CONSTRUCTING THE

TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS (TOS)

 Table of Specifications
 A test plan
 A blueprint of evaluation
 A tool used to ensure that a test measures the content and
thinking skills that the test intends to measure.

Components of TOS

• Topics discussed
• Number of hours or meetings the topic was discussed
• Total number of hours used in discussing topics
• Total number of test items to be constructed
 When to construct TOS?

The TOS should be done before constructing the

test but it is ideal to construct it before the
instruction begins to ensure that the test has
instructional validity.
Instructional validity is an actual measure of
whether the teachers are providing students with
instruction in terms of knowledge and skills
measured by the test (McClung, 1978)
 One Way TOS - Format

Topic Number of Percentage Number of Item

Hours Taught Items Placement/Distribution
 One Way TOS

Topic Number of Percentage Number of Item

Hours Taught Items Placement/Distribution
Topic 1 2 20% 4 1-4
Topic 2 3 30% 6 5-10
Topic 3 5 50% 10 11-20
Total 10 100% 20 20
TOTAL
Topics

No. of Teaching
Hours

No. of Test Items

% of test items

Remembering

Understanding

Applying
Two-way TOS Format

Analyzing
Item Specification

Evaluating

Creating
TOTAL
Topics

No. of Teaching
Hours

No. of Test Items

% of test items

Remembering
Easy

Understanding

Applying
Average
Two-way TOS Format

Analyzing

Evaluating
Difficult

Creating
Steps in Constructing Two-Way TOS
STEP 1: Determine the topics to be included in the test based on the course outline.
Easy Average Difficult

No. of Test Items

No. of Teaching

% of test items

Understanding
Remembering
Hours

Evaluating
Analyzing
Applying

Creating
Topics

Preliminary
Concepts in
Assessment

Target Setting Topics from

course outline
Designing and
Developing
Assessment
Tools

TOTAL
STEP 2: Determine the number of hours allotted (or you spent) for each topic.
(based on the Course Outline)

No. of Test Items

No. of Teaching
Easy Average Difficult

% of test items

Remembering

Understanding

Evaluating
Hours

Analyzing
Applying

Creating
Topics

Preliminary
Concepts in 6 54 hrs. – 12 hrs. = 42 total session hours per sem
Assessment
3 hrs. for midterm exam
Target Setting 6 Time 3 hrs. for final exam
Allotment 6 hrs. for contingencies
Designing and
Developing
9 42 /2 = 21 hrs. per term
Assessment
Tools

TOTAL 21
STEP 3: Determine the total number of test items.

No. of Test Items

No. of Teaching
Easy Average Difficult

% of test items

Remembering

Understanding

Evaluating
Hours

Analyzing
Applying

Creating
Topics

Preliminary
Concepts in 6
Assessment

Target Setting 6

Designing and
Developing
9
Assessment
Tools

TOTAL 21 50
STEP 3: Determine the total number of test items.

True-False questions 10-30 seconds per question

Multiple Choice (recall questions that are brief) 30-60 seconds
More complex multiple choice questions 60-90 seconds
Multiple choice problems with calculations 2-5 minutes
Short answer (one word) 20-60 seconds
Short answer (longer than one word) 1-4 minutes
Matching (5 premises, 6 responses) 2-4 minutes
Short Essays 15-20 minutes
Data analysis/graphing 20-25 minutes
Extended Essays 35-50 minutes
Step 4: Determine the number of items per topic or content area

Formula: To compute for the no. of

items per topic

𝑻𝑶𝑻𝑨𝑳 𝑵𝑼𝑴𝑩𝑬𝑹 𝑶𝑭 𝑰𝑻𝑬𝑴𝑺

= 𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑼𝑳𝑻 𝑿 𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑶𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑫 𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑨 𝑻𝑶𝑷𝑰𝑪
𝑻𝑶𝑻𝑨𝑳 𝑵𝑼𝑴𝑩𝑬𝑹 𝑶𝑭 𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑺
Step 4: Determine the number of items per topic or content area

No. of Test Items

Easy Average Difficult

No. of Teaching

% of test items

Remembering

Understanding

Evaluating
Hours

Analyzing
Applying

Creating
Topics

Preliminary
Concepts in 6 14 𝑻𝑶𝑻𝑨𝑳 𝑵𝑼𝑴𝑩𝑬𝑹 𝑶𝑭 𝑰𝑻𝑬𝑴𝑺
= 𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑼𝑳𝑻 𝑿 𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑶𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑫 𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑨 𝑻𝑶𝑷𝑰𝑪
Assessment 𝑻𝑶𝑻𝑨𝑳 𝑵𝑼𝑴𝑩𝑬𝑹 𝑶𝑭 𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑺

Target Setting 6 14 50
= 2.38 2.38 𝑥 6 = 14.28 𝑜𝑟 14
21
Designing and
Developing
9 22
Assessment
Tools

TOTAL 21 50
Step 5: Determine the percentage of test items per topic.

No. of Test Items

No. of Teaching
Easy Average Difficult

% of test items

Understanding
Remembering

Evaluating
Hours

Analyzing
Applying

Creating
Topics

Preliminary
Concepts in 6 14 28% 𝑵𝒐. 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑰𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔
Assessment 𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟎%
𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒐. 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑰𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔
Target Setting 6 14 28% 𝟏𝟒
𝒙 𝟏𝟎𝟎% = 𝟐𝟖%
Designing and 𝟓𝟎
Developing
9 22 44%
Assessment
Tools

TOTAL 21 50 100%
STEP 6: Determine the total number of items for each level of difficulty..
Step 6: Determine the total number of items for each level of difficulty.

No. of Test Items

No. of Teaching
Easy (30%) Average (50%) Difficult (20%)

% of test items

Understanding
Remembering

Evaluating
Hours

Analyzing
Applying

Creating
Topics

Preliminary
Concepts in 6 14 28%
Assessment

Target Setting 6 14 28%

𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒐. 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒙 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒚
Designing and
Developing
9 22 44%
Assessment
𝟓𝟎 𝒙 𝟎. 𝟑𝟎 = 𝟏𝟓 𝟓𝟎 𝒙 𝟎. 𝟓𝟎 = 𝟐𝟓 𝟓𝟎 𝒙 𝟎. 𝟐𝟎 = 𝟏𝟎
Tools

TOTAL 21 50 100% 15 items 25 items 10 items

Step 7: Determine the number of items for each topic per level of difficulty.

No. of Test Items

No. of Teaching
Easy (30%) Average (50%) Difficult (20%)

% of test items

Understanding
Remembering

Evaluating
Hours

Analyzing
Applying

Creating
Topics

Preliminary 𝟏𝟒 𝒙 𝟎. 𝟑𝟎 = 𝟒. 𝟐 𝒐𝒓 𝟒 𝟏𝟒 𝒙 𝟎. 𝟐𝟎 = 𝟐. 𝟖 𝒐𝒓 𝟑
Concepts in 6 14 28% 4 7 3
Assessment
𝟏𝟒 𝒙 𝟎. 𝟓𝟎 = 𝟕
Target Setting 6 14 28%
N𝒐. 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒄 𝒙 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒚
Designing and
Developing
9 22 44%
Assessment
Tools

TOTAL 21 50 100% 15 items 25 items 10 items

Step 7: Determine the number of items for each topic per level of difficulty.

No. of Test Items

No. of Teaching
Easy (30%) Average (50%) Difficult (20%)

% of test items

Understanding
Remembering

Evaluating
Hours

Analyzing
Applying

Creating
Topics

Preliminary
Concepts in 6 14 28% 2 2 4 3 3 0
Assessment

Target Setting 6 14 28% 3 1 5 2 3 0

Designing and
Developing
9 22 44% 5 2 6 5 4 0
Assessment
Tools

TOTAL 21 50 100% 15 items 25 items 10 items

Step 8: Make sure the vertical and the horizontal sum of the items are correct .

No. of Test Items

No. of Teaching
Easy (30%) Average (50%) Difficult (20%)

% of test items

Understanding
Remembering

Evaluating
Hours

Analyzing
Applying

Creating
Topics

Preliminary
Concepts in 6 14 28%
2 2 4 3 3 0
Assessment

Target Setting 6 14 28% 3 1 5 2 3 0

Designing and
Developing
9 22 44% 5 2 6 5 4 0
Assessment
Tools

TOTAL 21 50 100% 15 items 25 items 10 items

Step 9: Write the item placement for each number of items.

No. of Test Items

No. of Teaching
Easy (30%) Average (50%) Difficult (20%)

% of test items

Understanding
Remembering

Evaluating
Hours

Analyzing
Applying

Creating
Topics

Preliminary
2 2 4 3 3
Concepts in 6 14 28% 0
(1-2) (11-12) (16-19) (31-33) (41-43)
Assessment

3 1 5 2 3
Target Setting 6 14 28% 0
(3-5) (13) (20-24) (34-35) (44-46)
Designing and
Developing 5 2 6 5 4
9 22 44% 0
Assessment (6-10) (14-15) (25-30) (36-40) (47-50)
Tools

TOTAL 21 50 100% 15 items 25 items 10 items

Step 10: Complete the table of specifications, making sure everything
is in place.

Step 11: Always have your TOS side by side with your examination
draft.

Step 12: Make sure you have followed the number of items, levels of
difficulty, and levels in the bloom’s taxonomy as basis for
your test construction.
 SEMA 30083 – Assessment in Learning 1
Midterm Examination, First Semester SY 2021-2022
Table of Specifications

EASY AVERAGE DIFFICULT

NO. OF NO. OF 30% 50% 20%
% OF TEST
Topics TCHING TEST
ITEMS
HOURS ITEMS
REMEMBERING UNDERSTANDING APPLYING ANALYZING EVALUATING CREATING

Preliminary
2 2 4 3 3
Concepts in 6 14 28% -
Assessment (1,2) (11-12) (16-19) (31-33) (41-43)

3 1 5 2 3
Target Setting 6 14 28% -
(3-5) (13) (20-24) (34,35) (44-46)

Designing and
Developing 5 2 6 5 4
9 22 44% -
Assessment (6-10) (14-15) (25-30) (36-40) (47-50)
Tools

TOTAL 21 50 100% 15 items 25 items 10 items