What is testing?

Its an activity whose purpose is to determine

what learners can do or know about something.


What is a test?

Its a formal instrument to measure what learners
can do or know about something.

What are tests for?

To inform learners and teachers of the strengths and
weaknesses of the process.
To motivate learners to review or consolidate specific
material.
To create a sense of accomplishment/success.
To guide the planning/development of the ongoing
teaching process.
To determine if (and to what extent) the objectives have
been achieved.
To encourage improvement.

Depending on
purpose
Depending on
characteristics
Screening/Selection/
Admission
Direct Tests/
Indirect Tests
Placement Discrete point/
Integrative tests
Proficiency Criteria-referenced/
Norm-referenced
Aptitude Objective tests/
Subjective tests
Diagnostic Speed test/
Power test
Achievement Knowledge tests/
Skill tests
Progress
Depending on purpose:

Screening/Selection/Admission: To know if a person
has the required behavior to be successful in a specific
program (not based on objectives), e.g. IPCs admission
test.

Placement: To determine the level in which a person
should be located inside a program (designed by the
institution), e.g. CVAs placement test.

Proficiency: To know if a person shows an overall
proficiency in a language, compared to native speakers
in real life contexts, e.g. The TOEFL test.


Aptitude: To know the talents of a person to do
something specific. Suitability of a candidate for a
specific program of instruction.

Diagnostic: It refers to entrance behavior or previous
knowledge. To determine strengths and weaknesses and
to guarantee that potential problems will be corrected
(performed by the teacher).

Achievement: To know if a determined objective has
been covered successfully.

Progress: To check improvement achieved according
to a referential point in a program.


Depending on characteristics:

Direct Tests: Test the skill itself. Students perform
exactly what we want to test.
Indirect Tests: Test abilities related to the skills we are
interested in, e.g. assess grammar and spelling through
a written exercise.

Discrete point: Focus on restricted areas of the target
language, e.g. cloze exercise on verb tenses.
Integrative tests: Measure overall language
proficiency, e.g. oral interviews = fluency, pronunciation,
content, grammar, comprehension, etc.




Criteria-referenced: Exams describe what a person
can do in relation to the course objectives or a
predefined criteria. There is no comparison between
students.
Norm-referenced: Exams compare one persons
performance with many others. (Established from the
total populations results. Comparison to average)

Objective tests: No judgment involved. Answers are
either right or wrong. (e.g. Yes/no question items)
Subjective tests: Judgment and opinion involved. No
right or wrong answer. (e.g. opinion/discussion items)


Speed test: Easy items in a very short time. Assess
speed of performance and strategy, e.g. scanning
exercises.
Power test: Difficult items in enough time. Assess
knowledge.

Knowledge tests: Assess the language components,
e.g. grammar quizzes.
Skill tests: Assess the skills, e.g. listening quizzes.

Specific guidelines: The way the test is
designed and organized.

Moderation of mark scheme: The way in
which teachers set the score of the test.

Standardization of examiners: The way in
which examiners guarantee a common
criteria for correction.

Weir, C. (

Specific Guidelines

Moderation of tasks: Searching for feed-back. Revision made by
other teachers.

Level of difficulty: The presentation of tasks in a test should be
arranged from easy to difficult. Starting with the most difficult task will
lead the weakest learners to soon give up. An item is easy if 75% of
students answer it correctly, its average if 50% of the students
answer it correctly, and if 25% of students cant answer the item,
then it is considered difficult (pilot test).

Discrimination: A test should allow candidates at different levels to
perform according to their abilities. A variety of tasks ranging from
easy to difficult should point out the difference(s) between learners
(good and weak). The number of difficult tasks should be limited and
go at the end of the test.



Appropriate sample: The test should present a representative
sample of the objectives, activities and tasks taught or used in the
classroom.

Overlap: It occurs when content is assessed more than once. It
should be avoided as reassessment of content will present an
inappropriate sample, but also to prevent visual and mental overload
from students.

Clarity of tasks: Instructions should be simple and unambiguous,
providing a clear indication of what the task demands from the
student. Instructions should never be more difficult than the task.

Questions and texts: The selection of questions and texts will
depend on the purpose and the formats chosen by the designer of
the test. Again, the difficulty should not lie in the question but in the
task. Conversely, questions should not be too simple, obvious or
answerable from world knowledge.
Timing: Testers should give students a reasonable time to complete
the test, since too little time will evidence unreliable results. Students
should be aware of the time set to complete each part of the test. The
time of the test should reflect the importance and difficulty of what is
being assessed. Teachers can pilot the test with a group of a similar
level or he/she can even relate to similar evaluative experiences in the
classroom, to determine the appropriate time agreed to complete the
test.

Layout: Presentation, printing, spacing, font size, style, formats
(a,b,c I,II,III,IV 1,2,3) The layout should be consistent. Single
parts should be arranged on the same page.

Bias: Bias can result from experiential, cultural or knowledge-based
factors. Teachers should avoid items or topics inclined to give an unfair
advantage to a particular group of students. Conversely, teachers
should also avoid tasks or issues so obscure that candidates might
have no frame of reference into which process and comprehend what is
being asked.

Moderation of Mark Scheme

Acceptable response/variations.

Subjectivity in productive tasks.

Weighting (balance between items/tasks and scores).

Computation: The data and results should be easy to compute.
The manipulation of numbers must be convenient. Simple for
students and teacher (to conceive and process).

Avoidance of muddied measurement: The use of a skill
should not interfere with the measurement of another.

Accessibility/intelligibility of mark scheme: Easy and
convenient to access, use and understand.
Standardization of examiners

Agreement on criteria: by teachers and
students.

Trial assessment: to assess difficulty and
potential problems.

Review of procedures: related to the test.

Follow up checks: Notes or reports on the
results of the tests (to improve or consolidate it)

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

1.- The formal instrument to measure what learners can do or know
about something is known as

a. Assessment b. Evaluation

c. Test

d. Checklist

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

1.- The formal instrument to measure what learners can do or know
about something is known as

a. Assessment b.

c. Test

d.

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

1.- The formal instrument to measure what learners can do or know
about something is known as

a. b.

c. Test

d.

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

2.- The test applied to know if a person has the required behavior to be
successful in a specific program is called
a. Placement b. Admission

c. Aptitude

d. Proficiency

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

2.- The test applied to know if a person has the required behavior to be
successful in a specific program is called
a. b. Admission

c. Aptitude

d.

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

2.- The test applied to know if a person has the required behavior to be
successful in a specific program is called
a. b. Admission

c.

d.

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

3.- The test applied to know if a determined objective has been
covered successfully is known as

a. Achievement b. Screening

c. Progress

d. Diagnostic

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

3.- The test applied to know if a determined objective has been
covered successfully is known as

a. Achievement b.

c. Progress

d.

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

3.- The test applied to know if a determined objective has been
covered successfully is known as

a. Achievement b.

c.

d.

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

4.- The TOEFL is an example of what kind of test?
a. Admission b. Proficiency

c. Progress

d. Placement

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

4.- The TOEFL is an example of what kind of test?
a. b. Proficiency

c. Progress

d.

GRAND PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
PRIZE
QUESTION
QUESTION
2 options
Professor
Classmates

4.- The TOEFL is an example of what kind of test?
a. b. Proficiency

c.

d.