Non-Objective

Test
 Kinds of Non-Objective Test
Items
A. Completion Type or Short Answer
Test
 Is an alternative form of assessment
because the examinee needs to supply
or create appropriate words, symbols
or numbers to answer a question or
complete a statement
B. Essay Items
- Ability to organize and present their
original ideas
 Essay
DEFINITION:
 Is a test that requires the
student to compose
responses, usually lengthy
up to several paragraphs.
 Distinctive feature of
essay
Thedistinctive feature of essay
type is the “the freedom of
response”.

Students are free to select, relate

and present ideas in their own
words.
 Uses of Essay test
1. Assess the ability recall, organize,
and integrate ideas.
2. Assess the ability to express
oneself in writing.
3. Ability to supply information.
4. Assess student understanding of
subject matter.
5. Measure the knowledge of factual
information.
 Form of Essay Items
1. Extended Response/ Uncontrolled
response Essay
2. Restricted Response/ controlled
response Essay

Restricted response Extended response

 Restricted/Controlled
Response Essay Questions
 Restricted response usually limits both the
content and the response by restricting the
scope of the topic to be discussed.
- The examinee is required to provide limited
response based on a criterion for answering the
question.
Example:
- Explain the causes and effect of EDSA.

 Useful for measuring learning outcomes

requiring interpretation and application of data in
specific area.
 Advantages of
Restricted/Controlled Response
Essay Questions
Restricted response question is more
structured.
Measure specific learning outcomes.
Restricted response provide for more
ease of assessment.
Any outcomes measured by an
objective interpretive exercise can be
measured by a restricted response
essay question.
 Limitations of
Restricted/Controlled Response
Essay Questions

Restricted response question

restricts the scope of the topic to be
discussed and indicating the nature
of the desired response which limits
students opportunity to demonstrate
these behavior.
 Extended/Uncontrolled
Response Essay Questions
 Extended response question allows
student to select information that they
think is pertinent, to organize the
answer in accordance with their best
judgment, and to integrate and
evaluate ideas as they think suitable.
 They do not set limits on the length or
exact content to be discussed.
 Extended/uncontrolled
Response Essay Questions
 Allows for an in-depth answers of a
student’s knowledge, thinking
processes, and problem solving
behavior relative to a specific topic.
 A free response essay
 a student has to recall specific
information and to organize, evaluate
and write intelligible composition.
 Extended/uncontrolled
Response Essay Questions

Examples:
 Explain the issue about climate
change.
 Discuss classroom assessment.
 Advantages of
Extended/uncontrolled Response
Essay Questions
 This type of essay item is mostly useful
in measuring learning outcomes at the
higher cognitive levels of educational
objective such as analysis, synthesis
and evaluation levels.
 They expose the individual difference
in attitudes, values and creative ability.
 Limitations of
Extended/uncontrolled Response
Essay Questions
 They are sufficient for measuring
knowledge of factual materials because
they call for extensive details in
selected contents area at a time.
 Scoring such type of response is
usually difficult and unreliable since the
examinees have free will in the array of
factual information of varying degree of
correctness, coherence and expression.
 Advantages of Essay
Questions
1. The freedom of response allows the students
to express himself in his own words.
2. It measures complex learning outcomes that
cannot be measured by other means.
3. Essay test promotes the development of
problem solving skills.
4. It helps students to improve their writing skills
such as writing speed.
5. It encourages creativity by allowing their own
unique way.
 Advantages of Essay
Questions
6. It is easy and economical to administer
7. It encourages good study habits in
students.
8. Essay items is easy to construct and
does
not take time much time.
9. It can be used to measure in-depth
knowledge especially in a restricted
subject matter area.
10. It does not encourage guessing and
cheating during testing.
 Disadvantages of Essay
Questions
 Scoring is not reliable because different
examiners can grade the score answer
differently. In fact, the same examiner can
grade the same question differently at
different times.
 Grading of essay test is time-consuming.
 Subjective scoring of essay questions.
 Essay questions do not cover the course
content and the objectives as
comprehensively possible.
 Disadvantages of Essay
Questions
Evaluatingessay questions without
adequate attention to the learning
outcomes is just like “three blind
men appraising an elephant”.

one teacher stresses factual

content, one organization of ideas
and another writing skill.
 Learning outcomes that can be
measured effectively with essay items
Abilities to:
1. explain cause-effect relationship
2. describe application of principles
3. present relevant arguments
4. formulate tenable hypotheses
5. state necessary assumptions
 Learning outcomes that can be
measured effectively with essay items

 Abilities
to:
6. describe the limitations of data
7. explain methods and procedures
8. produce, organize, and express ideas
9. integrate learning in different areas
10. create original forms
11. evaluate the worth of ideas
Guidelines for constructing essay
questions
 Give adequate time and thought to the
preparation of essay questions
 The question should be written so that it
will elicit (draw out) the type of behavior
you want to measure.
 A well-constructed essay question shoul
establish a framework within which the
student operates.
Guidelines for constructing essay
questions
 Decide in advance what factors will be
considered in evaluating an essay
response.
 Do not provide optional questions in a
essay test
 Use relatively large number of questions
requiring short answers (about ½ page)
rather than just a few questions
involving long answers
Guidelines for constructing essay
questions
 Don’t start essay questions with such
words as “ list, who, what, whether”
 Adapt the length of responses and the
complexity of the question and answer to
the maturity of the student
 Use novel type of question wherever
feasible
 Prepare a scoring key
Prepare blueprint for the test.
Give appropriate weightage to each
domain

1. knowledge 50%
2. skill 30%
3. attitude 20%
 Suggestions for Grading/
Scoring essay test
 Check your scoring key against actual
responses
 Be consistent in your grading. Use
criteria/rubric
 Grade only one question at a time for all
papers
 Grade the responses anonymously
 Suggestions for Grading/
Scoring essay test
 The mechanics of expression should be
judged separately from what the student
writes.
 Try to score all responses to a particular
question without interruption.
 If possible, have two independent
readings of the test and use the average
as the final score.
 Provide comments and correct errors.
Thank You &
God bless !!!

Haydee A. Bagoisan