2. TEST CONSTRUCTION AND
STANDARDISATION
Everyone who uses the test needs to prepare tests for assessing mental abilities and, for
this, the knowledge of test construction and its standardisation is essential
The construction of a test and its standardisation are two different but related concepts.
In test construction, after item analysis, the items are fi nally chosen, whereas in
standardisation, the chosen items are administered to large groups and then standard
norms are prepared according to the results.
3. STEPS INVOLVED IN TEST
CONSTRUCTION
• Generally, for all psychological and educational test construction, the
following five steps are used:
1. Planning the test
2. Preparing the preliminary draft of the test,
3. Trying out the preliminary draft of the test,
4. Evaluating the test and
5. Construction of the final draft of the test.
4. PLANNING THE TEST
• The first task of a test constructor is to produce the outline of the
desired test, that is, the plan of the test.
• For this purpose, the subject, medium, administration, procedure,
sample, population, and so on, are established and age, sex,
educational qualifi cation, mother tongue, rural/urban, socio-
economic status and other environmental factors must be
considered
• The particular mental or behavioural characteristics should be clearly
stated before test construction is undertaken
6. PRACTICAL TIPS WHILE PLANNING FOR
THE TEST
Thus, in the first step of test construction, the following four points are
to be considered:
1. Arrangement of assessment of the test objectives,
2. The objective for which the test is being constructed,
3. Reflection of the objectives in the test items. The items for the test
should be in accordance with the objectives of the test and
4. What will be the form, medium and language of the test and under
which conditions will it be administered to persons of a certain age,
sex, and so on.
7. CHARACTERISTI
CS OF GOOF
ITEMS
Characteristics of some good/well-
written items:
1. Items should be situational in
nature,
2. Should be of moderate length,
3. Should be of moderate difficulty
and
4. Should not use technical and
culturally biased words and
phrases.
8. PREPARATION FOR THE PRELIMINARY
TRYOUT OF THE TEST
• First, the collected items of the test should be sent to two to three
specialists of that field for knowing their views.
• Besides the clarity of words, their usefulness, sufficiency of test
material, the forms of the test, their arrangement, and so on,
should also be reviewed
• The preliminary try-out should be given to specialists for testing.
• They should be informed of the standards of age, education and
other important points of the target group, so that improvements are
made on their suggestions.
9. PREPARATION FOR THE PRELIMINARY
TRYOUT OF THE TEST
• the tester should write down the instruction separately for the
testee and the test administrators
• The testee should divide the instructions in two parts :
a) Ordinary instructions, the form of the test and the description of the
objectives
b) Detailed special instructions relating to the test should be given which
should be clear and understandable
10. PREPARATION FOR THE PRELIMINARY
TRYOUT OF THE TEST
• At the same stage, the tester should also devise the value-
assessment process
• For this, he will have to determine what score (weighed score or
standard score) should be given.
• He will have to make a value-assessment guide or scoring stencil
• The tester should devise the value-assessment process and, at this
stage, whatever may be the form of the items, this value-assessment
process should be amended after the preliminary check in the light
of the evidences obtained
11. PREPARATION FOR THE PRELIMINARY
TRYOUT OF THE TEST
• In the preliminary form of the test, there are usually double the numbers of items than there are in
its final form, and these are gradually arranged for simple to complicated ones.
1. To collect the test items from different sources.
2. To include the various forms of the items (which get responses from different sources).
3. Reviewing and editing of the items by specialists to avoid the use of words such as always,
seldom, completely, and so on.
4. To write down the instructions separately for the testee and the test administrator.
5. To determine the mode of value assessment in such a way that similar items are arranged
or presented together for convenience of assessment and interpretation along with
providing convenience to the testee.
12. PILOT STUDY
This is also known as pilot study
Therefore, prior to the construction of the final form, it is essential to test the pre-tryout
form.
After the construction of the test and its pre-tryout form, an effort is made to evaluate the
test for its quality, validity and reliability, and to delete the unnecessary items.
13. PILOT
STUDY
1. By this check, the weak and erroneous items, those with
double mean ings, uncertain items, inadequate items, those
with incomplete mean ing, very difficult and very simple items
should be deleted from the test.
2. The test objectives should be reflected in all the selected items
in order to ensure the validity of every individual item.
3. To indicate the actual number of items included in the final
form of the test.
4. To express or bring out the shortcomings of the responses of
the testee and the tester.
5. To determine the inter-item correlations and, thus, prevent
overlap in item content.
6. To arrange all the items of the test in sub-parts.
7. To determine the test instructions, related precautions and
groups to be affected.
8. To know the actual limit of the final form of the test.
9. To determine the value assessment of the test.
14. PRELIMINARY TRY-OUT
• For the pre-tryout, the test is usually administered on 15 to 20 per
cent of the total population with the objective of finding out its main
shortcomings and remove them somehow.
• Thus, the test is administered on a small group by which many
aspects related to the test are estimated and the main shortcomings
are removed.
• In this process of evaluation, first, that sample is determined for
which the test is being constructed and, for its evaluation, it is
administered to a representative sample of the same group.
15. ACTUAL TRYOUT
• The actual tryout is the stage at which item analysis is carried
out for the screening of the test-items.
• According to Guilford (1954) the number of testees in actual
tryout phase should be around 400.
16. EVALUATING THE TEST
• The evaluation of the test is done on the following condition:
1. As the purity of the test is an index of its difficulty level, it is important to
determine it. Usually, items with 50 per cent difficulty level are considered
appropriate.
2. In the second step, item validity and discrimination value are studied. Usually,
a test should include those items which can differentiate/dis criminate
between extreme groups such as the upper scoring and lower scoring groups.
3. For evaluation, the test can be compared with some other standardised test
meant for the same purpose.
4. The reliability of the test is also to be determined. Low reliability indicates that
the result of the test cannot be relied upon
17. CONSTRUCTION OF THE FINAL DRAFT OF
THE TEST
• Usually, the final test includes those items which are valid and
have appropriate difficulty level.
• Instructions for the testees are given properly and clearly, so
that the test can be used in a scientific manner.
• The limits (the range of scores) and the scoring method are
also determined.
• At this stage, all the important aspects should be properly
organised because the reliability and validity of the test depend
on the final format of the test.
