteins b) proteins only c) DNA only
7) An event that occurs during interphase:
a) division of nucleus
b) division of cytoplasm
c) duplication of chromosomes
8) The characters which are passed from parents to their offspring:
a) natural characters
b) environmental characters
c) inheritable characters
9) The additional circular pieces of DNA present in a bacterial cell are called:
a) plasmids b) chromatids c) RNA
10) Heating of solid potassium chlorate produces a gas called:
a) chlorine b) oxygen c) carbon dioxide
11) Thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate produces a gas:
 a) chlorine b) oxygen c) carbon dioxide
12) How many oxygen atoms are present in one molecule of Mg(HCO3)2?
a) 2 b) 4 c) 6
13) Indicate an air pollutant among the following:
a) oxygen b) carbon monoxide c) water
14) The phenomenon which does not lead to global warming?
a) ozone depletion b) greenhouse effect c) photosynthesis
15) Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?
a) carbon dioxide b) sulphur dioxide c) methane
16) The SI unit of pressure is:
a) pascal b) joule c) newton
17) As we go up in the air,
a) atmospheric pressure increases
b) atmospheric pressure decreases
c) atmospheric pressure does not change
18) A force of 1800N is acting on the surface area of 0.06m2. The pressure exerted by the
force will be:
a) 30kPa b) 300kPa c) 3000kPa
19) Lactic acid is found in:
a) Yoghurt b) tomatoes c) grapes
20) Sodium hydroxide solution in water will:
a) Turn blue litmus red
b) Give pink color with phenolphthalein
c) Not affect the phenolphthalein indicator
21) The king of chemicals is:
a) HCI b) H2SO4 c) Na
22) One kilometer is equal to:
a) 100m b) 1000m c)10000m
23) The SI unit of volume is:
a) m b) m2 c) m3
24) Which of the following relation is equal to:
a) 1min=60h b) 1m=1000cm c) 1mL=1cm3
25) When an object is heated, its particles begin to:
a) increase b) decrease c) stop
26) The rise of liquid in the thermometer is due to:
a) evaporation b) contraction c)expansion
27) The component which converts A.C into D.C is called:
a) amplifier b) semiconductor c) semiconductor diode
28) Which is the cheapest source of energy to produce electricity?
a) hydel b) solar c) thermal
29) An instrument that helps in seeing heavenly objects:
a) microscope b) kaleidoscope c) telescope
30) Zygote is formed by:
a) sperm b) egg c) fusion of both
 References

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-an-achievement-test-2794805

https://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Achievement+test

https://www.theclassroom.com/advantages-disadvantages-achievement-tests-3513.html

https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/applied-and-social-sciences-
magazines/achievement-testing

http://cachescan.bcub.ro/e-book/E1/580683/149-201.pdf

http://www.vkmaheshwari.com/WP/?p=181

https://proftesting.com/test_topics/steps_9.php