Common test techniques

Common test techniques

1. Test techniques

   • Are means of eliciting behavior
     • From candidates that will tell us about their language
       • we need techniques that
         • Will elicit behavior
           • which can be reliably scored
           • Is an indicator of the ability we are interested
         • Are as economical of time and effort as possible
         • Will have a benefical backwash effect

2. Gap filling items

   • Items in which test takers have to fill a gap with a word
     • When is used, it is essential to told the test takers that
       • Only one word can be put in each gap
   • is a valuable technique
     • It has the advantafes of the short aswer technique
       • But greater control it exercises over test takers means and is is not called for significant productive skills
         • Is carried out with a carefully constructed key

3. YES/NO and TRUE/FALSE items

   • Items in which test takers have to choose between YES and NO or TRUE or FALSE
     • The obvious weaknees is that they have 50% chance of choosing the correct answer

4. Multiple choice

   • It has a stem and a number of options
     • One of which is correct, the others being distractors
       • It is the candidate's task to identify the correct option
   • its advantage is that scoring can be reliable
     • Scoring should be rapid and economical
       • the candidate only has to make a mark on the paper
   • The difficulties with multiple choice are
     • The technique severely restricts what can be tested
       • Multiple choice require distractors, and they are not always available
         • It may not be possible to find three or four plausible alternatives to the correct structure
     • Guessing may have a considerabe but unknoable effect on test scores
       • We can never know what part of an individual's score has come about through guessing
     • Backwash may be harmful
       • There is a danger that in practice for the test will have a harmful effecr on learning and teaching
         • Multiple choice items will not usually be the best way to improve their command of language
     • Cheating may be facilitated
       • The responses on a multiple choice test are so simple that makes them easy to communicate to other candidates non-verbally
     • It is very difficult to write successful items
       • Is extremely difficult to write good multiple choice items
         • Professional test writers have to write more multiple choice items than they actually need for a test
           • They can have more than one correct answer, no correct answer or there are clues of which is the correct options
     • Only recognition knowledge
       • It is a poor indicator of someone's ability to use grammatical structures

5. Short answer items

   • Items in which the test taker has to provide a short answer
     • Advantages
       • Guessing should contribute less to test scores
       • Is not restricted by the need for distractors
       • Cheating is likely to be more difficult
     • Disadvantages
       • Responses may take longer
       • Test takers has to produce language in order to respond
       • Scoring may take longer