Steps in Constructing

Teacher-Made Tests
1. Planning the Test – five principles to be
considered
a. A careful statement of the philosophy of the
institution and the objectives of the
particular subject should be available.
b. Adequate provisions for review should be
made by taking into consideration the
availability of facilities and equipment.
c. The purpose of the test should be defined. If
the purpose of the test is for diagnosis, it should
reveal the specific weakness of the students as
basis for remedial instruction. However, if its
purpose is to appraise the critical thinking and
reasoning power, the scores are to be used for
classification and grouping.
d. The nature of the test must take into
consideration the conditions under which is to
be administered. In planning the test, such
factors as age, experience of the examinee,
duplicating facilities, cost materials and testing
environment must be critically considered.
e. Length of the test must be determined. The time
element is determined by the purpose it is to serve.
2. Preparing the Test.
a. The first draft of the test should be prepared as
early as possible.
b. The test should include more than one type of
items. Two or three types of objective items may
be used to minimize monotony on the part of
the examinee. The test prepared should show
the improvement on the behavioral changes of
the students such as knowledge and
understanding, appreciations and interests, and
abilities and skills.
c. The items should be arranged in an ascending
order of difficulty, that is, the items are arranged
from the most easy to the most difficult.
d. More items should be included in the first
draft of the test for possible inclusion in the final
draft. The first draft of the test with less
important items should be discarded.
e. The first and final drafts of the test should be
revised and refined.
f. The item should be stated in such a way that
the whole content functions in determining the
answer rather than a part of it.
g. The items of similar type should be placed
together in the test.

h. A regular sequence in the pattern of

responses should be avoided. The order of
responses should be incidental rather than a
regular pattern.

g. The direction of the test should be brief, clear

and complete to the examinee or testee.
3. Reproducing the Test.
a. To facilitate in reproducing the test,
duplicating facilities should be available
in every institution.
b. Every school should be provided with
clerks and other facilitative staffs to do
the typing, computerizing and
mimeographing the test.
4. Administering the Test.
a. Administer the test in an environment familiar
to the students.
b. Students should sit apart, free from books
and notebooks, otherwise the test items may be
arranged in different orders for students sitting
close to each other to avoid cheating.
c. Typographical errors should be corrected to
the class before the test starts.
d. Give complete and clear directions
before the test begins; and questions
about the directions should not be
entertained while the test is in progress.
e. The distribution of test materials must
be planned in advance to save time and
effort. See to it that every examinee is
supplied with test materials.
f. Entertain briefly questions raised while
the test is going on.
g. In timing the test, the examiner should
write on the board the time the test was
started, the time it will end, and the time
before the questions are pointed out.
h. The examinee or testee should not be
allowed to leave the examination room
except for personal necessities, but within
reasonable time limit.
i. Collect the test materials carefully and
quickly.
5. Scoring the Test
a. The best procedure in scoring objective tests
is to give one point of credit for each correct
answer.

b. In case of a test with only two or three

options to each item, the correction formula
should be applied. For two-option test,
correction formula is score equals right minus
wrong ( S=R-W), where S is the score; R is the
right response; and W, the wrong answer. For
instance, the number of right is 20 and the
wrong answer is 7, the score is 13.
 For a three-option test, the correction
formula is score equals right minus one-half wrong
(S=R-1/2W) or (S-R-W/2). For example, the correct
answer is 25 and the wrong answer is 9. To
substitute, the score is 20.5. S=R-W/2 or S=25-
9/2=20.5. An item without any answer at all is not
considered wrong answer because the student did
not guess, so he left it blank.
Moreover, correction formula is not
applicable to four or more options in an item and
also to elementary grade pupils.

c. In case a correction formula is employed,

students should be informed beforehand so that
they would not guess in answering the items.
6. Evaluating the Test
a. In a general achievement test with an
individual item which is 50 percent
difficulty is better. Items of 100 percent or
zero (0) percent answered by students are
valueless in a test of general statement and
should be revised.
b. The validity of the individual item is determined
by the index of discrimination.
Index of Discrimination – test has the power to
discriminate the poor ones from the bright
ones.
Index of Difficulty – tells how difficult the test item.

A common practice is to arrange the test papers

from highest to the lowest score.

One-third of the papers from the highest or upper

group be compared with one-third of the
papers from the lowest group of the same item.
Set aside the middle group. For instance,
there are 45 test papers, one-third of 45
is 15. And the first 15 belong to the
upper group while the last 15 belong to
the lower group.

Estimate the index of discrimination

and index of difficulty by using the
formula:
 𝑅𝑈−𝑅𝐿
Index of discrimination= RU-RL or di =
𝑁
N
Where: RU = right responses of the upper group
RL = right responses of the lower group
N = Number of students in each group
𝑋
Index of Difficulty = X or df =
𝑁
N
Where: X = the sum of scores of correct answer
of the upper and lower groups
N= the number of cases
Range for Index of Difficulty:
.1 – .20 = Very Difficult
.21 - .40 = Difficult
.41 – .60 = Moderate
.61 – .80 = Easy
.81 – 1.00 = Ver Easy
 The discriminating power of an item is not
more than 1.00. A maximum positive
discriminating power is revealed by an index of
1.00. This is obtained only when all the upper
group students choose the correct answer and
not one in the lower group.
c. The result of the test should be checked
against an outside criterion or a control factor.
d. It is desirable to solve for the reliability
coefficients of the test.
7. Interpreting the Results
 Exercise No. 3 . Estimate the indices of
discrimination and difficulty using the data
below
Options 1 2 3* 4 5

Upper 15 1 1 10 1 2
Lower 15 5 2 4 3 1
 Suggestions in constructing an Essay
Examination

• If an essay examination is to be used

effectively in the classroom, it must be
planned and constructed carefully in
advance.
• It must show major aspects of the lesson in
framing questions, so care must be taken to
distribute questions evenly among the
different units.
• After the test has been planned and the
questions have been written tentatively,
precautions on the causes of unreliability
should be taken.
• In assembling the test questions into a final
form, the teacher should be careful that he
phrases the questions vividly so that its
scope will be clear to the students.
• Time limit on the coverage of each question
should be reckoned so that students have
adequate time to answer.
 Advantages of an Essay Examination
1. Easy to Construct
2. Economical
3. Trains the core of organizing, expressing, and
reasoning power.
4. Minimize guessing.
5. Develops critical thinking.
6. Minimizes cheating and memorizing.
7. Develops good study habits.
Disadvantages of an Essay Examination
1. Low validity
2. Low reliability.
3. Low usability.
4. Encourages bluffing.
5. Difficult to correct or score.
6. Disadvantageous for students with poor
penmanship.
 Scoring an Essay Examination
To avoid subjectivity of scoring an essay test, the
following procedures are hereby presented:
• Brush up the answers before scoring.
• Quickly read through the papers on the basis of
your opinion of their worthiness and sort them into
give groups: (a) very superior papers, (b) superior
papers, (c) average (d) inferior, and (e) very inferior.
• Read the responses at the same time
simultaneously.
• Re-read the papers in each group and shift any that
you feel have been misplaced.
• Avoid looking at the names of the paper you are
scoring.
 Types of Essay Examination
1. Selective Recall – the basis is given. For
instance, name the heads of state in the
world who have been awarded as the
“WORLD WHO’S WHO OF MEN”.
2. Evaluating recall. The basis is also given. For
example, name five departments in the
Philippines which have had the greatest
influence on the economic development of
the country.
3. Comparison of two things (specific). There is
single designated basis.
Examples:
a. Compare rhetoric-approach and
communicative-based approach in teaching
English.
b. Compare traditional and modern methods in
teaching Mathematics.
4. Comparison of two things (general).
Comparing two things in general.
Examples:
a. Compare fish farming in Japan with that in the
Philippines.
b. Compare education in United States with that
in the Philippines.
5. Decision (for or Against).
Examples:
a. In which in your own opinion, can you do better,
an oral or written examination? Why?
b. In your opinion, which is better, essay or
objective examination? Why?
5. Cause or Effects.
Examples:
a. Why is computer education given more
emphasis than other courses?
b. Why is Science and Technology given more
stress by the government than other subjects in
the curriculum?
7. Explanation of the Use of Exact meaning of
some phrases or statement in a passage.
Example:
What does the passage mean “Lord, upon
Thy infinite love, hear thy servants’ plea, grant
us courage against life full of misery-make us
strong instruments of Thee against life’s
adversity- from ignorance to wisdom; and from
wrong perception to right disposition.”
8. Summary of some unit of the test or some
articles read.
Ex. Summarize in a paragraph or two the
advantages and limitations of essay
examination.

9. Analysis.
Example: What are the characteristics of
President Macapagal-Arroyo which make you
understand why Filipinos symphatize her?
10. Statement of relationship.
Examples:
Why is knowledge on Botany helpful in
studying Psychology?
Why is knowledge on Chemistry helpful in
studying Food Technology?

11. Illustration and examples of principles in

Science construction in language, etc.
Ex. From your own experience, give five
examples of the use of Science in your daily life.
12. Classification.
Examples: To what class does fish belong to
animal kingdom?
To what class does Caulerpa peltata belong
to the plant kingdom?

13. Application of rules or principles in new

situations.
Ex. Why is the objective type of examination
commonly used in PRC Licensure Examinations
for Teachers, Board Examinations for Nurses,
etc. than essay?
14. Discussion.
Ex. Discuss briefly the rules and suggestions in
constructing multiple-choice type of test?
15. Statement of aim.
Ex. State the rules in constructing completion
type of test?
16. Criticsm. S to the adequacy, correctness or
relevance of a pointed statement or student’s
answer to a question on the lesson.
Ex. What is wrong with the statement “Practice
makes perfect.”
17. Outline
Ex. Outline the rules for constructing analogy
type of test.

18. Reorganization of facts. (A good type of

review question to give training in organization)
Ex. Discuss the theory-and-practice scheme
approach based upon the book, class discussion,
outside reading, and actual practice.
19. Formulation of new questions, problems and
questions raised.
Ex. What else must be known in order to
understand the matter into consideration?

20. New method or procedure.

Ex. Suggest a plan for improving the new
method of teaching Science.
 Objective Examination
Main Types:
1. Recall
2. Recognition
Recall Types:
1. Simple recall
2. Completion
Recognition Type:
1. Alternative response
2. Multiple Choice
3. Matching
4. Rearrangement
5. Analogy
6. Identification
Recall Type:
1. Simple-recall type. This test is one of the
easiest to construct among the objective types
where the item appears as a direct question, a
stimulus word or phrase, or a specific direction. The
response requires the subject to recall short
consisting of either a word or a phrase previously
learned and the answers are usually short
consisting of either a word or a phrase

The test is applicable in natural sciences

subjects like biological, mathematical, chemical,
and physical science s where the stimulus appears
in a form of a problem that requires computation.
 Rules and suggestions for the
Construction of Simple-Recall Type
1. The test item should be so worded that the
responses is brief as possible preferably a simple
word, number, symbols, or a very brief phrase. This
objectifies and facilitates scoring.
2. The direction question form is usually preferable
to the statement form. It is easier to phrase and
more natural to the student.
3. The blanks for their responses should be in a
column preferably at the right column of the items.
This arrangement facilitates scoring and is more
convenient for the students.
4. The question should been so worded that
there is only one correct response. Whenever
this is impossible, all acceptable answers should
be included in the scoring key.

5. Make a minimum use of textbook language in

wording the questions. Unfamiliar phrasing will
reduce the possibility of correct responses that
represent more meaningless verbal associations.
Sample Test Items of Simple Recall
1. Convert 9 kilometers to meters. 1. _____
2. Convert 12 kilowatts to watts. 2. _____
3. Three boxes of dried fish weigh
75 kilograms. What is the total
weight of 9 boxes of dried fish
of the same kind of box? 3. _____
1. Convert 25,000 grams to
kilograms. 4. _____
2. Completion test.
This test consists of a series of items which
requires the testee to fill a word or phrase on
the blanks. An item may contain one or more
blanks. This is also called the filling the blanks
type of test.
 Rules and Suggestions for the
Construction of Completion Test.
1. Give the student a reasonable basis for the
responses desired. Avoid indefinite
statements.
1. For instance, President Macapagal-Arroyo was
born in ___________. The statement is indefinite
or vague because the response is either date or
place of birth
Avoid over-mutilated statement.
For example, The _______ is obtained by
dividing the _________ by the ___________.
2. Avoid giving the student unwarranted clues to
the desired response.
a. Avoid lifting the statements directly
from the book.
b. Omit only key words or phrases rather
than trivial details.
 c. Whenever possible avoid ‘a’ or ‘an’ immediately
before a blank. These words may give a clue or whether a
response starts with a consonant or vowel.
d. Do not indicate the expected answer by varying
the length of blanks or by using a dot for each letter in
the correct word.
e. Guard against the possibility that one item or
part of the test may suggest the correct response to
another item..
f. Avoid giving grammatical clues to the answer
expected.
• Example:
• The authors of the first performance test of intelligence
were _____________.
Improved: The first performance test of intelligence was
prepared by _________.
3. Arrange the test so as to facilitate scoring.
• Allow one point for each blank correctly filled. Avoid
fractional credits or unequal weighing of items in a
test.
• Select the items to which only one correct response
is possible.
• Arrange the items as far as possible so that the
students’ responses are in a column at the right of
the sentences.
• Scoring is more rapid if the blanks are numbered and
the student is directed to write his response in the
appropriate numbered blanks.
• Prepare a key for scoring by writing on a copy of the
test all acceptable answer.
 Sample Test Items of Completion Test
Directions: Fill in the blank the correct word or
phrase. Write your answer at the right column.
1. Method of estimating the 1. _________
reliability of a test in which
the items are divided into odd
and even items is _________.
Recognition type
1. Alternative response.
This test consists of a series of items where it
admits only one correct response in each item from
the two or three constant options to be chosen.
This type is commonly used in classroom testing,
particularly, the two constant alternative type or
true-false type. Other forms are right-wrong, plus-
minus, yes-no, correct-incorrect, same-different,
etc.
 Suggestions for the Construction of
True-False Test
1. The test items must be arranged in groups of
five to facilitate scoring. The groups must be
separated by two single spaces and the items
within a group by a single space.
2. In indicating response, it must be simple as
possible where a single letter is enough to
facilitate scoring, for instance, T for true and
F for false or X for true and O for false, and
many others.
 It would be better if responses are placed
in one column at the right margin. Sometimes
the response is written before the item number.
But this is unpsychological and inconvenient for
the examinee because he reads from left to right
the items and goes back to the left just to write
his answer.
3. The use of similar statements from the book
must be avoided to minimize rote memory in
studying.

4. The items are carefully constructed so that

the language is within the level of the
students/examinees, hence, flowery statements
are avoided.

4. Specific determiners like ‘all’, ‘ always’, ‘none’,

‘never’, ‘not’, ‘nothing’, and ‘no’ are more likely
to be false and should be avoided.
6. Determiners such as ‘may’, ‘some’, ‘seldom’,
‘sometimes’, ‘usually,’ and ‘often’ are more likely
to be true, thus the aforementioned
determiners must be avoided because they give
indirect suggestion to probable answers.

7. Qualitative terms, for instance, ‘few’, ‘many’,

‘great’, ‘frequent’, and ‘large’ are vague an
indefinite and they must be avoided.
8. Statements which are partly right and partly
wrong must be avoided.

9. Statements must be strongly considered that

they represent either true or false.

10. Ambiguous and double negative statements

must be avoided.

11. Avoid unfamiliar, figurative, or literary

language.
 Suggestions for the Construction of
Multiple Choice Test
1. Statements barrowed from textbooks or
other reference materials must be avoided.
Use unfamiliar phrasing to test the
comprehension of students.

2. All options must be plausible with each other

to attract the students to choose distracters
or incorrect responses where only those
with high intellectual levels can get the best
option.
3. All options must be grammatically consistent.
For instance, if the stem is singular the
options are all singular.
4. Articles ‘an’ and ‘a’ are avoided as last word in
an incomplete sentence. These words give
clues to probable answer of students as to
whether the best option starts which a
vowel or consonant.
5. Four or more options must be provided in
each item to minimize guessing.
6. The order of correct answer in all items are
randomly arranged rather than following a
regular pattern.
7. A uniform number of options in each item must
be used. For instance, if there are 25 items for
this type and if item 1 starts with four options,
the rest of the items will have also four options.
8. The best option has consistent length with
distracters.
9. Homogeneity of the options must be increased in
order to choose the best option by an
examinee/testee of a logical elimination.
10. The simplest method of indicating a
response must be used to facilitate scoring.
For instance, the options in each item are
lettered or numbered, the choice is made by
indicating a letter or number.

11. The main stem of the test item may be

constructed in question form, completion
form or direction form.
Examples:
Question Form:
Which is the same as four hundred seventy?
Completion Form:
Four hundred seventy is the same as ___.
Direction Form:
Add: 22 + 43 =
12. The main stem should be clear. Avoid
awkward stems.
Ex. of an awkward stem:
If there are 9 chairs in the classroom and16
children in the class, the classroom lacks how
many chairs?
Improved Stem
There are 16 children and 9 chairs in the
classroom. How many more chairs are
needed?
 Five Varieties of Multiple Choice Type
1. Stem-and-Option – most commonly used in
classroom testing, board examinations, civil
service examinations and many others. The stem
serves as the problem and is followed by four or
more options from which the examinees select
the correct answer or best option.
Ex. A cognitive domain of behavioral objective that judges the value of
a work by use of external standards of excellence is
1. Analysis
2. Synthesis
3. Evaluation
4. Comprehension
5. Application
2. Setting-and-Option Variety – the optional
responses to this type of test are dependent
upon a setting or foundation of some sort. The
setting can consist of a graphical representation,
equation, picture, sentence, paragraph or some
forms of representations.

3. Group-term Variety – consists of a group of

words or terms in which one does not belong to
the group.
4. structured-response Variety – makes use of
structured response which are commonly used
in classroom testing for natural science subjects.
For instance, directly, indirectly, and in no way,
to test the student on how good they are to
judge statements which are closely related to
each other.
5. Contained-Options Variety – this variety is
designed to identify errors in a word, phrase,
sentence or paragraph.
3. Matching Type – consists of two columns in
which proper pairing relationship of two things
is strictly observed. For instance, Column A is to
be matched with Column B.

a. Balanced Form – the number of items is

equal to the number of options
b. Unbalanced Matching Type – if there are
unequal numbers in the two columns