USES OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENTS

Objectives

By the end of the topic the learner should be able to

1. State and explain different uses of educational measurement

Selecting Participants for Programmes:

To facilitate selection of qualified individuals, measurements of skill competence and aptitude of

the candidates becomes one part of the selection process. Examples:

a) To determine eligibility of general entrance and specialized training.

b) To determine eligibility for continuing education or candidate to graduate.

c) To determine eligibility for sports (athletics) scholarship awards.

NB: Any good selection process must be based on good measurement.

Establishing the Meaningfulness of the Instruction:

Measurement prior to instruction or training can assist the teacher in determining where to begin
instructions to make sure the new information is meaningful to the learner. Pre- testing can be
useful to both the teacher and the learner. A wide range of individual differences might be revealed
necessitating planning for individualized programmes. This avoids presenting or learning non-
meaningful material, confusion and frustration on the part of the learners.

Determining the achievement of the prescribed objectives:

This is one of the most important functions of educational measurement. It determines whether the
students have mastered the subject unit contents within the prescribed instructional objectives. A
student is required to display performance behaviour in consonant with prescribed instructional
objectives and within the criteria specified by the teacher. The information obtained would lead
the teacher to make decisions whether: -

a) To review the taught lessons.

b) To provide remedial instructions or individualized attention

c) To move to the next topic or unit in teaching

Providing Feedback to Students:

Measurement in education plays an essential role in providing feedback to students. Feedback is

any information a student can use to judge the quality of his performance. It has a primary purpose
of motivating and guiding students to perform better in following learning activities. Effective
feedback stems from:

a) Learners are at an appropriate entry level for the learning task.

b) Learners when they have learned and responded.

c) Provided frequently during the lesson.

d) Incorrect responses are corrected and correct responses confirmed.

The main objective of feedback is to inform the learner about measurement results of some tests
or response in a learning activity.

Providing Feedback to Instructors:

A teacher uses results for measurement in instructions. The student results of measurement on a
unit focus the teacher on where to begin instructions and continuous measurement of student
performance helps the teacher to make decisions during instructions. Good measurements reveal
the following:

a) Who is learning and what materials?

b) The depth of the learning.

c) How student rate (feel) about the instructional materials.

Teaching is a cyclic process that involves good planning: future instructions begins with the
measurement of the current instructions.

Providing Feedback to other Interested Persons:

Parents receive feedback on their children’s performance or potential ability to perform. The data
is obtained from measures such as classroom tests, standardized tests or ratings. Parent and
teacher’s information about the child’s performance can assist the teacher and parent to make
potential individualized program for the child. Students require schools to communicate measures
for performance t employers and advanced educational program. This information would greatly
show student’s abilities, work habits, interests and developmental plans. Colleges and universities
use grade transcript as a basis of admitting and awarding scholarships.

Diagnosing Problem Areas:

Measurement helps us identify problems in student’s learning and development. Informal

observations of students might reveal certain difficulties in learning areas. Measurement can
identify the source of problems. Accuracy of measures assists in making right decisions.

TESTS AND TESTING

Objectives

By the end of the topic the learner should be able to

1. Give the meaning of testing

2. State and explain different types of test
3. Discuss the merits and demerits of
a. Aptitude test
b. IQ test
 c. Individual and group test
4. Explain steps in test construction
5. Discuss various functions of test in education measurement


A test: A test is an assessment often administered on a paper or on computer, intended to measure

the test takers/respondents‟ (often students) knowledge, skills, attitudes or classification in many
other topics (e.g. beliefs). A set if “tasks” or questions intended to elicit particular types of
behaviors when presented/administered under standardized conditions to yield scores. They are
applicable tools of measurement with a discriminative factor for those undertaking the tests. They
may reflect a perfect ability but does not cause ability. Tests are often used in education,
professional certification, counseling, psychology, military and many other fields. The basic
component of a test is an item- also referred to as a question.

Testing- this is exposing a learner to a particular set of tasks or questions in order to obtain a
score. The score is the end product of testing. We can therefore consider tests as standardized
procedures for measuring a sample(s) of behavior (for example answering a question can be
a sample of behavior).
Standardized procedures involve consistency in all of the following:-

i) Test construction

ii) Test administration

iii) Scoring / grading of the test; and
iv) Interpretation of the test score.

Classification of Test Measurement Methods and types of tests:-

Tests are categorized on the basis of:-

i) Type e.g. either tests of maximal performance, behavioral observation or self- reports.
ii) Standardization – either standardized or non- standardized.
iii) Whether they are subjective / objective
iv) Dimension they attempt to measure.
v) Some subject.

Types of tests:-

Behavioral observation tests:- (ie appraisal by observation in natural situation)

The test involves observing a person’s behavior and how they typically behave in a particular
context. Often people do not know they are being observed; and there’s no single defined task for
the individual to perform. They extend over an indefinite period. They are likely to be based upon
situations that they vary from person to person e.g. assessment of a worker’s competence,
observations in naturalistic situations e.g. kids in a playground, teaching practice observation etc.

Standardized or non- Standardized tests:-

i) Standardized tests- are those that are administered and scored in a consistent manner to ensure
legal defensibility. These tests have been used, revised and tested to establish an average level of
performance. This allows each person’s test results to be compared to the results of many others.
The questions are selected to be neither too easy nor too hard, which allows them to differentiate
between high, low, and average achievers. Standardized tests are secure because the questions are
not known ahead of time by students and teachers. This ensures equity among every student
writing the test. Scores are usually determined according to norm groups and not in terms of the
number of correct answers but in terms of the average score. They create a bell curve of score
distributions, with many students in the middle and few on the lower and higher ends of the curve.

There are two types of standardized tests:-

i) Norm- referenced tests:-

Results from norm- referenced score.

Compares test- takers to a sample of Peers who also took the test.

Associated with traditional education, which measures success by rank ordering students.

A student who answers a significant amount of the question wrong could still rank highly if most
other students answered even more questions incorrectly.
Grades are assigned based on achievement as compared to others, instead of overall achievement
on the test itself.

ii) Criterion referenced tests:-

Results from criterion referenced score. It compares test takers to a criterion and may also be
described as standards- based assessment as they are aligned with the standards – based education
reform movement (i.e. compares each person‟s performance to a predetermined standard or
criterion. They are based on an egalitarian belief that all students can succeed if they are assessed
against high standards which are required of all the students regardless of ability or economic
background. Allows the normal bell – curve of achievement distribution to occur and grades
assigned accordingly e.g. a teacher may decide that 85% of the questions on a test need to be
answered correctly to earn a passing grade.

ii. Non- standardized tests:-

These designate achievements in terms of overall performance as a fraction of the total. Scores
may be simply a pass or a fail, percentages or letter/number grades. They can be both oral/written
and often measure factual knowledge through recall, recognition and application questions. Grades
may be assigned on an overall impression of the students work (e.g. essays) or the number of
correct answers (e.g. short- answers, matching, multiple choices).

Objective Or Projective Tests.

Objective tests are structured and require test takers to respond to structured questions, ie
True/False, Multiple choice/rating scales – Are similar to performance tests. Projective tests are
unstructured and require persons to respond to ambiguous stimuli such as abstract pictures, or
incomplete sentences etc.- the role of the test taker is less clear e.g. how an individual perceives
and interprets the world depends on the individual’s background of experiences, interests and
concerns.

Reading Comprehension Test

Reading comprehension questions require the candidates’ reading skills, comprehension skills,
writing skills and grammatical skills in order for them to answer questions.

Tests can also be constructed for a specific purpose as.

 i. Placement test: for placing students at a particular level, school, or college.

ii. Achievement tests: for measuring the achievement of a candidate in a particular course
either during or at the end of the course.

iii. Diagnostic tests: for determining the problems of a student in a particular area, task,
course, or program. Diagnostic tests also bring out areas of difficulty of a student for the
purpose of remediation.

iv. Aptitude tests: are a way to evaluate an individual’s cognitive prowess and mental
ability related to academics, vocations and careers. An aptitude test comes with a set of
questions that help gauge a candidate’s intelligence in a specific domain. Depending on the
demands of a specific role, the test’s insightful results offer a well-rounded understanding
of a candidate’s aptitude. Also, they are designed to determine the aptitude of a student for
a particular task, course, program, job, etc.

Types of Aptitude tests

 Abstract reasoning tests evaluate a candidate’s ability to possess a unique perspective toward a
problem, identify patterns and make logical connections between available facts and information.
 Spatial reasoning tests evaluate a candidate’s ability to visualize two-dimensional and three-
dimensional patterns and understand the objects’ spatial distribution.
 Visual reasoning tests are an evaluation of imagination that measures the ability to create a mental
image of the objects to derive conclusions.
 Verbal ability tests evaluate a candidate’s language and comprehension abilities. They ensure
excellent working skills and communication abilities.
 Logical and critical reasoning tests assess a candidate’s ability to think logically.
 Problem-solving tests evaluate the ability to visualize a problem from diverse perspectives and
find a solution based on given information.
 Decision-making and judgment tests involve analyzing various alternatives to a problem to
choosing the most appropriate solution using logic and common sense.
Advantages of Aptitude Tests

Focus on Core Competencies. Measuring human intelligence is not just about focusing on one
skill. Rather, it is more effective to focus on a cluster of skills and abilities. These skills are
cumulatively known as ‘competency’ that can be easily targeted with a good-quality aptitude test.
Among the key benefits of aptitude tests is that they can assess several skills cumulatively.
Therefore, irrespective of a company’s competency framework, aptitude testing can offer accurate
evaluations.
Objective Assessment. The key to a successful recruitment process is to assess the candidates
objectively. It is not easy to quantify human intelligence. However, using aptitude tests, recruiters
can measure the candidates’ cognitive intelligence and ensure that the selected candidate is the
right fit for the job. Objective assessment is one of the core benefits of aptitude tests. It overcomes
the limitations of traditional methods.
Evaluation beyond Resumes. Even the most ideal resumes may not capture the candidates’
diverse qualities adequately. For example, if a graduate in computer science is not skilled at logical
reasoning, he/she would likely not do well in the job role that requires programming skills.
Aptitude tests spontaneously assess the candidates, ensuring that a particular applicant would
fulfill the current role’s needs. When candidates exaggerate their skills in the resumes, one can
cross-check them, thanks to the aptitude tests’ reliability.
Effective Screening. Thousands of applications vie for a handful of job openings. Hence, efficient
screening can be a daunting challenge. Therefore, the importance of aptitude tests grows further
because they expedite the screening process by filtering out incompetent candidates during the
initial stages.
Standardization and Fairness. Aptitude tests are a standardized way to assess candidates and
help save time by focusing on relevant mental abilities. These tests are fair and unbiased as the
results are independent of educational backgrounds and work experiences. Also, one cannot
manipulate the test results.
Insights into Training Needs. Aptitude testing is now a widely accepted practice in most
organizations for planning and undertaking L&D initiatives as they can use them to gain rich
insights into their existing workforce’s training needs and skill gaps. Additionally, employees
switching to different job roles can use aptitude tests to re-evaluate their decision.
Cost-Effectiveness. Administering aptitude tests is extremely cost-effective and feasible as they
can be undertaken using remote systems. Their scalability and auto-grading features further reduce
the need for time and resource-consuming human intervention.
Quality Hiring. Aptitude tests undoubtedly improve the hiring quality by providing recruiters
with detailed insights. These insights can offer a contrast between two candidates by granularly
evaluating them. A quality candidate would possess specific cognitive abilities and theoretical
knowledge. And aptitude tests can help effectively assess them.

Disadvantages of Aptitude Tests

No Consideration for Soft Skills. Aptitude tests are not designed to measure soft skills. Qualities
such as punctuality, motivation, time-management, organizational skills, social skills, etc., do not
get measured or credited duly if decision-makers solely rely on aptitude testing to shortlist
candidates.

No Consideration for Domain Expertise. Aptitude tests only measure mental ability. Hence,
they do not offer a holistic approach when you need to evaluate domain-specific skills. Recruiters
should combine aptitude tests with other forms of pre-employment assessments to better
understand a candidate’s suitability.

Test Anxiety. Anxiety is one of the most significant hurdles for candidates appearing for aptitude
tests. One is expected to complete the tests within a pre-defined timeframe, which can further
elevate anxiety levels. And it could be possible that a candidate with higher aptitude messes up in
the test owing to anxiety. Such a scenario can twist the results. Simply put, these tests may inhibit
candidates from performing optimally.

No Consideration for Personality Traits. Aptitude test scores are not indicative of desirable or
undesirable personality traits crucial for several work profiles. Hence, dedicated personality
tests are essential to ensuring a more wholesome evaluation.

Early Judgement. Aptitude tests can be an early judgment for some candidates because several
reasons can hinder them from performing well. Therefore, sole dependence on these test scores
may not be the ideal way to accept or reject an individual unless he/she has also been assessed on
other key parameters. Examples of such facets include domain, personality, soft skills, etc.
 Disadvantages of aptitude test to the education sector:
 Misleading test scores can lead some educators to develop unrealistic, even potentially detrimental,
expectations concerning students’ learning abilities.
 Aptitude test scores tend to be interpreted as immutable. However, in reality, they do not offer a
comprehensive understanding of a student’s potential.
 In some cases, aptitude test scores are used to lock-step students into a specific curriculum without
an accurate understanding of factors such as interest, the current state of mind, individual goals,
etc.

v. Predictive tests: designed to be able to predict the learning outcomes of the candidate. A
predictive test is able to predict or forecast that if the candidate is able to pass a particular
test, he/she will be able to carry out a particular task, skill, course, action, or programme.

vi. IQ Test: is an assessment that measures a range of cognitive abilities and provides a score
that is intended to serve as a measure of an individual's intellectual abilities and potential.
IQ tests are among the most commonly administered psychological tests.

Commonly used intelligence tests include:

 Cognitive Assessment System

 Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children
 Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
 Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test
 Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
 Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
 Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities

Uses of IQ Tests

IQ tests can be used for a wide range of purposes including:

  Educational assessment and placement
 Assessment and diagnosis of intellectual disability
 Cognitive research
 Job candidate evaluation
 Assessing cognitive abilities including memory, speed, and attention

Impact of IQ Testing

Your IQ can have an impact on different areas of your life including school and work. High scores
are often associated with higher achievement in school, while lower scores may be linked to some
form of intellectual disability.

Tips for Making Sense of Your IQ Test

In order to understand what your score really means, it can be helpful to understand how IQ tests
are designed and how your scores compare to others. Your score on an IQ test can tell you more
about how you compare to others in your peer group with regards to things such as:

 Language skills
 Mathematical abilities
 Memory
 Processing speed
 Reasoning abilities
 Visual-spatial processing

In order to adequately assess and interpret test scores, scientists who develop IQ tests use a process
known as standardization. This involves administering the test to a representative sample of the
entire population that will eventually take the test.

This initial sample represents the total population as accurately as possible and reflects many of
the things that are present in the general population. This allows IQ test developers to
establish norms, or standards, by which individual scores can be compared.

Potential Pitfalls of IQ Tests

IQ testing has been controversial throughout history for a number of reasons, including:

 Discrimination: IQ tests have been used to justify eugenicist movements and

discrimination against minority groups and disabled individuals.
 Validity: Not all experts agree on a standard definition of intelligence, so not all IQ tests
measure the same things.
 Reliability: There is also the question of how reliable these tests are. Reliable IQ tests
should provide consistent results. People should score roughly the same each time they
take the test.

Factors that can impact a person's IQ score include:

 Educational access and background

 Nutrition
 Culture
 Environment
 Overall health and medical conditions

vii. Standardized tests: are any of the above mentioned tests that have been tried out with
large groups of individuals, whose scores provide standard norms or reference points for
interpreting any scores that anybody who writes the tests has attained. Standardized tests
are to be administered in a standard manner under uniform positions. They are tested and
re-tested and have been proved to produce valid or reliable scores.

viii. Individual Tests: The individual test of intelligence is administered by one individual at a
time. The test, in this case, requires more verbal responses in order to examine the
individual. The qualities of an individual are calculated on an individual level. This kind
of test is conducted in places like hospitals, clinics, psychologist or the places where a
diagnosis is done mainly.
Advantages of Individual Testing:

1. More attention is paid: As the test is done on each individual one by one, the examinee is able
is to pay more attention towards that person. Due to proper attention, the results also come out to
be great and it is beneficial for both the individual as well as the examinee.

2. The behavior can be observed easily: The examinee gets more time to know the individual as
the individual is examined individually. More attention could be given to them, it is possible for
the examinee to know the behavior of the individual. By knowing the behavior of an individual, it
is possible to manipulate and get results as expected by the examinee.

3. The examinee can easily convince and encourage the person: The examinee in the case of
individual testing can encourage and convince the individual. By this manner, the individual can
be encouraged and the right path could be shown to him or her.

4. The results are accurate: The results that come out by use of the individual testing process are
accurate in comparison to that of the group testing. Many places prefer the individual testing than
the group testing as it gives the end result more accurate and the results are examined from depth.

5. Results and the scores are not dependent: The results of the individual testing are not dependent
on any factors this not only delivers results in a quick manner but also it helps in getting accurate
which is useful for the future too. Also, the results are all made by proper scrutiny by the examinee
so, those are not dependent on any external factor.

6. The speed is one additional factor: As the results are not dependent on any external factors.
After examining, the examiner gives the result on the spot which is an added advantage. The person
does not need to wait for the required result. So, the result given is an added factor if compared to
that of the group tests.
7. The efficiency is way better than other methods: As the tests are conducted on an individual
level, the efficiency ought to be great because all concentration is given overtime on one
individual. This is not possible in case of the group tests.

8. More time to understand the person: As the individual is in direct contact with the examinee,
the examinee gets more time to know the person. To be very accurate the examinee gets time to
know the individual on a personal level.

Disadvantage of Individual Testing:

Nowadays, many places prefer group testing but it highly depends on the type of place. For
example, if it is a clinic, it is obvious to have individual testing. Still, some of the disadvantages
are as follows:

1. Time consuming: The individual testing is quite time-consuming. This is because each and every
individual has to be taken into account during the test and one individual can take as much time as
needed. So, the process is quite lengthy and time-consuming.

2. Trained and experienced examiner is required: And at times it is difficult to have the staff which
is equally qualified and has the experience which is required for conducting the test.

3. It costs more than other procedures: As the test is conducted at an individual level, for every
individual, stationery is required. If the written test is not conducted then it might be verbal. Still
for verbal test also lots of energy goes especially when done on an individual level. Questioning
every individual and knowing the problems of every individual is a big task for the examinee.

4. Lots of money and investment is required: As an individual is to be examined, more staff is

needed and for the same, the investment also needs to be more with the company. The cycle of
providing salaries and at the same time providing service to the individuals needs to flow in an
undeterred manner. So, for that to take place, the company needs proper funds and capital.
However, it becomes an expensive process to take place.
ix. Group Testing: Group testing is about examining an individual by a whole group. The
test administered by a large group at one time is known as group testing. The group test is
mainly done to meet the practical need. These were designed as mass testing instruments.
The group testing not only allows the simultaneous examination but also make use of the
simplified processes and the instruction.

Advantages of Group Testing:

1. One time, more people: It means at a time, a very large number of people can be taken
into account which not only saves time but also it saves money and energy.

2. The role of examiner simplifies: No extra attention needs to be paid to the individual
members of a group which helps in simplifying the procedure of examining by the
examiner. In the case of individual testing, the examiner may have to test everything at an
individual level which is not only time consuming but also it is demanding, in terms of
money as well as energy.

3. Score more objective: Scoring more objective means that when the group tests take
place, the whole group works for a common objective. None of the individuals have
their own personal goals. So, the process of scoring objectives is easier than the individual
testing process.

4. Better norms are established: The large group and the representative samples always
lead to better results and more importantly it leads to better-established norms. When the
work is done in groups, the participation of more people leads to better results which is
good both for the company as well as the individuals who come together to form a group.

5. Efficiency is more: The highly verbal group can have a higher value of efficiency than
that of an individual test. As many people are a part of a group. Every individual brings
forward their views and ideas which is really appreciable and helps to increase efficiency.
The process is very flexible and gives more opportunities for the same. So, it shows more
efficiency than that of the individual testing process.

6. Less power is required: The group testing does not require much power both in terms of
manpower and energy. As the work is done in a group, each group is given one person to
administer the following process. Unlike individual testing, each individual does not
require personal attention. So, this also forms one of the advantages of group testing.

Disadvantages of Group Testing:

1. The scores are dependent on other things: In the group testing, the scores totally depend
on the reading ability of the individuals. Every individual has to go through the test even
if he or she is a member of a group. So, the scores are highly dependent on the other factors
like the reading ability and so on.

2. The results and the information is less accurate: The group testing is said to be less
accurate as the result that we get is combined. This is how the examiner fails to know the
output at an individual level. So, individual performance remains unknown when it comes
to group testing.

3. Less cooperation is maintained: As the work is done through the groups, at times it
becomes very difficult to bring in cooperation among the group. If the group fails to
cooperate then the results would get affected at the end. So, this is one of the disadvantages
of group testing.

4. The results are examined readily: The results are not examined readily because at times
the tired and the anxious examiner may fail to give proper attention towards the results. So,
due to lack of good and proper attention, the results are highly affected. So, it also forms
one of the disadvantages of group testing.

5. Difficult to maintain rapport: It is difficult to maintain a rapport sometimes because it

becomes difficult to control a group especially when the group is large and order-less. So,
due to lack of handling the group, it becomes difficult to maintain a good rapport.

6. The interest is not easily maintained: It is very difficult to create the same level of interest
among all the members of the group. This is because of the heterogeneous nature of the
members in the group. So, due to the lack of creation of interest among the group members,
it is difficult to get accurate results at the end of the day.

7. The examiners response in a more strict manner: Due to difficulty in handling the group,
the examiners usually respond in a strict manner. So, this also becomes difficult to prepare
and take a step for group testing.
 8. Boredom over easy items and frustrated over difficult ones: It is difficult to work in a
group at times due to different situations that arrive in a group. Sometimes the members
have to work for easy as well as difficult things. For example, if the simple things come
their way, they may feel boredom and at the same time, if the difficult things come their
way, they may feel irritated. So, by this manner, it becomes difficult to work in a group.
So, above are some of the disadvantages of having a group testing. Although everything
has its own advantages and disadvantages, still in companies, group testing is preferred,
especially when it has to be done on a larger scale. The companies have many employees
within and in order to save time, energy and money, the companies prefer for the group
testing process. The individual testing requires double the time required for the group
testing.

x. Continuous assessment tests are designed to measure the progress of students in a

continuous manner. Such tests are taken intermittently and students’ progress measured
regularly. The cumulative scores of students in continuous assessment often form part of
the overall assessment of the students in the course or subject.
xi. Teacher-made tests are tests produced by teachers for a particular classroom use. Such
tests may not be used far-and-wide but are often designed to meet the particular learning
needs of the students.
Functions of teacher- made tests includes the following
1. Tests determine when student study what they study and how they study.(ie tests have a strong
motivation function).E.g. well- structured examinations can give students an opportunity to
test out their knowledge and with prompt and constructive feedback can motivate students to
improve on their performance. Poorly constructed (and used punitively) tests can discourage
students and misdirect their learning.

2. To know student’s entry behavior (ie a teacher planning a particular unit of instruction based
on knowledge and skills that students are expected to have mastered previously). Can give a
test before beginning the new instructions to determine whether the students already have
developed to a satisfactory level the knowledge and skills that are included in his plans for
teaching.

3. Tests enable teachers to observe frequently whether students are making satisfactory progress.
4. Provides feedback after an instructional progress.

5. Tests are confirmed within the limits of the defined teaching objectives. Test constructed must
also address the domains of Bloom’s taxonomy in educational objectives (KCAASE).
(depends on learner’s level)

6. Differentiation and certification- the teacher has the responsibility of appraising the individual
differences amongst students.
Common Faults in Tests’ Construction:-

1. The tests may not cover the range of objectives specified by teacher. Teacher made test items
that only require rote recall of specific information cannot represent a good complete test.
2. Test makers may limit themselves to specific and factual content thereby eliminating much
that is important.

3. The type of test exercise that the teacher uses is poorly adapted to appraising the mental
process/content that the test is supposed to measure.

4. Ambiguous questions- ie wording is unclear or the task is completely unspecified so that the
questions requires students to enter into a guessing game or to use extra sensory perception to
determine what the teacher is asking and wants for an answer.

5. The characteristics of the test are inappropriate for the purpose for which the teacher wants to
use the results.

Teacher-made tests are fundamental part of the educational process. They can define instructional
purposes, influence what learners study and help instructors to gain perspectives on their courses.
How well the tests accomplish these purposes is a feature of their quality.
Characteristics of a Test Includes
i. A good test should be valid: by this we mean it should measure what it is supposed to
measure or be suitable for the purpose for which it is intended. Test validity will be
discussed fully in unit 5.

ii. A good test should be reliable: reliability simply means measuring what it purports to
measure consistently. On a reliable test, you can be confident that someone will get more
 or less the same score on different occasions or when it is used by different people. Again
unit 5 devoted to test reliability.

iii. A good test must be capable of accurate measurement of the academic ability of the
learner: a good test should give a true picture of the learner. It should point out clearly
areas that are learnt and areas not learnt. All being equal, a good test should isolate the
good from the bad. A good student should not fail a good test, while a poor student passes
with flying colours.

iv. A good test should combine both discrete point and integrative test procedures for a
fuller representation of teaching-learning points. The test should focus on both discrete
points of the subject area as well as the integrative aspects. A good test should integrate
all various learners’ needs, range of teaching-learning situations, objective and subjective
items

v. A good test must represent teaching-learning objectives and goals: the test should be
conscious of the objectives of learning and objectives of testing. For example, if the
objective of learning is to master a particular skill and apply the skill, testing should be
directed towards the mastery and application of the skill.

vi. Test materials must be properly and systematically selected: the test materials must be
selected in such a way that they cover the syllabus, teaching course outlines or the subject
area. The materials should be of mixed difficulty levels (not too easy or too difficult) which
represent the specific targeted learners’ needs that were identified at the beginning of the
course.

vii. Variety is also a characteristic of a good test. This includes a variety of test type:
multiple choice tests, subjective tests and so on. It also includes variety of tasks and so on.
It also includes variety of tasks within each test: writing, reading, speaking, listening, re-
writing, transcoding, solving, organizing and presenting extended information,
interpreting, black filling, matching, extracting points, distinguishing, identifying,
constructing, producing, designing, etc. In most cases, both the tasks and the materials to
be used in the tests should be real to the life situation of what the learner is being trained
for.