The document outlines 9 stages of test construction: 1) Planning, 2) Preparing items, 3) Establishing validity, 4) Reliability, 5) Arranging items, 6) Writing directions, 7) Analyzing and revising, 8) Reproducing, and 9) Administering and scoring. It discusses key considerations at each stage such as writing items according to specifications, establishing content and criterion validity, determining reliability through various methods, and ensuring the test is objective, comprehensive, simple, and practical. The final stages cover arranging items by difficulty, providing clear directions, analyzing item performance, and properly administering the test.

1. Presentation on
Stagesof Test Construction
Presented by :
Irshad Narejo

2. Stage1
Planning for theTest:
Outline subject-matter content to be
considered asthebasisfor thetest.
Identify learning outcomes to be measured by
thetest.
Preparetableof specifications.
Choose appropriate type(s) of test items for
evaluation of learning outcomes as
summarized in thetableof specifications.

3. Stage2
Preparing theTest
Write test items according to rules of
construction for thetype(s) chosen.
Select the items to be included in the test
according to tableof specifications.
Review and edit items according to
guidelines.
Arrange items: decide on a) grouping of
items, b) sequenceof itemswithin groups, c)
sequenceof groupings.

4. Prepare directions for the test; if
necessary, prepare directions for
individual items (e.g., matching type) or
for sections (e.g., negative form of one-
best responsetype).
Decideon method of scoring.

5. Stage3
Validity of theTest
Valid tests measure what they actually were
designed to measure.
Testsof validity:
1. Content
2 . Criterion - related
3. Construct

6. Stage4
Reliability of theTest
Reliable tests measure what they were
designed to measureconsistently.
Methodsof determining reliability:
1. Test - retest method.
2. Equivalent - formsmethod.
3. Test - retest with equivalent forms.
4. Internal consistency method.

7. (A) objectivity
It means that if the test is marked by different
people, thescoreswill bethesame.
(B) Comprehensiveness
A good test should include items from different
areas of material assigned for the test: e.g.
( Dialogue, composition, comprehension,
grammar, vocabulary, dictation ).

8. ( C) Simplicity
Simplicity means that the test should be
written in a clear , correct and simple
language, it is important to keep the
method of testing as simple as possible
while still testing the skill you intend to
test ( avoid ambiguous questions and
ambiguousinstructions.)

9. (D) Scorability
Scorability means that each item in the test has
its own mark related to the distribution of marks
given by theministry of education or ateacher.
(E) Practicality
It is the relationship between the resources that
will berequired in the design , development and
use of the test and the resources that will be
availablefor theseactivities.

10. Stage5
Arranging Items
The items should be arranged so that all
items of the same type are grouped
together.
The items should be arranged in order of
increasing difficulty.
For some purposes, it may be desirable to
group together items which measure the
same learning outcomes or the same
subject-matter content.

11. Stage6
Writing Directions
The directions for test should be simple and
concise and yet contain information
concerning each of thefollowing:
1. Purposeof thetest.
2. Timeallowed to completethetest.
3. How to record theanswers.
4. Whether to guess when in doubt about the
answer.

12. Stage7
Analyzing and Revising theTest
Retain, edit as necessary, or discard items on
basisof analysisoutcomes.
Revisethetest asawholeif necessary.
Thedifficulty of theitem.
Thediscriminating power of theitem.
Theeffectivenessof each alternative.

13. Stage8
Reproducing theTest
Decisions need to be made regarding page
size, type size, page layout (length of line,
placing of items on page, provision for
response, page numbers, arrangement of
alternatives in multiple choice items),
preparation of copy, proofreading.

14. Stage9
Administering and Scoring theTest
Decisions need to be made regarding setting of
timelimits, observation of timelimits, physical
set-up, proctors (Someone who supervises an
examination ) distribution of test, scoring sheets,
scoring method (by hand/machine).
Decisions need to be made regarding weighting
of itemsaccording to tableof specifications.

15. Administering Tests
When it is time to have students take the test, there
are several things you should keep in mind to make
theexperiencerun assmoothly aspossible:
Have extra copies of the test on hand, in case you
have miscounted or in the event of some other
problem;
Minimize interruptions during the exam by reading
thedirections briefly at the start and refraining from
commenting during the exam unless you discover a
problem;

16. Periodically write the time remaining on the
board;
Be alert for cheating but do not hover over
thestudentsand causeadistraction.

17. Somebasic tipsfor designing Test
Createnew testseach
timeyou teach acourse.
Leaveyourself timeto
writethetest.
Createabank of questions
during theterm.
Pay attention to thelayout
of theexam.

18. Consider the following rules of thumb for how long
students typically need to answer different forms of
questions(McKeachie, 1999):
Oneminuteper objective-typequestion.
Two minutesfor ashort answer
requiring onesentence.
Fiveto ten minutesfor alonger
short answer.
Ten minutesfor aproblem that
would takeyou two minutesto
answer.
Fifteen minutesfor ashort, focused essay.
Thirty minutesfor an essay of morethan oneto two pages.

19. Guidelinesfor Preparing theFinal Draft
Reviewing, Selecting and Editing Items
Does each test item measure an important
learning-outcomeincluded in thetableof
specifications?
Is each item type appropriate for the particular
learning outcometo bemeasured?
Doeseach item present aclearly formulated task?
Istheitem freefrom extraneousclues?

20. Is the difficulty of the item appropriate for the
studentsto betested?
Is each test item independent and are the items,
asagroup, freefrom overlapping?
Do the items to be included in the test provide
adequate coverage of the table of
specifications?
Istheitem stated in simple, clear language?