Test Administration and Scoring (Chapter 3 Aikens)

Some factors are not under the control of the administrator

:
How fatigued a test taker is.
Motivation level of the test taker.
Physical Discomfort
Test Anxiety
These are between subject variables which can affect the
test results.
Because we know several factors exist which
affect test scores for reasons other than ability, Test givers
seek to standardize all aspects of the test under their
control to minimize variability due to factors other than
ability.
Different aspects of standardized Administration
Controlling the Physical Environment :
Light Levels

Temperature
Ambient Noise Level
Ventilation
Minimal Distractions
All must be suitable for the examination.
If everybody takes the test at same time in same
location, than any problems with the above factors should
affect all testee's equally.
If more than one testing session given, than all sessions
should be held under mostly identical circumstances.
Controlling these factors helps to ensure a more reliable
testing device.
Various Responsibilities of the Administrator
Scheduling the Exam : Of particular concern when
testing children :
1. Don't test during typical lunch or playground time.

2. Don't schedule immediately after holidays or

exciting events.
3. Don't test longer than 1 hr. (30 min attention span
for preschool and elementary school children)
4. Don't test longer than 90 min. for secondary
school children.
Other Guidelines :
Inform students well before the test :
When and where test is given
What subject material will be given
What type of test questions
How much time will be allowed
This information allows the student to prepare and can
reduce test taking anxiety.
Informed Consent
Sometimes, test takers will have to give their informed
consent before a psychological test is administered.
Informed Consent means the person taking the test knows
:
Why the test is being given

 Who will see the results of

the test
What the results will be
used for
For schoolchildren, the parent or legal guardian must give
consent.
Depending on the state law, standardized educational
testing and psychological testing done for research
purposes may not require informed consent if :
The testing is mandated by law or governmental
agency.
The testing is conducted as a regular part of school
activities.
Even when consent is not legally required, test
administrators should still inform test takers about the
specifics of a test.
Other Administrative Responsibilities
Becoming familiar with test : Administrator should read
the test manual , and take the test themselves before
administering it to others.

Understanding the test from 'both sides of the fence' will

make the testing session run more smoothly as the
administrator will understand test-takers perspective.
Specific Directions and procedures should also be
reviewed one last time immediately before the test begins.
Examiners must also become familiar with security
procedures for Secure Tests such as the SAT, LSAT, and
GRE. Each exam should be inspected and arranged in
numerical order.
Ensuring Satisfactory testing conditions
Administrator must ensure sufficient seating. Lefthanded accommodations, other physical considerations.
Chances for cheating can be minimized through seating
arrangements, preparing different exam forms, or multiple
answer sheets.
Proper ID may be required for certain tests.
Administration Duties during Exams
1. Ensure all test takers are given the proper
instructions.
Instructions should be verbally given to ensure test
takers hear the proper directions at least once.

Directions should be slowly read and easy to

understand. (Familiarity with test a +)
Many test have standardized instructions, which serve
to keep the test task identical for all respondents.
2. Establishing Rapport with test takers : Test
takers should feel they trust the examiner enough to
fairly administer the exam and to answer correctly all
reasonable questions concerning the exam.
Establishing a good relationship with the test taker is
especially important in clinical testing situations.
Psychological Traits of a good test administrator :
Friendly, objective, authoritative, polite, and appropriate
in manner and dress.

Administrative Duties during Testing (continued)

3. Remain Alert : Cheating should always be
prevented. Employing a number a of proctors
during large examinations to roam the room,
answering questions and deterring cheating, is one
way to help control for inappropriate test taking
conduct.

The Test-taking environment has be preserved

against unwarranted intrusions or
disturbances. Loud, unruly behavior can not be
tolerated within a mass testing situation.
4. Preparing for special situations : Do students all
understand English ? What type of equipment is
allowable for the exam (calculators, translators, sliderules, scrap paper) ? Can you deal with sudden
medical problems ? Test Takers must remain alert
and flexible to deal with special circumstances that
may crop up during testing.
5. Flexibility : Standardized Directions may not cover
all possible situations .Administrator should be
always prepared to deal with novel problems.
Experience is sometimes the best teacher when it
comes to bizarre testing situations.
General Guidelines for Administrators to Follow
A. Provide ample time for exam
B. Allow sufficient practice on sample items
C. Use short testing periods if possible

D. Make arrangements for deficits in visual,

auditory, and other sensory-motor systems.
E. Be aware of fatigue and test anxiety, and take
them into account when interpreting scores.
F. Use encouragement and positive reinforcement
whenever possible.
G. Don't force examinees to respond when they
repeatedly decline to do so.
Other Testing Issues
Pop Quizzes and Surprise Exams : should be avoided
whenever possible.
Changing Answers : Wisdom says most often your first
hunch is the right one, and changing answers usually
lowers scores.
However, psychological research has shown that
examinees make higher scores when they reconsider their
answers and change those which they have doubts
associated with the correctness of their
choice. (Benjiman et. al. 1984; Geiger, 1990, 1991a)
Answers were more likely to be changed from wrong to
right than the reverse case.

Guessing : Can inflate scores more on all true-false tests

than typical multiple choice format.
Guessing usually results in higher scores when examinees
can eliminate at least one false answer from the choices
before guessing.
Examinees must be informed whether or not guessing can
penalize you. (points subtracted for wrong answers)

Test Wiseness
Experienced test takers can inflate their grade due to
idiosyncrasies of the exam of test item.
This wiseness usually increases with repeated exposure
to a variety of testing situations.
Gender Difference : Males tent to be more testwise than
Females (Preston, 1964)
Some aspects of test wiseness can be taught :
Verbal tests are more susceptible to the effects of test
wiseness than numerical (computational) items.
Length and complexity of answer choices often provide
unintentional clues to the proper answer. (Strang, 1980)
15 Recommendations for improving Test Scores

1. When a test is announced well in advance, do not

wait until the day before to begin studying. Spaced
practice is more effective than massed practice.
2. Ask the instructor for old copies of the examination to
practice with.
3. Ask other students what kinds of tests the instructor
usually gives.
4. Don't turn study session into social occasion, isolated
studying is usually more effective.
5. Don't be too comfortable when studying. Lying down
is a physical cue for your body to sleep.
6. Study for the type of test which was announced.
7. If you do not know the type((style)) of test, study for a
free recall exam.
8. Use SurveyQ3R technique when studying. Survey
material, ask yourself questions about the subject
material, read for detail, recite the material to
yourself, and review material just prior to test.
9. Try to form material you are studying into test
questions.

10.
Read test directions carefully before beginning
exam. Ask administrator if unclear or some details are
not included
11.
If essay test, think about question and mentally
formulate answer before you begin writing.
12.
Pace yourself while taking test. Do not try to be
first person finished. Allow enough time to review
answers at end of session.
13.
If you can rule out one wrong answer choice,
guess, even if there is a penalty for wrong answers.
14.
Skip more difficult items and return to them later,
particularly if there are a lot of questions. It is better
to leave two difficult questions unanswered than 10 to
15 easy questions.
15.
When time permits, review your answer. Don't
be overly eager to hand in your test paper before all
the available time has elapsed.
Administrator's Post-Test Duties :
Collecting all exam material and ensuring :
1. All tests have been handed in

2. All answer sheets have been handed in with

names or other identification indicating whose test
paper was whose.
3. Examinees know when grades or test papers can
be collected or will be posted.
4. Return the test room to its pre-test set up.
Scoring the Exams
Administrator may be responsible for scoring the exams
herself or may mail them to a service or bring them to a
computer grading service.
Scoring Essay Tests : The most subjective category of
scoring, can be made more rigorous by developing a
scoring scheme which lists the important facts or theories
which should have been included.
The analytic scoring procedure is preferable to the global
scoring approach because it helps to minimize
Halo effects and leniency error

Other recommendations for scoring Essays

1. Score all answers of a specific essay at one time.

2. Score all answers to a specific essay within one test

scoring period.
3. If both writing quality and essay content are to be
graded, they should be assigned separate grades
before being combined.
4. Have two readers score each essay, and let the final
grade be the average of the two scores given to a
particular essay.
5. Write comments next to the examinee's responses,
and correct errors on their papers.
Computer Software is now being developed that can
grade essays.
The Intelligent Essay Assessor (Landauer & Davis,
1997)
The "Software" learns a specific subject area by
scanning appropriate documents.
Then, the software is fed graded essays to set up
the grading standards.
Now, ungraded essays can be interpreted and
graded by the Software program.
Scoring Objective Tests
Hand Graded : Due to human error, mistakes may
occur. Having two graders grade exams help to catch
90% of those simple mistakes in grading.

Machine Scoring : As accurate as the answer code given

to the computer. GiGo
For some psychological tests of personality and/or
adjustment, considerable training is required in order to
properly score responses.
Some testing publishers will only release or sell their
products to individuals who have undergone special
training or have a particular degree in a related field.
Guessing Corrections : Some tests which penalize for
wrong answers, do so because they want to discourage
random guessing.
S = R - (W/(k-1)) or S = R - (W/2(k-1))
S= corrected score ,
R = number of correct answers
W = number of Wrong Answers,
k = number of choices per item
Typical Multiple Choice Exam
ex. A. 85 correct answers, 15 wrong answers, 4 choices
per item.
Ex. B. 83 correct answers, 12 wrong answers, 4 choices
per item

Typical True-False Exam

ex. C. 85 correct answers, 15 wrong answers, 2 choices
per item.
Ex. D 83 correct answers, 12 wrong answers, 2 choices
per item.
Professionals in the testing industry generally agree that
correcting for guessing has very little effect on the ranking
and distribution of test scores.
How do administrators and test developers know what
standards to adhere to when developing and
administering psychological tests ?
The American Educational Research Association
publishes (and occasionally updates) the
Standards for Educational and Psychological
Testing (1985)
This book lists 180 standards that should be maintained
when evaluating, administering, scoring, and interpreting
psychological tests.
These guidelines stress the importance of standardized
test administration and scoring procedures and help
ensure test directions are clearly understandable.

These standards also emphasize the security of test

materials, precautions against cheating, and the
importance of meaningful interpretations of test scores.
Standards of Test Administration and Scoring
Basic Test Administration Standard
Standard 15.2 : The testing environment should be one
of reasonable comfort and with minimal
distractions. Testing material should be readable and
understandable.
In computerized testing, items displayed on
screen should be legible and free from glare, and the
terminal should be properly positioned.
Basic Cheating Protection Standard
Standard 15.7 : Test users should protect the security of
test materials. Those who have test materials under their
control should take all necessary steps to assure that only
individuals with a legitimate need for access to test
materials are able to obtain such access.
Basic Guideline for reporting test scores
Standard 15.10 : Those responsible for testing programs
should provide appropriate interpretations when test score

information is released to students, parents, legal

representatives, teachers, or the media.
The interpretation should describe in simple language
what the test covers, what scores mean, common
misinterpretations of test scores, and how the test will be
used.