The commissioning of exam questions must be carried out before they go live and tested on students. Once pre-editing and editing takes place, questions are placed into a "pretest bank". A pretest is a test paper that consist of a number of sections, similar to the real exam. Once the paper are distributed to the centres, administered, and returned back to the test constructors, the sample is marked, analysed and reviewed. The test constructors could therefore assesses the level of difficulty of the questions constructed in the test sample in relation to the accepted level for that particular exam. Apart from that, test constructors can also see how successfully each question discriminates between candidates whose overall performance varies.
Any editing done to the answer key, the multiple choice questions or the structure and content of the question may necessitate returning the question or section to another round of pretest to reevaluate and reviewed for its acceptance in the school and Examination Council standard and context.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A PRETEST
A complete set of pretesting sample should consists of following materials:
Any editing done to the answer key, the multiple choice questions or the structure and content of the question may necessitate returning the question or section to another round of pretest to reevaluate and reviewed for its acceptance in the school and Examination Council standard and context.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A PRETEST
A complete set of pretesting sample should consists of following materials:
- Instructions to administrators
- A student register
- Well printed question papers
- The anchor test with Candidate Information Sheet
- Answering sheet, blank paper and any other relevant materials
- A feedback form for invigilators.
Pretest vary in length, but are designed to be administered within the teaching period. Each pretest usually consists of sections that are similar to the real examinations. Some pretests contain material intended for use in a revised exams and may contain question types that will not appear in a live examinations for a period of time. A revised examinations, however, is designed to test the same areas of language as the exam it replaces and indirectly provided students with the opportunity to try the new questions types.
Feedbacks From Invigilators
Feedbacks form about the pretests filled by the invigilators are extremely important as it provides a lot of information to the test constructors. This information and data are always analysed when considering whether or not the pretested materials is suitable for uses in a future live examinations.
The Anchor Test and Candidate Information Sheet
Live examinations are usually a combinations from a number of pretests obtained from the "live exam bank". It is therefore important for us to identify the difficulty of pretests and use some time to compare and contrast all the pretests we administer.
The Candidate Information Sheet, completed prior to the Anchor Test, allows us to compare the sample of candidates taking each pretest, as we need to ensure each pretest is administered to a range of candidates.
Answer Sheet
Most answer sheet for Multiple Choice Questions are scanned by the computers. Each answer sheet is personalised by the school examination board and it is important to ensure that the test takers or candidates maintain the same candidate number throughout all the pretest they participate in. The invigilator should also need to ensure that candidates must retain the same candidate number when they complete the student register.
How Should Pretest Be Administered
It is common that pretests may not always be administered in a live examinations hall, and are not invigilated by the officials of examination council. It is normally invigilated by the school teachers. In order to simulate the conditions of a real live examinations as well as to maintain the credibility of the data of the pretests, it is essential that every pretest should be administered in exactly the same way as live examinations with the same level of invigilation. For example, candidates are not allowed to talk during pretests and are not allowed to use any tools and materials that is considered as cheating in the process of answering the pretests. Pretest materials are intended to be used in the future live examinations and should therefore be treated as highly confidential. Photocopying or any other means of copying the pretests materials are strictly prohibited.
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