PLANNING A WRITTEN TEST

LESSON 4 / CHAPTER 2

Balagtas, M.U., David, A.P., Golla, E.F., Magno, C.P., & Valladolid, V.C. (2019). Assessment in
Learning 1: Outcomes-based Workstext. Quezon City: Rex Book Store, Inc.
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Defining the Test Objectives or Learning
Outcomes Targeted for Assessment
• In designing a well-planned written test, first and foremost, one should identify the
intended learning outcomes in a course where test is an appropriate method to use.
• These learning outcomes are knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that every student
should develop throughout the course.
• Clear articulation of learning outcomes is a primary consideration in lesson planning
since it serves as the basis for evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching and learning
process determined through testing or assessment.
• Learning objectives or outcomes are measurable statements that articulate at the
beginning of the course what students should know and be able to do or value as a
result of taking a course.

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Defining the Test Objectives or Learning
Outcomes Targeted for Assessment
• Learning goals provide the rationale for the curriculum and instruction.
• They provide teachers the focus and direction on how the course is to be handled,
particularly in terms of course content, instruction, and assessment.
• They provide the students the reasons and motivations to study and persevere.
• They give students the opportunities to be aware of what they need to do to be
successful in the course, take control and ownership of their progress, and be focused
on what they should be learning.
• Setting objectives for assessment is the process of establishing direction to guide both
teacher teaching and student learning.

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Objectives for Testing
• In developing a written test, the cognitive behaviors of learning outcomes are usually targeted.
• For the cognitive domain, it is important to identify the levels of behavior expected from the
students.
• Traditionally, Bloom’s Taxonomy was commonly used to classify learning objectives based on
levels of complexity and specificity of the cognitive behaviors. With knowledge at the base (i.e.,
lower order thinking skill), the categories progress to comprehension, application, analysis,
synthesis and evaluation.
• However, Anderson and Krathwohl, Bloom’s student and research partner, respectively, came up
with a revised taxonomy. In the revised taxonomy, the nouns used to represent the levels of
cognitive behavior were replaced by verbs and the synthesis and evaluation are switched.

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Figure 1: Taxonomies of Instructional Objectives

Evaluation Create

Synthesis Evaluate

Analysis Analyze

Application Apply

Comprehension Understand

Knowledge Remember

Bloom’s Taxonomy Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

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Table of Specifications
• A table of specifications (TOS), sometimes called a test blueprint, is a tool used
by teachers to design a test.
• It is a table that maps out test objectives, contents or topics covered by the test,
levels of cognitive behavior to be measured, distribution of items, number,
placement, and weights of test items, and test format.
• It helps ensure that the course intended learning outcomes, assessments, and
instruction are aligned.
• Generally, TOS is prepared before a test is created. However, it is more ideal to
prepare one even before the start of instruction. Teachers need to create a TOS
for every test that they intend to develop.

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Table of Specifications
The test TOS is important since it:
• ensures match between the instructional objectives and what the test
captures;
• ensures that the test developer will not overlook details considered
essential to a good test;
• makes developing a test easier and more efficient;
• ensures that the test will sample all important content areas and
processes;
• is useful in planning and organizing; and
• offers an opportunity for teachers and students to clarify achievement
expectations.
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General Steps in Developing a Table of
Specifications

1. Determine the objectives of the test. This should be based on the

instructional objectives. In general, the instructional objectives or the
intended learning outcomes are identified at the start, when the teacher
creates the course syllabus. There are three types of objectives: (1)
cognitive, (2) affective, and (3) psychomotor. Cognitive objectives are
designed to increase an individual's knowledge, understanding and
awareness.

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General Steps in Developing a Table of
Specifications
• When planning for assessment, choose only the objectives that you know
could be best captured by a written test.
• There are objectives that are not meant for a written test. For example, if
you test the psychomotor domain, it is better to do performance-based
assessment for that.
• There are also cognitive objectives that sometimes are better assessed
through performance-based assessment. Those that require
demonstration or creation of something tangible like projects would be
more appropriately measured using also a performance-based
assessment.
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General Steps in Developing a Table of
Specifications
For a written test, you can consider cognitive objectives ranging from
remembering to creating of ideas that could be measured using common
formats for testing like multiple choice, alternative-response test, matching
type and even essays or open-ended tests.

2. Determine the coverage of the test. Only topics or contents that have
been discussed in class and that are relevant will be included in the test.

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General Steps in Developing a Table of
Specifications
3. Calculate the weight for each topic.
• Once the test coverage is determined, the weight for each topic covered in the
test is identified.
• The weight assigned per topic in the test is based on the relevance and the time
spent to cover each topic during instruction.
• The percentage of time for a topic in a test is determined by dividing the time
spent for that topic during instruction by the total amount of time spent for all
topics covered in the test.

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For example, for a test on the Theories of Personality for General
Psychology 101 class, the teacher spent ¼ to 1½ one-hour class
sessions. As such, the weights for each topic is as follows

% of Time
Topic  No. of Sessions Time Spent
(Weight)
Theories & Concepts .5 class session 30 min 10.0
Psychoanalytic Theories 1.5 class sessions 90 min 30.0
Trait Theories 1 class session 60 min 20.0
Humanistic Theories .5 class session 30 min 10.0
Cognitive Theories .5 class session 30 min 10.0
Behavioral Theories .5 class session 30 min 10.0
Social Learning Theories .5 class session 30 min 10.0
300 min or 5
TOTAL 5 class sessions 100
hours

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General Steps in Developing a Table of
Specifications
4. Determine the number of items for the whole test. To determine the number of items to be
included in the test, the amount of time to spend to answer the items are considered. As a general
rule, students are given 30-60 seconds for each item in test formats with choices. For a one hour
class, this means that the test should not exceed 60 items. However, since you need to give time
also for test paper/booklet distribution and giving of instructions, the number of items should be
less, maybe just 50 items.
5. Determine the number of items per topic. To determine the number of items to be included in
the test, the weights per topic are considered. Thus, using the examples above, for a 60-item final
test, Theories & Concepts, Humanistic Theories, Cognitive Theories, Behavioral Theories, and
Social Learning Theories will have 5 items, Trait Theories -10 items, and Psychoanalytic Theories
- 15 items.

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General Steps in Developing a Table of
Specifications
Topic % of Time
No. of Items
  (Weight)
Theory & Concepts 10.0 5
Psychoanalytic Theories 30.0 15
Trait Theories 20.0 10
Humanistic Theories 10.0 5
Cognitive Theories 10.0 5
Behavioral Theories 10.0 5
Social Learning Theories 10.0 5
TOTAL 100 50 items

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Different Formats of a Test Table of
Specifications
1. One-Way TOS. A one-way TOS maps out the content or topic, test
objectives, number of hours spent, and format, number and placement of
items. This type of TOS is easy to develop and use since it just works
around the objectives without worrying on the different levels of cognitive
behaviors. However, a one-way TOS cannot ensure that all levels of
cognitive behaviors that should have been developed by the course are
covered in the test.

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Different Formats of a Test Table of
Specifications
# of
Format and No. and %
Topic Test Objective Hours
Placement of Items of Items
Spent
Theories and Recognize important concepts Multiple Choice 5
.5
Concepts in personality theories Item #s1-5 (10.%)
Identify the different theories of
Psychoanalytic Multiple Choice 15
personality under the 1.5
Theories Item #s 6-20 (30.0%)
Psychoanalytic Model
etc.        
50
TOTAL   5  
(100%)

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Different Formats of a Test Table of
Specifications
2. Two-Way TOS. A two-way TOS reflects not only the content, time spent,
and number of items but also the levels of cognitive behavior targeted per
test content based on the theory behind cognitive testing. For example, the
common framework for testing at present in the DepEd Classroom
Assessment Policy is the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (DepEd, 2015). One
advantage of this format is it allows one to see the levels of cognitive skills
and dimensions of knowledge that are emphasized by the test. It also shows
the framework of assessment used in the development of the test. However,
this format is more complex than the one-way format.

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Different Formats of a Test Table of
Specifications
Level of Cognitive Behavior, Item Format, No. and
Time No. & % Placement of Items
Content KD*
Spent of Items
R U AP AN E C
I.3
Theories F        
5 #1-3
and .5 hours
(10%) I.2
Concepts C          
#4-5
I.2
F          
#6-7
Psycho-
1.5 15 I.2 I.2
analytic C        
hours (30.0%) #8-9 #10-11
Theories
I.2 1.2
P        
#12-13 #14-15

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Different Formats of a Test Table of
Specifications
1.3 II.1 II.1
M      
#16-18 #41 #42
etc.                  
Scoring       1 point per item 2-points 3-points
OVERALL 50
5   20 20 10
TOTAL (100.0%)

Legend:
KD = Knowledge Dimension (Factual, Conceptual, Procedural, Metacognitive)
I – Multiple Choice
II – Open-Ended

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Different Formats of a Test Table of
Specifications
Another presentation is shown below:

Level of Cognitive Behavior and Knowledge

Time No. of Dimension*, Item Format, No. and Placement of Items
Content
Spent Items
R U AP AN E C

I.3 I.2
Theories and 5
.5 hours #1-3 #4-5        
Concepts (10%)
(F) (C)
II.1
I.2 1.2 #14- II.1
Psycho-analytic 1.5 15 I.2 I.2 #42 (M)
#10-11 15 (P) #41
Theories hours (30.0%) #6-7 (F) #8-9 (C)  
(C)   (M)
 

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Different Formats of a Test Table of
Specifications
 I.2
1.3 #16-
#12-13
18 (M)
(P)
etc.                
Scoring     1 point per item 3-points 5-points
OVERALL 50
  20 20 10
TOTAL (100.0%)

Legend:
KD = Knowledge Dimension (Factual, Conceptual, Procedural, Metacognitive)
I – Multiple Choice
II – Open-Ended

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Different Formats of a Test Table of
Specifications
3. Three-Way TOS. This type of TOS reflects the features of one-way and
two-way TOS. One advantage of this format is that it challenges the test
writer to classify objectives based on the theory behind the assessment. It
also shows the variability of thinking skills targeted by the test. However, it
takes a much longer time to develop this type of TOS.

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Different Formats of a Test Table of
Specifications
Level of Cognitive Behavior and Knowledge
Dimension*, Item Format, No. and
Learning Time No. of
Content Placement of Items
Objective Spent Items
R U AP AN E C
Recognize
Theories I.3 I.2
important concepts .5 5
and #1-3 #4-5        
in personality hours (10%)
Concepts (F) (C)
theories
Identify the II.1
I.2
Psycho- different theories of I.2 I.2 1.2 II.1 #42
1.5 15 #10-11
analytic personality under #6-7 #8-9 #14- #41 (M)
hours (30.0%) (C)
Theories Psychoanalytic (F) (C) 15 (P) (M)  
 
Model  

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Different Formats of a Test Table of
Specifications
I.2 1.3
#12-13 #16-18
(P) (M)

etc.                  
Scoring       1 point per item 3-points 5-points
OVERALL 50
  20 20 10
TOTAL (100.0%)

Legend:
KD = Knowledge Dimension (Factual, Conceptual, Procedural, Metacognitive)
I – Multiple Choice
II – Open-Ended

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