3. CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD
TEST
A test is said to be scientific, it should have
1. Objectivity
2. Reliability
3. Validity
4. Norms
5. Practicability
4. TYPES OF TESTS
Psychological tests are classified on the basis of
their: -
Language
Mode of Administration
Difficulty level
5. Language
• Verbal / Non
Verbal
• Performance
Mode of
administration
• Individual
• Group
Difficulty level
• Speed
• Power
6. SPEED TEST
In a speed test: -
There is a time limit within which the test taker is
requires to answer all the items.
Evaluate the individual on the basis of time taken to
answer the items accurately.
All the items are of the same degree of difficulty.
Items are usually not high in difficulty.
7. CONTN…
Contain more items
Used by human resource professionals and I/O
Psychologists during the hiring process.
Example: - Clerical speed and accuracy in
differential aptitude test battery, clinical speed and
accuracy.
8. POWER TEST
Power test assesses: -
Underlying ability (or power) of the individual by allowing
them sufficient time.
Test do not have any time limit.
Items are arranged in an increasing order of difficulty.
E.g.: - a person have difficulty in answering the 6th item
of a test.
9. CONTN…
Has a time limit long enough to permit everyone to
attempt all items.
A score on the power test depends entirely upon
the number of items answered and answered
correctly.
Examples: - Raven’s Progressive Matrices.
10. INDIVIDUAL TEST
A test can be said individual test: -
They can be administered to only one person at a time.
Require oral responses from the examinee or
necessitate the manipulation of the materials.
Useful for collecting comprehensive information about
the testee
E.g.: - Children’s Individual test for Creativity, SPM,
Wechsler test.
11. ADVANTAGES OF INDIVIDUAL TEST
1. Examiner can pay more attention to the examinee.
2. Examiner can easily encourage the examinee and
observe his behaviour during the test more
closely.
3. Scores on individual tests are not as dependent
on reading ability as scores in group tests.
12. DISADVANTAGES OF INDIVIDUAL TEST
1. It is very time consuming
2. This type of tests requires a highly-trained
examiner.
3. It costs more than the group test.
13. GROUP TEST
Group test was developed to: -
Mass testing
Can be administered to more than one individual at a time.
Simplified instruction and administration procedures.
Requiring a minimum of training on the part of examiner.
Example: The Army Alpha and Beta Test, Terman’s Group
test and Otis Self -Administrative test.
14. ADVANTAGES OF GROUP TEST
1. Can be administered to very large numbers
simultaneously
2. Simplified examiner role
3. Scoring typically more objective
4. Large, representative samples often used leading
to better established norms
5. A highly verbal group test can have a higher
validity co-efficient than an individual test.
15. DISADVANTAGES OF GROUP TEST
1. Scores are generally dependent on the reading ability.
2. Information obtained are generally less accurate than
the individual tests
3. Examiner has less opportunity to establish rapport,
obtain cooperation, and maintain interest
4. Not readily detected if examinee tired, anxious, unwell
5. Evidence that emotionally disturbed children do better
on individual than group tests
16. CONTN…
Examinee’s responses more restricted
Normally an individual is tested on all items in a group
test and may become boredom over easy items and
frustrated or anxious over difficult items
Individual tests typically provide for the examiner to
choose items based on the test takers prior responses
moving onto quite difficult items or back to easier items.
So individual tests offer more flexibility.
