CHARACTERISTIC

S OF A GOOD
TEST ITEMS
It measures what it is
suppose to measure.

Va L I d I t Y
We get the same results
repeatedly.

r eL I abI L I t Y
It covers all the items
that have been taught.

c OMPR E HE NS I VE
Questions and instructions
should be easily be
understood by the students.

C l E A R
Makes the best use of teachers
limited time for preparing and
grading and pupils assigned time
for answering.

E C O N O MY
Introduction

Testing is generally concerned with turning performance into

numbers.
~Baxten, 1998

13% of students who fail in class are caused by faulty test

questions.
~World watch, 2005

The evaluation of pupils progress is a major aspect of teachers

job.
~Orlando & Antario, 1995
 TYPES OF
TESTS & TEST
FORMATS
TWO TYPES OF TESTS

1. Performance
2. Written
Written Formats
1. Limited Choice or selected Response
Questions that requires students to
choose from two or more alternatives
such as:

multiple choice
true/false
matching columns
2. Open-Ended or constructive
Response
Questions that require students to
formulate their own answers such as:

sentence completion
short answer
essay
TYPES OF
SELECTED
RESPONSE
Multiple Choice
Multiple Choice Item Format
provides a Best Buy for:
Content coverage
Administration
Scoring
Reliability
Multiple Choice
Multiple choice questions consist
of a stem (question or statement)
with several answer choices
(distractors).

Here are the following guidelines:

Multiple Choice
All answer choices should be plausible
and homogeneous.
Example:
The leader of the Allied forces in the Pacific
during WWII was:
A. Hitler
B. Eisenhower
C. MacArthur
D. Mickey Mouse
Multiple Choice
Answers should be similar in length and
grammatical form.
Example:
The scrub jay's numbers are dwindling so
rapidly that some fear it soon may be found
nowhere at all. What does the
worddwindlingmean?
A. multiplying
B. dividing
C. growing smaller
D. growing larger
Multiple Choice
List answer choices in logical
(alphabetical or numerical) order.
Example:
One of the largest black sea bass ever caught in
Florida weighed 5 pounds and 1 ounce. Which of the
following shows the weight of the black sea bass in
ounces?
A. 81 ounces
B. 86 ounces
C. 91 ounces
D.96 ounces
Multiple Choice
Be careful using all of the above as an option
this is often a specific determiner

Using none of the above may increase the level

of knowing and difficulty

Make sure the answer is clearly defensible

Avoid specific determiners words that give away

the answer (like a, an, his or her, etc.)
Example:
A word used to describe a noun is called an:
A. AdjectiveC. Conjunction
B. Pronoun D. Verb
Multiple Choice
Work on your distracters -- they make all
the difference!
Example:
Which of the following artists is known for
painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
A. Einstein
B. Flintstone
C. Michelangelo
D. Santa Claus
 Multiple Choice Format
aDVANTAGES: LIMITATIONS:
Reliable Often test literacy skills
Low administration cost Provide unprepared
Quick and easy to score students the opportunity to
Can be written so that guess, and with guesses
they test a wide range of that are right, they get
higher-order thinking credit for things they dont
skills know
Can cover lots of content Expose students to
areas on a single exam misinformation that can
and still be answered in a influence subsequent
class period thinking about the content
Take time and skill to
construct
Matching
The items in the first column are called
stems/premises and the answers in the
second column are the responses. Students
review and match each with a word, phrase,
or image from the list of responses.
Answer choices should be short, homogeneous
and arranged in logical order.
Include more response options than stems.
As a general rule, the stems should be longer
and the responses should be shorter.
Matching
Example:
Match the items in column A with the items in column B.
A B
___1. First President of the Republic A. Magellan
___2. Discovered the Philippines B. Rizal
___3. National Hero C. Aguinaldo
___4. Brain of Katipunan
 Matching Type Test
aDVANTAGES: LIMITATIONS
Compact form/measure a Restricted to factual
lot at one time. information

Ease of construction Difficulty of finding

homogenous material
True/False
True/false questions can appear to be easier to
write; however, it is difficult to write effective
true/false questions. Also, the reliability of T/F
questions is not generally very high because of the
high possibility of guessing. In most cases, T/F
questions are not recommended.
Statements should be completely true or
completely false.
Use simple, easy-to-follow statements.
Avoid using negatives -- especially double
negatives.
.
Words combined with n't and the word not are negative
words.

In general, only one negative word is necessary in a

sentence.

If two negative words appear in a sentence, replace one

with an affirmative.

Negative Affirmative
nothing anything, something
never ever
no one anyone, someone,
everyone

The team didn't lose ______ game last season. (no,

one)
True/False
True/false questions can appear to be easier to
write; however, it is difficult to write effective
true/false questions. Also, the reliability of T/F
questions is not generally very high because of the
high possibility of guessing. In most cases, T/F
questions are not recommended.
Statements should be completely true or
completely false.
Use simple, easy-to-follow statements.
Avoid using negatives -- especially double
negatives.
Avoid absolutes such as "always; never."
 TRUE OR FALSE TEST
aDVANTAGES: LIMITATIONS:
Can quickly assess a 50% of items are
bunch of correct by random
objectives/efficient chance

Easy to score Limited amount of

info gained

Emphasizes rote
memorization without
understanding
 GENERAL GUIDELINES IN TEST
1.Identify CONSTRUCTION
instructional objectives and
learning outcome.
2.Outline the subject matter and topics to be
covered.
3.Prepare a table of specifications.
4.Select appropriate type of tests.
5.Construct test item.
6.Test only one idea or principle in one item.
7.Keep the reading difficulty of the test items
low unless your aim is to measure verbal
and reading abilities.
8.Group questions according to item type so
students do not continuously shift response
pattern.
9.List items in a principle order. Begin at
easier item.
 GENERAL GUIDELINES IN TEST
11.Do not use CONSTRUCTION
a series of interdependent
questions in which the answer to one
question depends upon knowing the
correct answer of another item.
12.Arrange the correct alternatives for
multiple choice items randomly.
13.Indicate the source of an opinion or
authority if an item is based on the
information.
14.Avoid ambiguous, trick, or trivial
questions.
15.Prepare the answer sheet and scoring key.
16.Edit the items.
17.Prepare the final form.