The decision of whether to use essay tests or multiple choice tests depends on several qualifiers related to the different characteristics of the tests and the needs of the situation. The most important qualifier involves matching the type of test to the instructional objectives being tested, with multiple choice tests being used to measure a…

The fact sheet focuses on considerations when testing adaptations are needed, provides some facts about disability, and identifies a variety of adaptations of testing procedures which have been developed and successfully used in schools, vocational training programs, and on college campuses. Testing adaptations are discussed in terms of disability…

Preliminary findings concerning crib card examinations, in which students bring their own notes for use during testing, show that while crib card test results were similar to those from traditional examinations, students' anxiety was reduced, and testing time was saved, claims that the cards may enhance learning were not substantiated. (MSE)

The effects of examination format and previous experience with microcomputers on the test scores of 96 undergraduate students were investigated. Results indicated no significant differences in the scores obtained on the two types of test administration (microcomputer and traditional paper and pencil). Computer experience was not an important…

Complex multiple choice (CMC) items are frequently used to test knowledge about repetitive information. In two independent comparisons, performance on the CMC items surpassed that of the multiple true-false clusters. Data indicate that performance on CMC items is inflated, and distractors on CMC items fail to prevent guessing. (Author/PN)

High school students studied a brief history text, then either took a test on the passage, spent equivalent time reviewing, or went to an unrelated task. A test given two weeks later indicated that the test condition resulted in better retention than either the review or control conditions. (Author/GK)

Suggests a testing format suitable for thermodynamics, including questions and correct answers. Also offers a test question and an acceptable solution focusing on the elimination of certain steps in the glycolytic pathway. (SK)

A study examined a paper-based method of testing in a clinical biochemistry course, part of a new modular, systems-oriented medical curriculum at the University of Otago (New Zealand). The method of assessment was found easy to administer, and students valued the quizzes as a stimulus to study and as feedback. (Author/MSE)

Examined equivalence of mode of administration of the Career Decision-Making System, comparing paper-and-pencil version and computer-based version. Findings from 61 undergraduate students indicated that the computer-based version was significantly more reliable than paper-and-pencil version and was generally equivalent in other respects.…

Suggests that performance tests as currently represented in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)-Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) may not adequately address the basic concerns brought about by the perceived shortcomings of academic second language programs. Supports this argument with a critical analysis of the ACTFL…

Ways in which elementary and junior high school teachers can use the My Class Inventory (MCI) to assess their students' views of classroom climate are discussed. The climate of a group is defined as the quality of the internal environment that persists over time and is experienced by members of the group. The short form of the MCI, which is…

College undergraduates (n=38) were administered identical multiple choice tests with randomly presented answer-sheets numbered either vertically or horizontally. Of the originally-scheduled four tests during the semester, tests one and three were retested with entirely different test questions, also multiple choice, resulting in scores from tests,…

Test performances of sophomore medical students on a pretest and final exam (under guessing and no-guessing instructions) were compared. Discouraging random guessing produced test information with improved test reliability and less distortion of item difficulty. More able examinees were less compliant than less able examinees. (Author/RH)

Discusses authenticity in language testing in relation to the language proficiency movement. Looks at both sociolinguistic and psychometric principles as they are concerned with authenticity and validity as well as the inferential distance that separates face validity from techical validities. Criticizes the belief that some test type possess…

Discusses issues related to examination questions which begin by asking students to "Describe an experiment to..." Indicates that this strategy is useful when focusing on important quantities/phenomena or "celebrated" experiments and that examining boards should not request students to describe experiments which verify or…