UNIT 1-GUIDELINES IN CONSTRUCTION OF TEACHER-

MADE TESTS

CONSTRUCTION OF TEACHER-MADE TESTS

This chapter covers the steps in constructing test items

and important considerations in planning the test. It also
presents the general categories of test item format and
principles of test construction.

STEPS IN CONSTRUCTING A TEACHER-MADE TEST

1. Planning the Test and Construction of Table of
Specifications (TOS)
2. Preparing the test
3. Reproducing the test
4. Administering the test
5. Scoring the test
6. Evaluating the Test
7. Interpreting the Test Result

Planning the Test

● Identify test objectives

● Decide on the type of objective test to be prepared

● Prepare a Table of Specification

● Construct the draft test items

● Try-out and validation

TWO GENERAL CATEGORIES OF TEST ITEM FORMAT

A. Essay type
B. Objective type

PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 1

I. ESSAY TESTS
⮚ Consist of questions to which the students respond in one or more sentences to a
specific question or problem.

Classification of Essay Questions

1. According to Brevity of Responses
a. Simple Recall Question- demands a short response, a sentence or
two, to a question which usually begins with “What”, “Who”, “When”,
and “Where”.
b. Short-answer Question- usually begins with “define”, “identify”, “list
down”, “find”, or “state”.
c. Discussion type - usually asks a question starting with “explain”,
“describe”, “interpret”, “compare”, contrast”, “outline”, and the like.
2. According to the Scope of Responses and the Latitude of Answering.
a. Unrestricted or Uncontrolled type.
b. Restricted or controlled type

Types of Essay Examination

1. Enumeration of things, concrete or 7. Analysis
abstract 8. Summary
2. Description of things, concrete or abstract 9. Evaluation or criticism
3. Comparison based on similarities and 10. Outline
differences 11. Classification
4. Explanation or exposition. 12. Reorganization of facts or
5. Development of a topic, a theme, a data
subject 13. Narration
6. Argument for or against

Principles in writing an Essay Test

1. Plan what mental processes are to be tested before writing the test.
2. Use essay questions to test the student’s ability to organize information.
3. Use key words to phrase essay questions
4. Focus essay questions on only one issue at a time.
5. Inform the test takers that the question will be graded on the strength of their
evidence, presentation, and organization of thoughts on an issue.
6. Adjust the level of complexity of questions to the level of maturity of the students.

Advantages of an Essay Examination

1. Easy to construct
2. Economical
3. Trains the core of organizing, expressing, and reasoning power
4. Minimize guessing
5. Develops critical thinking
6. Minimizes cheating and memorizing
7. Develops good study habits

Disadvantages of Essay Examination

1. Low validity (has limited sampling)
2. Low reliability (due to subjectivity of scoring)

PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 2

 3. Low usability (time consuming)
4. Encourage bluffing
5. Difficult to correct or score
6. Disadvantages for students with poor penmanship

Scoring Essay Examination

1. Over-all rating. The scorer reads the whole test paper through and then gives a
single mark for the entire test (Ex: 85, B, or 2.0).
2. Item weighting. Each item or question is given a weight or value, usually
numerical, depending upon the length, difficulty, or importance of the answer. The
response to each item or question is scored within the weight or value.
3. Classification. First, a desirable number of quality classes is set up, say 5-excellent,
4-very good, 3- good, 2- fair, 1-poor or A, B, C, D, and E.

Each paper is read cursorily and placed temporarily in a class where it belongs.
Then after all the test papers have been read and classed temporarily, each paper
is read again; this time very thoroughly and finally placed in the category where it
really belongs. So the test paper may be transferred from one class to another.
Each paper is then given a final over-all rating depending upon the class where it
belongs.

Other suggestions for scoring essay examinations

1. Prepare the scoring key in advance to make scoring more reliable and objective.
2. Decide for provisions for handling factors which are irrelevant to the learning
outcomes being measured (example: legibility of handwriting, spelling, sentence
structure, neatness, etc)
3. Grade one question at a time for all papers.
4. Grade the responses without looking at the student’s name.
5. Correct score and provide comments to inform the student’s progress.

II. OBJECTIVE TESTS

⮚ Generally call for single words, phrases, numbers, letters, and other symbols as
responses for items.

Types of Objective Tests(RECALL & RECOGNITION )

I. RECALL TYPES
A. Simple Recall- response requires the subject to recall previously learned material
and the answers are usually short consisting of either a word or a phrase.

Rules and Suggestions for the construction of simple recall type:

1. The test item should be so worded that the responses is brief as possible
preferably a single word, number, symbols, or a very brief phrase.
2. The direct-question form is usually preferable to the statement form. It is easier to
phrase and more natural to the student.
3. The blanks for their responses should be in a column preferably at the right
column of the items.

PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 3

 4. The question should be so worded that there is only one correct response.
Whenever this is impossible, all acceptable answers should be included in the
scoring key.
5. Make a minimum use of textbook language in wording the questions. Unfamiliar
phrasing will reduce the possibility of correct responses that represent more
meaningless verbal associations.

Examples:
1. Convert 9 kilometers to meters. 1. ____________
2. Convert 12 kilowatts to watts. 2. ____________
3. Convert 25,000 grams to kilograms 3. ____________

B. Completion Test- consists of a series of items which require the subject to fill a
word or phrase on the blanks.

Rules and Suggestions for the Construction of Completion Test

1. Omit only words that are essential to the meaning of the statement or
sentence.
2. Do not omit so many words in a statement. The statement may lost its
meaning.
Example: Poor: ____________ is obtained by dividing ____________ by
_____________.
Better: IQ is obtained by dividing _____________ by ______________.

3. Make the blanks equal in length to avoid clues.

4. Avoid grammatical clues.
Example: Poor: An adjective modifies a _____________.
Better: An adjective modifies _____________.
5. Avoid equivocal questions. Equivocal questions admit two or more
interpretations.
Example: Poor: Rizal was born in _____________.
Better: Rizal was born in the year _____________.

Sample Test Items of Completion Test

Direction: Fill in the blank the correct word or phrase. Write your answer at the right
column.
1. Method of estimating the reliability of a test in 1. ______________
which the items are divided into odd and even
items is _____________.

2 & 3. The arithmetic mean is obtained by dividing 2. ______________

the _____________ by the _____________. 3. ______________

2. RECOGNITION TYPES
A. Alternative Response Test- consists of a series of items which admits only one
correct response in each item from the two or three constant options to be chosen.
PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 4
 This type is commonly used in classroom testing, particularly, the two-constant
alternative type or true-false type. Other forms are right-wrong, plus-minus, yes-
no, correct-incorrect, modified true-false, three-constant alternative type (true-
false, doubtful) etc.

Suggestions for the Construction of True-False Test:

1. Arrange the statements in groups. There is less strain in scoring if the
items are arranged in groups of five, with double spacing between each
group.
2. In indicating response, it must be simple as possible where a single letter is
enough to facilitate scoring.
3. The use of similar statements from the book must be avoided to minimize
rote memory in studying.
4. The items are carefully constructed so that the language is within the level
of the students, hence, flowery statements are avoided.
5. Specific determiners like “all,” “always,” “none,” “never,” “not,” “nothing,”
and “no” are more likely to be false and should be avoided.
6. Determiners such as “may,” “some,” seldom,” “sometimes,” “usually,” and
“often” are more likely to be true, thus, the aforementioned determiners
must be avoided because they give indirect suggestion to probable answers.
7. Qualitative terms, for instance, “few,” “many,” “great,” “frequent,” and
“large” are vague and indefinite and they must be avoided.
8. Statements which are partly right and partly wrong must be avoided.
9. Statements must be strongly considered that they represent their either true
or false.
10. Ambiguous and double negative statements must be avoided.
11. Avoid tricky statements. These are usually statements which appear to be
true but which are really false because of the petty insertion of some
inconspicuous words, phrase, or letter.

Advantages:
1. It is relatively easy to construct.
2. It can sample wide range of course material.
3. It has a potential diagnostic value for measuring simple logic or reasoning,
and recognizing fact from opinion.
4. It is highly objective.

Limitations:
1. It measures relatively simple learning outcomes.
2. It is highly susceptible to guessing.
3. It also creates a “response set” among “test-wise.”

B. Multiple Choice Test- made up of items which consist of three or more plausible
options in each item.

Rules for the construction of a Multiple-Choice Test

1. The main stem of the test item may be constructed in question form,
completion form or direction form.
2. The main stem should be clear. Avoid awkward stems.
Example:
PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 5
 Poor: If there are 9 chairs in the classroom and 16 children in the class, the
classroom lacks how many chairs?
a. 7 b. 8 c. 9 d. 10
Better: There are 16 children and 9 chairs in the classroom. How many more
chairs are needed?
a. 7 b. 8 c. 9 d. 10

3. Ensure that the alternative answers all relate to the stem of the item in some
way.
4. Make sure that the alternatives are grammatically consistent with the stem and
do not provide verbal clues to the answer.
5. Ensure that the answer to each item is independent of the information found in
other stems of the test.
6. Do not include irrelevant or unnecessary information to the stem.
7. Use stems in which the candidate or the examinee must identify the incorrect
alternatives within as little time as possible and particularly avoid double
negatives.
8. Avoid mutually inclusive and mutually exclusive alternatives as much as
possible (example: all of these, none of these, A and B only, etc. ).
9. Do not make any key word or phrase in the correct response appear in the
statement.
10. Make the correct responses occur in random order. They should not follow a
pattern.
11. Present four or more options to minimize the chance of guessing.
12. Do not make any option obviously correct or obviously wrong.

Advantages:
1. It has superior capability to measure a higher level of knowledge, judgement,
reasoning and understanding compared to other types of objective tests.
2. It is free from some of the shortcoming (such as ambiguity or vagueness)
characteristics to other item tests.
3. There is less opportunity for guessing because of the number of alternatives.
4. It is relatively free from “response sets” because the examinees must choose
one response over the other.
5. Unlike the matching type, the need for homogenous material is avoided.
6. It can be objectively and rapidly scored.
7. With a given amount of effort, multiple-choice items will tend to be higher
quality than others. It lends itself well to statistical validation for “item pooling.”

Limitations:
1. Just like other pencil and paper test, it is limited to learning outcomes at the
verbal level.
2. It is inappropriate for measuring the ability to organize and present ideas.
3. It is more difficult to construct than other test types.

C. Matching Test- consists of two columns in which proper pairing relationship of

two things is strictly observed.

Rules for construction are the following:

PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 6

 1. The stem or stimulus column should be written at the left and the response or
option column at the right. There should be a short blank before each item in
the stem or stimulus column.
2. Direction should be clear in stating what items in the response should be
matched with the items in the stem or stimulus column and vice-versa and
what symbols in the response items should be written before the stimulus items
to which they correspond.
3. All items in each column to relate to the same topic or theme, such as wars-
dates, books-authors, etc.
4. The response or option column should contain more items, at least two more
than the items in the stem or stimulus’ column so that the pairing of items may
not be done by elimination.
5. Arrange the items in the response column alphabetically and chronologically (if
numbers).
6. Make the items to be matched brief. Place the longer items like sentences or
principles on the left column.
7. Instruction should tell exactly what the examinee is to do.
8. Place all items in both columns on the same page.
9. The number of items in the stem or stimulus column should be about ten.
Making the number very much lower than 10 may make the test too short and
easy but making the number very much higher than 10 makes the paring very
laborious.

Advantages
1. It is compact in form which makes it possible to measure a large amount of
related factual material in a short time.
2. It is relatively easy to construct. Very good items, however, requires a high
degree of skill.

Limitations:
1. It tests only simple learning outcomes like identifying simple relationship.
2. It is highly susceptible to the presence of irrelevant clues.

D. Rearrangement Type- consists of a multiple option item where it requires a

chronological, logical rank, etc.

When this type of test is used, the basis of arrangement should be stated
clearly. The Bases are:
1. Chronological order
2. Geographical arrangement
3. Arrangement according to magnitude
4. Alphabetical order
5. Arrangement according to importance, quality, etc.

E. Identification- a form of completion test in which a term is defined, described,

explained or indicated by a diagram, or a concrete object and the term to be
supplied by the student.

The rules for construction are:

PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 7

 1. The definition, description, or explanation of the terms may be given by means
of a phrase or incomplete statement if it is not indicated by a picture, diagram,
or complete object.
Example: Identify the following:
______________(1) The hero of the Battle of Mactan.
______________(2) A triangle with three equal sides.

2. The statement should be so phrased that there is only one response.

Example: Identify the following:
Poor: ______________(1) The City of Baguio.
Better: ______________(2) The Summer Capital of the Philippines.

F. Labeling Type- names of parts of a diagram, map, drawing, or picture are to be

indicated.

The rules for the construction of the test are:

1. Make the diagram, map, drawing, or picture to be labeled very clear and
recognizable, especially the parts to be labeled.
2. The parts to be labeled should be indicated by arrows so that the labels c an be
written in a vertical column in a definite place not on the face of the diagram, map,
drawing or picture.
3. Labeling can be a matching type of test if the labels with some extras are
given.

G. Analogy-made of items consisting of a pair of words that are related to each

other.
The pairs may be on the basis of any of the following types of relationships:
a. Purpose
b. Cause and effect
c. Part-whole
d. Part-part
e. Action to object
f. Synonym
g. Antonym
h. Place
i. Degree
j. Characteristics
k. Sequence
l. Grammatical
m. Numerical association

Rules for Constructing Analogy Tests

1. The test must be homogeneous and is clearly pointed in the direction. (Refer to
the types of relationships.)
2. The relationship of the first pair of words must be equal to the relationships of
the succeeding pairs.
3. Distracters must be plausible with the correct option to attract the students and
the process of obtaining a correct answer is by logical elimination.
4. All options must be constructed in a parallel language.
5. All items must be grammatically consistent.

PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 8

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR WRITING OBJECTIVE TEST ITEMS(RECALL&
RECOGNITION)

1. Begin items far enough in advance that you will have time to revise them.
2. Match items to intended outcomes at the proper difficulty level to provide a valid
measure of instructional objectives. Limit the question to the skill being assessed.
3. Be sure each item deals with an important aspect of the content area and not with
trivia.
4. Be sure that the problem posed is clear and unambiguous.
5. Be sure that each item is independent of all other items.
6. Be sure the item has one correct answer on which experts would agree.
7. Prevent unintended clues to the answer in the statement or question.
8. Avoid replication of the textbook in writing test items.
9. Avoid trick or catch questions in an achievement test. Don’t waste time testing
how well the students can interpret your intentions.
10. Include items that require higher-level thinking.

Self-assessment questions/Practice exercises: Analyze the following test

items. Encircle the poor items and suggest ways on how these can be
improved.
Completion Items
1. The evolutionary theory of ________is based on the principle of
____________.
2. World War II ended in __________.
3. The IQ is obtained by dividing the ______________ by the
__________________.
Comments/Suggestions:

Identification Test
1. The coolest city.
2. Who was the first president?
PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 9
3. The president of the Philippine Republic.
Comments/Suggestions:

True-False Items
1. High-IQ children always get high grades in school.
2. Mario Lopez said, “I never met a man I didn’t like.”
3. If a plane crashed on the Mexican-American border, half
the survivors would be buried in Mexico and half in the
United States.
4. Objective type of test is easy to construct.
5. Many teacher-made tests are not standardized.
Comments/Suggestions:

Multiple-Choice Items
___ 1. Aristotle was a
president b. philosopher c. alcoholic d. general
___ 2. In what year did humans first set foot on the moon?
a. 1975 b. 1957 c. 1969 d. 1963
___ 3. A cognitive domain of behavioral objective that judges the value of a work by use of
external standards of excellence is
a. evaluation b. synthesis c. mitochondria d. free ribosomes
___ 4. Some test items
a. are too difficult c. are poorly constructed
b. is objective d. has multiple defensible answers
___ 5. When 53 Americans were held hostage in Iran
a. the United States did nothing to try to free them.
b. the United States declared war on Iran
c. the United States first attempted to free them by diplomatic means and later attempted a
rescue
d. the United States expelled all Iranian students.
Comments/Suggestions:

PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 10

Analogy
_____1. Man is to woman as boy is to
a. man b. woman c. girl d. boy
_____2. Physician is to human as hand is to
a. finger b. toe c. elbow d. rainbow
_____3. Love is to
a. hate b. cherish c. affect d. care
Comments/Suggestions:

Matching Items
Exercise: Is the following test a good matching exercise or not? If not, what is wrong with it?
Suggest ways on how the test can be improved.

Directions: Match A and B.

A B
1. Humorous Story story about sillies and numbskulls.
2. Apollo A story that tells the origin of a place, thing or
3. Zeus person.
Comments/Suggestions:

Activity: Construct a 50 item- test using at least 3 types of test.

Criteria:
1. Test instruction is clear and comprehensive. 20 %
2. Test items comply with test construction principles. 70 %
3. With at least 3 types of test. 10 %

PCK 131_College of Teacher Education_ dmyango & aslazo Page 11