1. Module 3
Keys to Effective Testing

2. Lesson 1
Test and Their Uses in Educational
Assessment

3. Test defined
• A test is a systematic procedure for measuring
an individual’s behavior (Brown, 1991). This
definition implies that it has to be developed
following specific guidelines. It is a formal and
systematic way of gathering information about
learners’ behavior, usually through paper-and-
pencil procedure (Airisan, 1989).

4. Uses of Test
Tests serve a lot of function for school
administrators, supervisors, teachers, and
parents, as well .
(Arends, 1994; Escarilla & Gonzales, 1990).

5. Uses of Test
School administrators
utilize test results for making decisions
regarding the promotion or retention of
students; improvement or enrichment of the
curriculum; and conduct of staff development
programs for teachers.

6. Uses of Test
Supervisors
use test results in discovering learning areas
needing special attention and identifying
teachers’ weaknesses and learning
competencies not mastered by the students.

7. Uses of Test
Teachers,
on the other hand, utilize tests for numerous
purposes. Through testing, teachers are able
to― gather information about the
effectiveness of instruction; give feedback to
students about their progress; and assign
grades.

8. Uses of Test
Parents,
too, derive benefits from test administered to
their children. Through test scores, they are
able to determine how well their sons and
daughters are faring in school and how well
the school is doing its share in educating their
children.

9. Types of Tests

10. Types of Tests
As to mode of response:
Oral test- it is a test wherein the test taker gives his
answer orally.
Written tests- it is a test where answers to questions
are written by test taker.
Performance test- it is one in which the test taker
creates an answer or a product that demonstrates
his knowledge or skill, as in cooking and baking.

11. Types of Tests
As to ease of quantification of response:
Objective test- it is a paper and pencil test wherein
students’ answers can be compared and quantified
to yield a numerical score.
Subjective test- it is a paper-and-pencil test which is
not easily quantified as students are given the
freedom to write their answer to a question, such as
an essay test.

12. Types of Tests
As to mode of administration:
Individual test- it is a test administered to one
student at a time.
Group test- it is one administered to a group of
students simultaneously.

13. Types of Tests
As to test constructor:
Standardized test- it is a test prepared by an
expert or specialist.
Unstandardized test- it is one prepared by
teachers for use in the classroom, with no
established norms for scoring and
interpretation of results.

14. Types of Tests
As to mode of interpreting results:
Norm-referenced test- it is a test that evaluates a
student’s performance by comparing it to the
performance of a group students on the same test.
Criterion-referenced test- it is a test that measures a
student’s performance against an agreed upon or
pre-established level of performance.

15. Types of Tests
As to nature of the answer:
• Personality test- it is a test designed for assessing some
aspects of an individual’s personality.
• Intelligence test- it is a test that measures the mental
ability of an individual.
• Aptitude test- it is test designed for the purpose of
predicting the likelihood of an individual’s success in a
learning area or field of endeavor.
• Achievement test- it is a test given to students to
determine what a student has learned from formal
instruction in school.
• Summative test- it is a test given at the end of instruction
to determine students’ learning and assign grades.

16. Types of Tests
As to nature of the answer:
• Diagnostic test- it is a test administered to students to
identify their specific strengths and weaknesses in past and
present learning.
• Formative test- it is a test given to improve teaching and
learning while it is going on.
• Socio-metric test- it is a test used in discovering learners’
likes and dislikes, preferences, and their social
acceptance, as well as social relationships existing in a
group.
• Trade test- it is a test designed to measure an individual’s
skill or competence in an occupation or vocation.