What is a Test? 

According to Brown (1976) who handles testing from a psychological perspective , test is defined as a systematic procedure for measuring a sample of behavior. The phrase "systematic procedure" indicates that a test s constructed, administered and scored according to predetermined rules. It also indicates that test items are chosen to fit the test specification, and the same items are administered to all persons who share the same time limits.

Value of Testing 

1-Achievement 

A test may be used to measure students' achievement of what should have been taught, but not necessarily what has actually been taught. Very student likes to know how much he /she has achieved, to what extent he / she has achieved and where he stands among his classmates. In addition, the teacher can give tests to measure his students' progress and what they can do and what they can not do, and therefore how successful the teaching has been.

2-Motivation

The student's result may urge him to compete with others. A low mark could be a motivation for him to study hard. On the other hand a high score makes him feel satisfied. As it is said" success leads to further success.

3-Encouraging students 

It is unfortunately that many students mainly for tests. In fact the majority of our students don't study unless a test is announced. Thus, tests are probably the only encouragement for then to work hard. In other words tests encourage students to take their learning seriously.

 

4-Diagnosis

Sometimes we need to diagnose problems and difficulties in handling functions, notions and concepts involving language skills and sub-skills. In other words, some tests are designed to find out our students weakness. So a remedial work could be prepared to treat such weakness.

5-Self evaluation

Tests are sometimes needed for the teacher to evaluate his own teaching. The feedback he gets from the test helps him a lot modify his teaching.

6-Experimentation 

Tests may be used successfully in educational experiments in order to determine a certain method of teaching or a certain hypothesis. In this respect a pre-test and a post-test are usually given to an experimental and control groups.

7-Promotion 

Some tests are sometimes designed to determine which students are to be promoted from a grade to a higher one. Without testing promotion will be automatic or impressionistic. 

8-Parents' information

Tests can provide parents with information about their children's levels. For example, how they are progressing, the areas of weaknesses and distinction and the kind of help they need. 

Types of tests

Test may be divided into many types: 

A) In terms of technique:     

1-Subjective tests:

These tests take the form of writing sentences, paragraphs or essays. The correctness of answers to these tests is, in many cases, subjective to the marker opinion. In subjective tests, it usually happens that different scores to the same question.

2-Objective Tests 

The grading of this test is independent of the person marking the tests because their tests have definite answers, which have no room for subjectivity in grading. 

Types of objective Tests:

1. Multiple choice tests

2. True or False Test

3. Matching Tests

B) In terms of what they are intended to measure: 

1-Achievement Test 

These are designed to measure students' achievement. They measure the students' mastery of what should have been taught.

2-Diagnostic Test 

These tests are designed to diagnose the problems or weaknesses our students may encounter in order o teach effectively. 

3-Proficiency Tests

Such tests can be used to measure how suitable candidate will be for performing a certain task or following a specific course. 

4-Aptitude Test

These tests predict probable success or failure in certain areas of language study.

C) In term of function

1-Norm- Referenced Test

Such tests place the student in a rank order. i.e. it tells the examiner how a student has performed compared with his classmates. 

2-Criterion- Referenced Tests

These tests tell the examiner weather the student has achieved the desired objectives or not, regardless of other students standards. Such tests be used during the school year. 

Characteristics of a Good Test

A good test is characterized by the following qualities: 

1- Validity: 

a valid test measures what is ought to be tested. For example, a test that is designed to measure control of grammar becomes invalid if it contains difficult vocabulary.

2-Reliability

A reliable test should provide consistency in measuring the items being evaluated. In other words, if the same test is given twice to the same students, it should produce almost the same results. 

3- Practically

    A practical test ought to be easy to administer and scored with out wasting too much time or effort. Put differently, a test is considered impractical if it is too expensive or needs many hour for the student to complete and many hours for the teacher to prepare and correct.

4- Comprehension 

    A comprehensive test should cover all the items that have been taught. This test helps the teacher to observe accurately the extent of students' knowledge.

5- Relevance 

     The test is relevant when it measures reasonably the desired objectives.

6- Discrimination 

     A discriminative test should distinguish between different levels of students. For example, if al students score between 80% and 90 % on a certain test, this means that the test failed to show the individual differences among the students probably because the questions were very easy. Similarly if all students score between 20% and 30 %, this will be an indication that the questions were very difficult.

7- Clarity 

   It is necessary that the questions should be clear so that the students can comprehend exactly what the teacher wants them to do. 

8- Balance

A well- balanced test should examine both linguistic and communicative competence. In other words, the items of the test must evaluate the students' exact mastery of language regarding accuracy and appropriateness. 

9- Authenticity 

The language of the test should emphasize the every day interaction. 

10- Difficulty

The question must neither be too hard nor too easy. The questions should progress from easy to difficult so as to reduce stress an tension especially on the part of the weak students. 

The test team needs to decide: 

• what type of environment will be used for testing; 

• where will the test take place; 

• whether a video recorder and/or tape recorder will be used and how many; 

• what angles to use for the video recorder(s); 

• arrangement of people and equipment in the room(s); 

• who will be in the test room; 

• what are the roles of each team member; 

• paper work (consent forms, procedures, debriefing questionnaire, personal questionnaire, etc.), and; 

• Equipment for scenarios (help desk, prototype, procedures, desk, wall/divider, chairs, tapes, pens, etc.) 

A test plan will help plan these items. No matter how sketchy or elaborate, it can also help reduce the chance of overlooking items.