About assessment

1. Other Types of
Subjective Tests
Jerome J. Salay
MAT-English

2. Subjective tests permit the student to
organize and present an original answer
Examples:
short-answer essay
extended-response essay
problem solving
performance test items

3. Short Answer Essay
Short answer essays are open-ended
questions that require students to create an
answer. They are commonly used in
examinations to assess the basic knowledge
of a topic before more in-depth assessment
questions are asked on the topic.

4. The 6 Basic Types of Short-answer Questions

5. 1. Definition questions.
Definition questions require you to define a concept.
Question: "What is a supply curve?“
Answer:
"A supply curve shows the relationship between the price of
a good or service and the quantity supplied. Typically, the price
appears on the left vertical axis and the quality supplied on the
horizontal axis."

6. 2. Explanation questions
Explanation questions require you to explain why something is
true or how something functions.
Question: "Why is the supply curve upward-sloping for most
goods and services?“
Answer:
"The supply curve is upward-sloping because as the price
the market pays increases for goods and services the volume
that suppliers are willing to produce increases."

7. 3. Example questions
Example questions simply require a specific real-world example
of a concept or phenomenon.
Question: "Provide two examples of pairs of goods that are
substitutes.“
Answer:
"Margarine and butter, and tea and coffee are examples of
pairs of goods that are substitutes."

8. 4. Relationship questions
Relationship questions require you to state or show how two or
more things relate to one another. Are they complementary? Are they
the same? Are they different? Are they opposites? How does the
existence of one affect the other? Etc. Relationship questions can be
a bit more challenging than other types of short answers but are very
doable if you're prepared.
Question: "In a competitive market, what is the relationship between
supply and demand?"
Answer: "Demand refers to the quality of a good or service consumers
are willing to buy at a given price. Supply represents the quantity of a
good supplied by producers at various prices. The price resulting from
where supply and demand meet is referred to as the equilibrium
price."

9. 5. Calculation questions
As the name suggests, calculations questions require you
to calculate or compute a numerical answer or response.
Question: "If the demand for used motorcycle purchases in the
United States is represented by P = 1000 - .2Q and the supply of
used motorcycles is represented by P = 400 + .2Q what is the
market equilibrium price and quantity?"
Answer:
"The market equilibrium price (P) is 700. The market equilibrium
quantity (Q) is 1,500."

10. 6. Graphing questions
Graphing questions typically require a answer in the form of
an graph.
Question: "Draw a diagram of a supply curve that shows the
relationship between quantity supplied and price."
The answer is shown below.

11. Extended-response essay
"Extended response items" have
traditionally been called "essay questions."
An extended response item is an open-ended
question that begins with some type of
prompt. These questions allow students to
write a response that arrives at a conclusion
based on their specific knowledge of the
topic.

12. Extended-response essay
An extended response item takes
considerable time and thought. It requires
students not only to give an answer but also
to explain the answer with as much in-depth
detail as possible. In some cases, students
not only have to give an answer and explain
the answer, but they also have to show how
they arrived at that answer.

13. Advantages
They require students to construct an in-depth response that
proves mastery or lack thereof.
Extended response items require students to demonstrate a
higher depth of knowledge than they would need on a multiple
choice item.
Extended response items also are a great way to assess and
teach students grammar and writing.
Extended response items require essential critical thinking
skills.

14. Disadvantages
They are not teacher friendly in that they are difficult to construct and
score.
Extended response items take a lot of valuable time to develop and
grade.
They are difficult to score accurately.
An extended response assessment takes more time for students to
complete than a multiple choice assessment.
Teachers must remember that formulating a well written extended
response is a skill in itself.
Extended response items can be constructed in more than one way.

15. Problem Solving
Another form is the problem solving
or computational exam question. Such
items present the student with a problem
situation or task and require a
demonstration of work procedures.

16. Problem Solving
Problem solving is classified as
subjective due to the procedures used to
score item responses. Instructors can assign
full or partial credit to either correct or
incorrect solutions depending on the quality
and kind of work procedures presented. An
example of a problem solving test item
follows:

17. Advantages in Using Problem Solving
Items
Minimize guessing by requiring the students to provide
an original response rather than to select from several
alternatives.
Easier to construct than are multiple choice or matching
items.
Can most appropriately measure objectives which
focus on the ability to apply skills or knowledge in the
solution of problems.
Can measure an extensive amount of content or
objectives.

18. Limitations in Using
Problem Solving Items
Require an extensive amount of instructor time to
read/grade.
Subject to scorer bias when partial credit is given.