Mentor's Window: TYPE OF TEST ITEMS.
There are two general categories of test items: (1) objective items which require students to select the correct response from several alternatives or to supply a word or short phrase to answer a question or complete a statement; and (2) subjective or essay items which permit the student to organize and present an original answer.This type of test may contain essay type and objective type test items. An essay test may be objective-centered or objective-based, though it may be difficult to score it objectively. An objective type test, on the other hand, can always be scored objectively, though it may not be objective-centered if it is not planned with reference to the objectives of instruction.Tests vary in style, rigor and requirements. For example, in a closed book test, a test taker is usually required to rely upon memory to respond to specific items whereas in an open book test, a test taker may use one or more supplementary tools such as a reference book or calculator when responding.
Types of Test A test can be classified based on the types of information they provide. Based on Wilmar Tinambunan in his book with the entitled Evaluation of Students Achievement (1998: 7-9), the four types of test are placement test, formative test, diagnostic test, and summative test. The language tests have different kinds of purposes.There are two general types of assessment that tests are designed for: Objective tests aim to assess a specific part of the learner’s knowledge using questions which have a single correct answer.
Types of test Before writing a test it is vital to think about what it is you want to test and what its purpose is. We must make a distinction here between proficiency tests, achievement tests, diagnostic tests and prognostic tests.
