A COURSE MODULE FOR
NATIONAL SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM I
(NSTP I)
RAPHAEL M. FERRER
ATTY. ERIC PAUL D. PERALTA
HERALD IAN C. GUIWA
EUGENE RAYMOND P. CRUDO
COPYRIGHT
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WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
LESSON 16:
Test Construction
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Lesson Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:
1. discuss the importance of tests in student evaluation;
2. enumerate the rules in test construction; and
3. analyze the qualities of good tests.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Lesson Key Concepts and Examples
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Definition of Test
• A test is an important part of the learning process because it
is one of the parameters to gauge the level of a taker’s
knowledge and skills.
• The common functions of tests are as follows:
• Instruction;
• School Administrative Matters; and
• Guidance Purpose.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Tips for Test Construction
I. PLANNING
A. What needs to be assessed?
B. What will be the scope of your test items?
C. How much weight must be given to a specific lesson or subject?
D. What types of tests are applicable to the learning outcomes?
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Tips for Test Construction
II. PREPARATION
A. Prepare the test items.
1. Be mindful of the number of students who will take the test.
2. The test must be in line with the lesson’s learning outcomes.
3. Avoid ambiguity.
4. Difficulty levels of items must be balanced.
5. Lessen the clues in your test.
6. Be sensitive to ethnic and sexual biases.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Tips for Test Construction
II. PREPARATION
B. Compose the instructions of the test.
1. Indicate the purpose of your test.
2. Manage the allotted time to answer the test.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Tips for Test Construction
C. Provide a scoring key.
1. Indicate the purpose of your test.
2. Manage the allotted time to answer the test.
III. ACTUAL TEST
A. Choose the proper venue for the test.
B. Teachers must be aware of their activities and movements while
administering the test.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Rules in Test Construction
A. Multiple Choice
1. Avoid vague stems.
2. The wrong choices or distractions must still be acceptable.
3. Make sure that one of the choices is the clear answer, but not to the point
that it is too obvious.
4. One item must not be a clue to the succeeding items of the test.
5. Be careful in using “None of the above” or “All of the Above” as a choice.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Rules in Test Construction
B. True or False
1. Lessen the use of determiners, such as all, always, no, none, nothing, never,
may, sometimes, oftentimes, generally, frequently, and some.
2. Do away with double negatives or statements with two negative words.
3. Avoid ambiguity of statements and meaning in your items, as well as long
statements.
4. Stop being too trivial in your items.
5. Do not copy a statement verbatim from a book or similar references.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Rules in Test Construction
C. Matching Type
1. The entries in the columns should be brief and concise.
2. The entries should be homogeneous. This means that they belong to the
same categories.
3. Some entries should serve as distractions to discourage the students from
simply guessing the answers.
4. One column should be numbered, while the other should be distinguished by
letters.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Rules in Test Construction
D. Identification/Completion Type
1. Single-word or single-concept answers are encouraged.
2. Questions should be specific because general descriptions may be answered
in different ways.
3. In the sentence or question, omit only the keywords. In this way, the other
words serve as clues to the correct answer.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Rules in Test Construction
E. Essay
1. Because answering an essay item would consume a lot of time, be cognizant
of time constraints by making feasible questions.
2. Construct the questions in an interesting manner to motivate students to
supply substantial answers.
3. Prepare the essay rubrics beforehand and, as much as possible, include them
in the instruction part of the test.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Rules in Test Construction
E. Essay
4. In checking, avoid looking at the names of the students to remove any biases.
5. Avoid interruptions in checking the answers, and if time permits, read the
students’ responses multiple times (Indiana University, 2020; Kelly, 2019).
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Concluding Slide
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
• Test – an integral part of the learning process that serves three
functions: 1) improvement of instruction; 2) aid in administrative
decisions; and 3) guidance purposes
• Some commonly used types of tests are multiple choice, true or
false, matching type, identification/completion, and essay.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
Reference
Ferrer, Raphael M., Peralta, Eric Paul D., Guiwa, Herald Ian C., and Crudo, Eugene Raymond P. A
Course Module for National Service Training Program I (NSTP I). Metro Manila, Philippines: REX Book
Store, Inc., 2023.
WWW.REX.COM.PH LESSON 16: TEST CONSTRUCTION
