Suromahdini Sumadi (21601073098)

Stages in test construction: Planning, Preparing, Reviewing/ Revising Test Items

1. Planning the Test

Planning of the test is the first important step in the test construction. The main goal of evaluation
process is to collect valid, reliable and useful data about the student.

Therefore before going to prepare any test we must keep in mind that:

(1) What is to be measured?

(2) What content areas should be included and

(3) What types of test items are to be included.

Therefore the first step includes three major considerations.

1. Determining the objectives of testing.

2. Preparing test specifications.

3. Selecting appropriate item types.

2. Preparing Test Specifications

The second important step in the test construction is to prepare the test specifications. In order to be
sure that the test will measure a representative sample of the instructional objectives and content areas
we must prepare test specifications. So that an elaborate design is necessary for test construction. One
of the most commonly used devices for this purpose is ‘Table of Specification’ or ‘Blue Print.’

Preparation of Table of Specification/Blue Print:

Preparation of table of specification is the most important task in the planning stage. It acts, as a guide
for the test construction. Table of specification or ‘Blue Print’ is a three dimensional chart showing list of
instructional objectives, content areas and types of items in its dimensions.

It includes four major steps:

(i) Determining the weightage to different instructional objectives.

(ii) Determining the weightage to different content areas.

(iii) Determining the item types to be included.

(iv) Preparation of the table of specification.

3. Reviewing Test Items

It is a generally accepted principle that test construction is a collaborative activity. An individual, no

matter how expert he may be, is potentially subject to making mistakes. Therefore, to minimize the
pitfalls, test items should be reviewed by a team of experts. These experts would critically examine the
correspondence between test content and the table of specifications. They would also consider the
form, level of difficulty, and the appropriateness of the items. After reviewing the items, the experts
would offer some subjective comments for modifications of these items. After the test developer made
necessary modifications, the first draft of the test would be ready to go under the scrutiny of the pre-
testing step.

4. Revising Test Items

This is the step where the test items are revised before testing in the pre-testing step. In this step, the
item which has already been corrected or reviewed, are re-write. So that, in this step, the test item is
called as semi final form.