4 Main Characteristics of a Good

Test
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The following points highlight the four main

characteristics of a good test. The characteristics are: 1.
Validity 2. Reliability 3. Objectivity 4. Norms.
Characteristic # 1. Validity:
The first important characteristic of a good test is validity. The test
must really measure what it has been designed to measure. Validity
is often assessed by exploring how the test scores correspond to
some criteria, that is same behaviour, personal accomplishment or
characteristic that reflects the attribute that the test designed to
gauge.

Assessing the validity of any test requires careful selection of

appropriate criterion measure and that reasonable people may
disagree as to which criterion measure is best. This is equally true of
intelligence test. Reasonable people may disagree as to weather the
best criterion measure of intelligence in school grades, teacher
ratings or some other measures.

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If we are to check on the validity of a test, we must settle on one or

more criterion measures of the attribute that the test is designed to
test. Once the criterion measures have been identified people scores
on the measures can be compared to their scores on the test and the
degree of correspondence can be examined for what it tells us about
the validity of the test.

Only valid test can give useful information about people but the
correction coefficients for validity are never as high as those for
reliability. Though we try for reliabilities of 90 or 60, validities
which have corrections between test scores and criterion measures
are not higher than that of several tests with low but significant
validity can sometimes be useful, if they are given together as a
battery and their results are considered together. One reason that
validity coefficients are lower than reliability coefficient is that the
reliability of test sets limits on how valid the test can be.

Characteristic # 2. Reliability:

A good test should be highly reliable. This means that the test
should give similar results even though different testers
administrate it, different people scores in different forms of the test
are given and the same person takes that test at two or more
different times. Reliability is usually checked by comparing different
sets of scores.

In actual practise, psychological tests are never perfectly reliable.

One reason is that changes do occur in individuals over time; for
example, a person who scores low in her group at an initial testing
may develop new skills that rise her to a higher position in the
group at the time of the second testing.

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Despite such real changes, the best intelligence test usually yields
reliability correlation coefficient of 90 or higher (where 1.00),
indicates perfect correspondence and 0.00 indicates number
correspondence whatever.

If tests with low reliability are used, their scores should be

interpreted with caution. To improve reliability we should ensure
that the test is administered and scored by a truly standard
procedure. Making the test procedure uniform might make the test
more reliable.

Characteristic # 3. Objectivity:

By objectivity of a measuring instrument is meant for the degree to
which equally competent users get the same results. This
presupposes subjective factor. A test is objective when it makes for
the elimination of the scorer’s personal opinion bias judgment. The
recognition of the quality objectivity in a test has been largely
responsible for the development of an arised and objective type
tests.

Objective-based tests measure or evaluate the entire human

development in three domains that is cognitive, affective and
psychomotor. As the name itself indicates they are based on
particular objective of teaching and evaluating. They provide proper
direction, and thus streamline the whole process of evaluation.
These tests are all comprehensives.

Characteristic # 4. Norms:

In addition to reliability and validity good test needs norms. Norms
are sets of score obtained by whom the test is intended. The scores
obtained by these groups provide a basic for interpreting any
individual score.

To understand why norms are important, let us imagine a test that

does not have any, suppose a person takes a newly developed
intellectual aptitude test and requires a score of 437 I.D this is a
“Good Score”, should the person be happy or unhappy. Obviously a
score without any basis for comparison is not very useful.

In fact one of the first things a person in the factious situation might
do is seek out others who have taken the test to find out how his or
her score compares to theirs. Psychologists do something similar to
this when they develop norms. They seek out comparison groups
whose performance on the test can serve as standard of comparison
for each individual who takes the test later.
by Taboola
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There are four types of testing in schools today — diagnostic, formative, benchmark,
and summative.
...
Different Types of Testing
 Diagnostic Testing. This testing is used to “diagnose” what a student knows
and does not know. ...
 Formative Testing. ...
 Benchmark Testing. ...
 Summative Testing.

Language Learning Assessment

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KIND OF TEST
DECEMBER 19, 2012 BY ASSESSMENTMASTER
KIND OF TEST
Ratna Komala Dewi
Nuke Sari Nastiti
 
A. Based on Purposes
There are many kinds of tests; each test has specific purpose and a particular criterion to be
measured. This paper will explain about five kinds of tests based on specific purposes. Those
tests are proficiency test, diagnostic test, placement test, achievement test, language aptitude
test.
1. Proficiency Test
The purpose of proficiency test is to test global competence in a language. It tests overall
ability regardless of any training they previously had in the language. Proficiency tests have
traditionally consisted of standardized multiple-choices item on grammar, vocabulary,
reading comprehension, and listening comprehension. One of a standardized proficiency test
is TOEFL.
2. Diagnostic Test
The purpose is to diagnose specific aspects of a language. These tests offer a checklist of
features for the teacher to use in discovering difficulties. Proficiency tests should elicit
information on what students need to work in the future; therefore the test will typically offer
more detailed subcategorized information on the learner. For example, a writing diagnostic
test would first elicit a writing sample of the students. Then, the teacher would identify the
organization, content, spelling, grammar, or vocabulary of their writing. Based on that
identifying, teacher would know the needs of students that should have special focus.
3. Placement Test
The purpose of placement test is to place a student into a particular level or section of a
language curriculum or school. It usually includes a sampling of the material to be covered in
the various courses in a curriculum. A student’s performance on the test should indicate the
point at which the student will find material neither too easy nor too difficult. Placement tests
come in many varieties: assessing comprehension and production, responding through written
and oral performance, multiple choice, and gap filling formats. One of the examples of
Placement tests is the English as a Second Language Placement Test (ESLPT) at San
Francisco State University.
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4. Achievement Test
The purpose of achievement tests is to determine whether course objectives have been met
with skills acquired by the end of a period of instruction. Achievement tests should be limited
to particular material addressed in a curriculum within a particular time frame. Achievement
tests belong to summative because they are administered at the end on a unit/term of study. It
analyzes the extent to which students have acquired language that have already been taught.
 
 
5. Language Aptitude Test
The purpose of language aptitude test is to predict a person’s success to exposure to the
foreign language. According to John Carrol and Stanley Sapon (the authors of MLAT),
language aptitude tests does not refer to whether or not an individual can learn a foreign
language; but it refers to how well an individual can learn a foreign language in a given
amount of time and under given conditions. In other words, this test is done to determine how
quickly and easily a learner learn language in language course or language training program.
Standardized aptitude tests have been used in the United States:
1. The Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT)
2. The Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB)
 
B. Based on Response
There are two kinds of tests based on response. They are subjective test and objective test.
1. Subjective Test
Subjective test is a test in which the learners ability or performance are judged by examiners’
opinion and judgment. The example of subjective test is using essay and short answer.
2. Objective Test
Objective test is a test in which learners ability or performance are measured using specific
set of answer, means there are only two possible answer, right and wrong. In other word, the
score is according to right answers. Type of objective test includes multiple choice tests, true
or false test, matching and problem based questions.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Commonly Used Types of Objective Test

Type of test Advantages Disadvantages

True or False Many items can be administered in a Limited primarily to testing knowledge
relatively short time. Moderately easy of information. Easy to guess correctly
to write and easily scored. on many items, even if material has not
been mastered.
 
 

Multiple Choice Can be used to assess a broad range
of content in a brief period. Skillfully
written items can be measure higher
order cognitive skills. Can be scored
quickly.
Difficult and time consuming to write
good items. Possible to assess higher
order cognitive skills, but most items
assess only knowledge. Some correct
answers can be guesses.

Matching Items can be written quickly. A broad Higher order cognitive skills difficult to
range of content can be assessed. assess.
Scoring can be done efficiently.
 
 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Commonly Used Types of Subjective Test

Type of test Advantages Disadvantages

Short Answer Many can be administered in a brief Difficult to identify defensible criteria for
amount of time. Relatively efficient to correct answers. Limited to questions that
score. Moderately easy to write items. can be answered or completed in a few
words.
 
  

Essay Can be used to measure higher order
cognitive skills. Easy to write
questions. Difficult for respondent to
get correct answer by guessing.
Time consuming to administer and score.
Difficult to identify reliable criteria for
scoring. Only a limited range of content
can be sampled during any one testing
period.

 
C. Based on Orientation and The Way to Test
Language testing is divided into two types based on the orientation. They are language
competence test and performance language test. Language competence test is a test that
involves components of language such as vocabullary, grammar, and pronounciation while
performance test is a test that involve the basic skills in English that are writing, speaking,
listening and reading. Moreover language testing is also divided into two types based on the
way to test. They are direct testing and indirect testing. Direct testing is a test that the process
to elicit students competences uses basic skill, like speaking, writing, listening, or reading
while indirect languange testing is a test that the process to elicit students competences does
not use basic skills.
From the explanation above, language testing can be divided into four types based on
orientation and the way to test. They are direct competence test, indirect competence test,
direct performance test, and indirect performance test.

  Direct Indirect

Competence/ system I II

Performance III IV

1.  Direct Competence Tests

The direct competence test is a test that focus on to measure the students knowledge about
language component, like grammar or vocabulary, which the elicitation uses one of the basic
skills, speaking, listening, reading, or writing. For the example, a teacher want to know about
students grammar knowledge. The teacher ask the students to write a letter to elicit students
knowledge in grammar.
 
 
2. Indirect Competence Test
The indirect competence test is a test that focus on to measure the students knowledge about
language component, like grammar or vocabulary, which the elicitation does not use one of
the basic skills, speaking, listening, reading, or writing. The elicitation in this test uses other
ways, such as multiple choice. For example, the teacher want to know about students
grammar knowledge. The teacher gives a multiple choice test for the students to measure
students knowledge in grammar.
3. Direct Performance Test
Direct performance test is a test that focus on to measure the students skill in reading, writing,
speaking, and listening that the elicitation is through direct communication. For example, the
teacher want to know the students skill in writing, the teacher ask the students to write a
letter, or to write a short story.
4. Indirect Performance Test
Indirect performance test is a test that focus on  measure the students skill in reading, writing,
speaking, and listening that the elicitation does not use the basic skill. For example, the
teacher want to measure the sutedents skill in listening. The teacher gives some picture and
asks the students to arrange the students the pictures into correct order based on the story that
they listen to.
 
D. Based on Score Interpretation
            There are two kinds of tests based on score interpretation. They are norm-referenced
test and criterion-referenced test.
1. Norm-Referenced Test
Norm-referenced tests are designed to highlight achievement differences between and among
students to produce a dependable rank order of students across a continuum of achievement
from high achievers to low achievers (Stiggins, 1994). School systems might want to classify
students in this way so that they can be properly placed in remedial or gifted programs. The
content of norm-referenced tests is selected according to how well it ranks students from high
achievers to low. In other words, the content selected in norm-referenced tests is chosen by
how well it descriminates among students. A student’s performance on an norm referenced
test is interpreted in relation to the performance of a large group of similar students who took
the test when it was first normed. For example, if a student receives a percentile rank score on
the total test of 34, this means that he or she performed as well or better than 34% of the
students in the norm group. This type of information can useful for deciding whether or not
students need remedial assistance or is a candidate for a gifted program. However, the score
gives little information about what the student actually knows or can do.
2.    Criterion-Referenced Test
Criterion-referenced tests determine what test takers can do and what they know, not how
they compare to others (Anastasi, 1988). Criterion-referenced tests report how well students
are doing relative to a pre-determined performance level on a specified set of educational
goals or outcomes included in the school, district, or state curriculum. Educators may choose
to use a criterian-referenced test when they wish to see how well students have learned the
knowledge and skills which they are expected to have mastered. This information may be
used as one piece of information to determine how well the student is learning the desired
curriculum and how well the school is teaching that curriculum. The content of a criterion-
referenced test is determined by how well it matches the learning outcomes deemed most
important. In other words, the content selected for the criterion-standard tets is selected on the
basis of its significance in the curriculum. Criterion-referenced tests give detailed information
about how well a student has performed on each of the educational goals or outcomes
included on that test.

7 Key Characteristics of a Good Test in

Education in 10 Minutes
Yasmine Nasr December 15, 2021 29,131 Views

Sticking to as many characteristics of a good test in education as possible is

a challenging process for teachers.
In 10 min or less, you’ll get a brief on all commonly agreed upon
characteristics, practical ways to employ them in order to make your test
reliable, and top of the world universities that use them!
One of the major goals of education is to prepare students for the next step in
their future. They have to make sure that their learners have acquired enough
knowledge about the field of study. Only good tests ensure this. A good test is
not only a score that learners struggle to ace.
It’s feedback a student receives to improve his skills and knowledge and a good
teacher loves to get back to, always, to make sure their teaching strategies are
on point and whether they need development or not.
It’s also a feedback for decision-makers in all educational institutions and
governmental positions who need good data to get to the next step of the
institution or the State’s education plan.
It’s not something centric that students spend days of anxiety on, wondering
how well they will do in a given test and how well the test questions are actually
written and whether they are questions they do know the answer to or not.

Table of Contents
 What Are the Characteristics of a Good Test in Education?
o What Are the Qualities of Good Assessment?
 Reliability or Consistency
 How to Make Sure Your Test Is
Reliable?
 Validity
 Objectivity
 Comprehensiveness
 Absence of Ambiguity
 Preparation
 o Appropriateness of Time
 Our Conclusion of Characteristics of Good Test   
 7 Outstanding Characteristics of a Good Online Test
 Characteristics of a Good Test with Examples
o What Is the Purpose of a Test?
 Types of Tests
 Essay Questions Tests
 Objective Questions Tests
 Verbs Best Used in Good Tests
o Qualities of Traditional and Online Assessment
 Traditional Assessment
 Online Assessment
o How Do I Write a Good Test?
 15 Things You Need to Know about the Characteristics of a
Good Test in Education
 Are You Testing Students or Customers?
What Are the Characteristics of a Good Test in
Education?
What is a good test in education? It is an evaluation through which teachers
measure learners’ abilities and points of weaknesses and strengths. It gauges
their knowledge in the field of study and provides both sides with real feedback.
A good test should ensure that learners are ready to move to the next step
whether this step is a high school, college, or even the military.
 
In our previous event, the first free online webinar, “Ensuring Effective E-
Assessment for Higher Education,” Qorrect e-assessment team, discussed the
complete cycle of a good test in detail focusing on higher education
examination.
 
The team discussed how to analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate
the phases that together comprise the e-assessment life cycle, going through
the e-assessment life cycle and its importance to higher education, edtech role in
the evolution of the digital assessment process.
 
That’s plus considering the contribution of edtech in improving assessment
quality, analysing the examinees’ responses, assessing the exam’s quality and
the effectiveness of the involved questions in measuring what they are designed
to measure.
Read our article “Why You Shouldn’t Overlook the Importance of Probing
Questions in Teaching”
Join Qorrect Now for FREE
What Are the Qualities of Good Assessment?
An assessment is a process through which students can share their educational
experiences. In order for a test to be a good tool for measuring students’
knowledge and skills, it should have the following characteristics of
examination that are essential for the success of any test.
 
Reliability or Consistency
Reliability or consistency of a test means that learners should perform the same
or get the same score if they are exposed to different questions in different times
and places. A test is considered reliable when the same result is achieved over
different tests.
As James Carlson mentions in his research memorandum, “The reliability of
test scores is the extent to which they are consistent across different occasions
of testing, different editions of the test, or different raters scoring the test taker’s
responses.” He also mentions some statistics to describe how a test can be
reliable.
 
How to Make Sure Your Test Is Reliable?
1. Score Distribution: The percentage of test takers at each score level.
2. Mean Score: The average score, computed by summing the scores of
all test takers and dividing by the number of test takers.
3. Standard Deviation: A measure of the amount of variation in a set of
scores. It can be interpreted as the average distance of scores from the
mean. (Actually, it is a special kind of average called a “root mean
square,” computed by squaring the distance of each score from the
mean score, averaging the squared distances, and then taking the square
root.)
4. Correlation: A measure of the strength and direction of the
relationship between the scores of the same people on two tests.
Reliability is the ratio of the true score and the observed score variance. To
measure a test’s reliability, we may administer a test to the same group more
than once.
However, errors may occur as students may forget or have some physical
problems. Thus, it is crucial to administer the same test in identical conditions
to ensure that we will get the same results.
Read “How to Make an Online Exam for Students in Only Minutes”
 
Validity
A validity of a test can be achieved when the test measures what it is really
intended to measure. Therefore, a certain criteria must be selected.
Validity is very important to gauge the quality of a given test as questions must
be in line with the selected criteria and measures.
 
Here are some of the top different types of validity:
Content Validity: A test should fairly represent the content of the course or the
field of study.
Criterion Validity: It is used to predict the performance of a job applicant or a
student.
 Convergent validity: This is mostly used in the field of sociology or
psychology.
Discriminant Validity: Discriminant validity means that a test of a concept is
not highly correlated with other tests that are set to measure theoretically
different concepts.
See how you can make objective, valid tests in education using Qorrect e-
assessment system. Reserve a free Demo now.
Book FREE Live Demo Today →
 

Objectivity
According to Gronlund and Linn “Objectivity of a test refers to the degree to
which equally competent scores obtain the same results,” the test should be
away from any personal or subjective judgment. It should be based only on the
evaluation of human development.
For example, in an essay-type test, students answer differently as each one has
his/her own style of writing.
Hence, when more than one instructor check the test, they may give different
scores according to whether they like the style or not. So, here, the test is less
objective.
To avoid such bias, sharp rules should be set in evaluating such types of tests.
There should be a unified guide for teachers to use while correcting such tests.
Personal judgment does not occur in true or false or multiple choice tests.
Besides, teachers should receive training on how to score a test as untrained
teachers may give wrong scores and not be able to maintain the required
fairness and accuracy.
Read “Standardized Tests: History and Implementation in Universities”
 
Comprehensiveness
A test should fully cover the entire field of study that students are exposed to
during the course. Vague questions should not be included especially during
online tests when students are confused and short in time.
 
Absence of Ambiguity
There has to be no place for ambiguity especially in online tests where
examiners are absent. Students should not be left in confusion and all questions
have to be crystal clear.
According to Jacobs, Lucy C., from Indiana University, “ambiguous questions
constitute the major weakness in college tests.
Ambiguous questions often result when instructors put off writing test questions
until the last minute. Careful editing and an independent review of the test items
can help to minimize this problem.”
Read “What’s the Difference between Online Exam and Offline Exam?”
 
Preparation
To ensure the success of any test, instructors should take into consideration the
following factors:
       Students have to be well-prepared for the test through extensive
revisions and discussions.
       There should not be any gaps between the revision period and the
exam.
       Examiners should make it clear to students which topics are expected
to be tackled in the exam.
       Students should be well-trained for the test type.
 
Appropriateness of Time
One of the top characteristics of a good test is when students have appropriate
time to answer all questions. For example, essay questions require more time
than multiple choice or true/false questions.
Some teachers take the test themselves first and then double or triple the time
for students. A good test is supposed to be practical and comprehensive.
 
Our Conclusion of Characteristics of Good Test   
There is a strong sense, however, that the use of the word ‘characteristics’ or
‘criteria’ is not optimal. It implies the development of standards against which
assessments could be judged.
Instead, we believe there should be a general agreement that the word
‘framework’ captures our desire to create a structure that might be useful in the
development of a good test in education more precisely.
                            
7 Outstanding Characteristics of a Good Online Test
1.     No logistic setback 
2. Easy access from anywhere
3.     High speed 
4.     Support essay questions, multiple-answer questions, short answers,
& equation & scientific questions
5.     Built-in questions bank in quality online test systems
6.     Immediate students results reports are generated
7.     Highly detailed, error-free analytics reports on students’ performance
as well as test and questions quality
 
Characteristics of a Good Test with Examples
What Is the Purpose of a Test?
It is an evaluation process through which examiners know who you are and
what you know and think. They identify how you are different from others.
Types of Tests
Tests can be categorized into two types according to the questions they tackle:
Essay Questions Tests
1.     This type is intended to gauge students’ information and knowledge
of the field of study. It measures their writing skills and how well they
are able to show their personality in writing.
2.     There should not be anything to be memorized as students answer
according to their understanding of the course materials.
3.     Through this type of tests, instructors are able to measure students’
logical thinking and problem solving skills.
Read “Proctored Exams: Here’s How to Successfully Do Remote
Proctoring”
 
Objective Questions Tests
Such tests are easy to be marked as they have true and false answers and hence
they are away from any personal opinion or subjectivity. For example, true or
false and multiple choice questions are objective tests.
 In an article titled “Harvard Courses Turn to Monitored Exams, Open-Book
Assessments, and Faith in Students As Classes Move Online” Juliet E.
Isselbacher and Amanda Y. Su, The Crimson writers, showed experiences of
different professors through the COVID-19 pandemic and how they were forced
to switch to online learning.
Professor Robert N. Stavins decided to change the exam to be open-book so as
to guarantee equality among students especially during the absence of any
monitoring during the online tests.
Other professors preferred to keep the same old style of the closed-book exam
ensuring that it is verified and monitored as professor Chaudoin said “We have
to trust the students, and the online exam tools give us a partial way to monitor
things.”
Iaura Rose Smith, from the University of Manchester, shared her experience in
her article titled “My Online Exam Experience and Top Tips for Students.” She
made it clear that online examinations have changed her way of studying.
 Instead of just thinking of passing a test, she focused on revision, knowledge,
and real understanding of the course material. She said, “I would recommend
using this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of your subject area and
expand your knowledge further than the curriculum.”
Enroll To Start Your FREE Trial
Verbs Best Used in Good Tests
Educators recommend using a set of key verbs related to Bloom’s theory,
classification of educational objectives, when writing any type of test
questions/test items.
This list of verbs guarantees that the teacher or test creator is indeed asking the
right questions, equivalent to that of the students’ level of knowledge and
understanding. Here are some of these verbs, according to California State
University website.
 

Arrange – define describe – duplicate identify –

label – list match – memorize name – order –
Knowledge                         
outline recognize – relate – recall – repeat
reproduce – select – state
Explain – summarize paraphrase – describe
illustrate – classify convert – defend describe –
discuss distinguish – estimate explain express –
Comprehension extend – generalized give example(s) -identify –
indicate – infer – locate paraphrase – predict
recognize – rewrite review – select summarize –
translate
Use – compute – solve demonstrate – apply
construct – apply – change – choose compute –
demonstrate discover – dramatize employ –
Application
illustrate interpret – manipulate modify – operate
practice – predict prepare – produce relate –
schedule – show sketch – solve – use – write
Analysis Analyze – categorize compare – contrast separate –
 apply – change – discover choose – compute
demonstrate – dramatize – employ illustrate –
interpret manipulate – modify operate  – practice
predict – prepare produce – relate schedule – show
– sketch – solve – use – write
Create – design hypothesize – invent develop –
arrange assemble – categorize collect – combine
comply – compose construct – create design –
Synthesis develop – devise – explain formulate – generate
plan – prepare – rearrange – reconstruct relate –
reorganize – revise – rewrite – set up – summarize
– synthesize – tell – write
Judge – recommend critique – justify appraise –
argue assess attach – choose – compare – conclude
contrast – defend describe – discriminate estimate –
Evaluation
evaluate explain – judge – justify interpret – relate
– predict – rate – select summarize –  support –
value
 

Qualities of Traditional and Online Assessment

With the exposure of online learning and the use of advanced software systems
in education, most instructors had to change the traditional way of testing.
 

Traditional Assessment
Teachers used to measure students’ knowledge only by how they score in a
given exam. They give students only one chance to show their competencies
without discussions or classroom projects.
 

Online Assessment
Online assessment is a way through which teachers can improve students’
learning, knowledge, beliefs, and skills. Online assessments can be behavioral,
cognitive, or communicative assessments.
Students may take the online assessment in the classroom or at home and this
reduces their stress. New tools are now introduced for instructors to set different
types of assessments.
They can use game-based assessments through many tools such as Kahoot, as
mentioned in our previous article “11 Best Exam and Assessment Platforms of
2021.”
Teachers can also create polls and activities. Moreover, Google Forms enable
teachers to create and grade quizzes. They can choose multiple-choice quizzes
or short-answer quizzes.
Some tools also provide teachers with excel reports of students’ grades and
feedback can be sent easily to students directly after the exam. Many advanced
software systems allow teachers to deliver reliable and cheat-free exams to
students and grade them instantly. This saves a lot of time for teachers.
Qorrect (e-exams system) generates automated reports of the test results. To
analyze the quality of the test, it provides feedback that no cheating happened
during the online exam, and analyzes the performance of the students during the
examination.
Read “Summative Assessment Overview, Purposes, and Best Online
Software”
 
How Do I Write a Good Test?
       Be specific
       Do not use ambiguous questions.
       Choose a suitable format for your test.
       Avoid the open-ended questions unless you are willing to accept any
answer.
       Choose your words carefully and avoid any ambiguous language.
       Students should know how much each of the questions are worth.
To conclude, teachers should create their exams away from any subjectivity,
ambiguity, or lack of comprehensiveness. The appropriate format should be
selected to match the course materials and to measure students’ knowledge and
skills.
 

15 Things You Need to Know about the Characteristics of a Good

Test in Education
Here are 15 tips the American Board concluded its workshop “Modes of
Classroom Assessment” with:
1. Bloom’ theory of educational objectives classification, in which
cognitive skills exist in a hierarchical order, is important in any
assessment.
2. Assessment works better when they are ongoing and integrated into
instruction as opposed to episodic and marginally referenced to
classroom instruction.
3. Lots of faculty members use MCQs for their classes because they are
able to cover much greater content and in a very short period of time;
plus they’re known to be very easy, compared to other questions, and
are quick to score.  
 4. Many professors and test managers prefer to use other types of tests to
to assess their students/examinees: essay, papers or electronic
portfolios, projects, presentations tests.
5.  Both views are not incorrect! However, a great teacher would use all of
the previously mentioned assessment forms throughout the academic
year.
6. The value of tests is much greater and more pronounced when they are
performed as a part of a completely comprehensive program that’s
designed to enhance learning, progress, performance, and the
educational institution’s success
7. “A comprehensive assessment-instruction system should contain a
variety of assessment techniques.”
8. A test can only test what it was formed to assess. So it’s up to the
decision-makers to process the data generated from it.
9. Summative assessments are called “assessments of learning,” and
formative assessments are called “assessment for learning.”
10. There should always be a balance between the intellectual skills being
assessed.
11. Specific and descriptive instructional feedback that will help students to
improve their learning and prepare for mastery of the curricular topics
are central to effective formative assessments.
12. Frequent short tests are more instructionally helpful and provide better
assessment data than infrequent extended exams.
13. Diagnostic assessments measure a student’s current knowledge and
skills for the purpose of identifying a personalized program of learning
for that student.
14. Quality assessments are valid, reliable and unbiased.
15. A test is no better than the quality of items it contains.
 
Are You Testing Students or Customers?
In their book “The Trouble with Higher Education,” Patrick Smith and Trevor
Hussey had a unique outlook on the system of education in general.
The book linked the rise of consumerism with education, addressing the effects
this now has on everything learning-related.
That includes how the system of universities works today and the high prices
we face today in a lot of top of the world higher ed institutions and
universities… too high some students stay in debt for years (although the book
addresses education in the UK, a lot of other countries may relate to the issues
raised).
It is a significant consequence of these changes that students have come
to see themselves as customers. Increasingly their perception is that
they are buying a product. This encourages an instrumental view of
education: its value lies not in itself but in what it can be used to gain.
An education that has to be purchased at great expense is purchased
for a purpose, and that purpose is what it will earn. At the very least it
must pay for itself.
Because of this we must start to raise the bar for quality education and testing.
Because students or customers are now less willing to tolerate less quality
education, teaching, facilities, testing, grading, & reporting.
Do you want to see in action how you can employ the characteristics of a
good test in education for FREE? Reserve a free demo now.
1.

Exam Questions: Types, Characteristics, and

Suggestions

Examinations are a very common assessment and

evaluation tool in universities and there are many types of examination questions.
This tips sheet contains a brief description of seven types of examination questions,
as well as tips for using each of them: 1) multiple choice, 2) true/false, 3) matching,
4) short answer, 5) essay, 6) oral, and 7) computational. Remember that some exams
can be conducted effectively in a secure online environment in a proctored computer
lab or assigned as paper based or online “take home” exams.

Multiple choice
Multiple choice questions are composed of one question (stem) with multiple
possible answers (choices), including the correct answer and several incorrect
answers (distractors). Typically, students select the correct answer by circling the
associated number or letter, or filling in the associated circle on the machine-
readable response sheet.

Example: Distractors are:

A) Elements of the exam layout that distract attention from the questions
B) Incorrect but plausible choices used in multiple choice questions
C) Unnecessary clauses included in the stem of multiple choice questions

Answer: B

Students can generally respond to these type of questions quite quickly. As a result,
they are often used to test student’s knowledge of a broad range of content. Creating
these questions can be time consuming because it is often difficult to generate several
plausible distractors. However, they can be marked very quickly.

Tips for writing good multiple choice items:

Avoid Do use
In the stem: In the stem:

 Long / complex sentences  Your own words – not

 Trivial statements
 Negatives and double-
negatives
 Ambiguity or indefinite terms,
absolute statements, and broad
generalization
 Extraneous material
 Item characteristics that
provide a clue to the answer
misconceptions
In the choices:
 Statements too close to the
correct answer
 Completely implausible
responses
 ‘All of the above,’ ‘none of the
above’
 Overlapping responses (e.g., if
‘A’ is true)
statements straight out of the
textbook
 Single, clearly formulated
problems
In the choices:
 Plausible and homogeneous
distractors
 Statements based on common
student misconceptions
 True statements that do not
answer the questions
 Short options – and all same
length
 Correct options evenly
distributed over A, B, C, etc.
 Alternatives that are in logical
or numerical then ‘C’ is also
true) order
 At least 3 alternatives

Suggestion: After each lecture during the term, jot down two or three multiple
choice questions based on the material for that lecture. Regularly taking a few
minutes to compose questions, while the material is fresh in your mind, will allow
you to develop a question bank that you can use to construct tests and exams quickly
and easily.

True/false
True/false questions are only composed of a statement. Students respond to the
questions by indicating whether the statement is true or false. For example:
True/false questions have only two possible answers (Answer: True).
Like multiple choice questions, true/false questions:

 Are most often used to assess familiarity with course content and to check for
popular misconceptions
 Allow students to respond quickly so exams can use a large number of them to
test knowledge of a broad range of content
 Are easy and quick to grade but time consuming to create

True/false questions provide students with a 50% chance of guessing the right
answer. For this reason, multiple choice questions are often used instead of
true/false questions.

Tips for writing good true/false items:

Avoid Do use
 Negatives and  Your own words
double-negatives  The same number of true and false
 Long / complex statements (50 / 50) or slightly more false
sentences statements than true (60/40) – students are
 Trivial material more likely to answer true
 Broad  One central idea in each item
generalizations
 Ambiguous or
indefinite terms

Suggestion: You can increase the usefulness of true/false questions by asking

students to correct false statements.

Matching
Students respond to matching questions by pairing each of a set of stems (e.g.,
definitions) with one of the choices provided on the exam. These questions are often
used to assess recognition and recall and so are most often used in courses where
acquisition of detailed knowledge is an important goal. They are generally quick and
easy to create and mark, but students require more time to respond to these
questions than a similar number of multiple choice or true/false items.

Example: Match each question type with one attribute:

1. Multiple Choice a) Only two possible answers

2. True/False b) Equal number of stems and choices
3. Matching c) Only one correct answer but at least three choices

Tips for writing good matching items:

Avoid Do use
 Long stems and options  Short responses 10-15 items on
 Heterogeneous content (e.g., only one page
Avoid
dates mixed with people)
 Implausible responses
Do use
 Clear directions
 Logically ordered choices
(chronological, alphabetical,
etc.)

Suggestion: You can use some choices more than once in the same matching
exercise. It reduces the effects of guessing.

Short answer
Short answer questions are typically composed of a brief prompt that demands a
written answer that varies in length from one or two words to a few sentences. They
are most often used to test basic knowledge of key facts and terms. An example this
kind of short answer question follows:

“What do you call an exam format in which students must uniquely associate a set of
prompts with a set of options?” Answer: Matching questions

Alternatively, this could be written as a fill-in-the-blank short answer question:

“An exam question in which students must uniquely associate prompts and options is
called a
___________ question.” Answer: Matching.

Short answer questions can also be used to test higher thinking skills, including
analysis or
evaluation. For example:

“Will you include short answer questions on your next exam? Please justify your
decision with
two to three sentences explaining the factors that have influenced your decision.”

Short answer questions have many advantages. Many instructors report that they are
relatively easy to construct and can be constructed faster than multiple choice
questions. Unlike matching, true/false, and multiple choice questions, short answer
questions make it difficult for students to
guess the answer. Short answer questions provide students with more flexibility to
explain their understanding and demonstrate creativity than they would have with
multiple choice questions; this also means that scoring is relatively laborious and can
be quite subjective. Short answer
questions provide more structure than essay questions and thus are often easy and
faster to mark and often test a broader range of the course content than full essay
questions.

Tips for writing good short answer items:

Type of Avoid Do use
question
All short-  Trivia  Your own words
answer  Long / complex  Specific problems
sentences  Direct questions

Fill-in-  Taking out so many  Prompts that omit only

the-blank words that the sentence one or two key words at
is meaningless the end of the sentence

Suggestion: When using short answer questions to test student knowledge of

definitions consider having a mix of questions, some that supply the term and
require the students to provide the definition, and other questions that supply the
definition and require that students provide the term. The latter sort of questions can
be structured as fill-in-the-blank questions. This mix of formats will better test
student knowledge because it doesn’t rely solely on recognition or recall of the term.

Essays
Essay questions provide a complex prompt that requires written responses, which
can vary in length from a couple of paragraphs to many pages. Like short answer
questions, they provide students with an opportunity to explain their understanding
and demonstrate creativity, but make it hard for students to arrive at an acceptable
answer by bluffing. They can be constructed reasonably quickly and easily but
marking these questions can be time-consuming and grader agreement can be
difficult.

Essay questions differ from short answer questions in that the essay questions are
less structured. This openness allows students to demonstrate that they can integrate
the course material in creative ways. As a result, essays are a favoured approach to
test higher levels of cognition including analysis, synthesis and evaluation. However,
the requirement that the students provide most of the structure increases the amount
of work required to respond effectively. Students often take longer to compose a five
paragraph essay than they would take to compose five one paragraph answers to
short answer questions. This increased workload limits the number of essay
questions that can be posed on a single exam and thus can restrict the overall scope
of an exam to a few topics or areas. To ensure that this doesn’t cause students to
panic or blank out, consider giving the option of answering one of two or more
questions.

Tips for writing good essay items:

Avoid Do use
 Complex, ambiguous  Your own words
wording  Words like ‘compare’ or
 Questions that are too broad ‘contrast’ at the beginning of
to allow time for an in-depth the question
response  Clear and unambiguous
wording
 A breakdown of marks to make
expectations clear
 Time limits for thinking and
writing

Suggestions: Distribute possible essay questions before the exam and make your
marking criteria slightly stricter. This gives all students an equal chance to prepare
and should improve the quality of the answers – and the quality of learning –
without making the exam any easier.

Oral Exams
Oral examinations allow students to respond directly to the instructor’s questions
and/or to present prepared statements. These exams are especially popular in
language courses that demand ‘speaking’ but they can be used to assess
understanding in almost any course by following the guidelines for the composition
of short answer questions. Some of the principle advantages to oral exams are that
they provide nearly immediate feedback and so allow the student to learn as they are
tested. There are two main drawbacks to oral exams: the amount of time required
and the problem of record-keeping. Oral exams typically take at least ten to fifteen
minutes per student, even for a midterm exam. As a result, they are rarely used for
large classes. Furthermore, unlike written exams, oral exams don’t automatically
generate a written record. To ensure that students have access to written feedback, it
is recommended that instructors take notes during oral exams using a rubric and/or
checklist and provide a photocopy of the notes to the students.

In many departments, oral exams are rare. Students may have difficulty adapting to
this new style of assessment. In this situation, consider making the oral exam
optional. While it can take more time to prepare two tests, having both options
allows students to choose the one which suits them and their learning style best.

Computational
Computational questions require that students perform calculations in order to solve
for an answer. Computational questions can be used to assess student’s memory of
solution techniques and their ability to apply those techniques to solve both
questions they have attempted before and questions that stretch their abilities by
requiring that they combine and use solution techniques in novel ways.

Effective computational questions should:

  Be solvable using knowledge of the key concepts and techniques from the
course. Before the exam solve them yourself or get a teaching assistant to
attempt the questions.
 Indicate the mark breakdown to reinforce the expectations developed in in-
class examples for the amount of detail, etc. required for the solution.

To prepare students to do computational questions on exams, make sure to describe

and model in class the correct format for the calculations and answer including:

 How students should report their assumptions and justify their choices
 The units and degree of precision expected in the answer

Suggestion: Have students divide their answer sheets into two columns:
calculations in one, and a list of assumptions, description of process and justification
of choices in the other. This ensures that the marker can distinguish between a
simple mathematical mistake and a profound conceptual error and give feedback
accordingly.

References
 Cunningham, G.K. (1998). Assessment in the Classroom. Bristol, PA: Falmer
Press.
 Ward, A.W., & Murray-Ward, M. (1999). Assessment in the Classroom.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build

upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes
were made. Use this citation format: Exam questions: types, characteristics and
suggestions. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.

Types of exams and tests

If you like it or not, tests are a part of daily life. Be it on school or through out your career.
Once in a while you have to do a test. There are different types of tests and examination with
different goals. We describe the different goals to perform a test. Each test can be made with
our online exam builder.

Written by KnowlyContent writer

Posted onJuly 22, 2020
Reading time3 minutes
Diagnostic test

With this test you can test how much your students already know about a given subject
or topic. You can use the results of this test to schedule your class. Which subjects need
some extra attention. For the student this gives him or her some insights in which part of
the class need some extra study hours. 

Placement test

This kind of test can be used to place the student in the appropriate class or level. For
example for language classes this is often used prior to starting the class. 

Progress or Achievement tests

These tests are used to measure progress in a given subject. This will mostly follow a
diagnostic test or can be in regular intervals. If you measure regularly you get a better
picture of the progress of your students. 

Internal test

These are internal tests given by the institution where the student is following classes. 

Objective tests

Objective test have clear right or wrong answers. All multiple-choice test fall into this
group. The students get a pre-defined set of answers to choose the correct answer
from. 

Subjective tests

With this type of tests the maker of the exam has to pass judgement on the answers of
the student. Mostly this in the form of free text questions or essays. 

Read more about the difference between a test and an exam.

Useful resources

University of Waterloo

Frequently asked questions

✔️What is a diagnostic test?

With this test you can test how much your students already know about a given subject
or topic.
✔️What is a placement test?
This kind of test can be used to place the student in the appropriate class or level.

✔️What is a progress or Achievement test?

These tests are used to measure progress in a given subject.

✔️What is an internal test?

These are internal tests given by the institution where the student is following classes.

✔️What is an objective test?

Objective test have clear right or wrong answers. All multiple-choice test fall into this
group.

✔️What is an subjective test?

With this type of tests the maker of the exam has to pass judgement on the answers of
the student.