KINDS OF
TEST
AND
TESTING
1. Proficiency Test
To measure people’s general ability
in a language regardless of any
language courses/trainings that the
candidates may have followed in the
language.
Examples?
2. Achievement Test
To measure how far/successful
individual students, groups of students,
or the courses themselves have been
in achieving the objectives of a
lesson/course/ program.
Two kinds of achievement test:
formative (check progress of learning)
and summative (end of program
check)
3. Diagnostic Test
To identify or diagnose students’
strengths and weaknesses: to
identify what they know and what
they don’t.
To benefit future instruction
4. Placement Test
To assist placement of students by
identifying the stage or part of a
teaching program most appropriate
to their abilities. OR
To assign students to
classes/programs appropriate to
their level of proficiency.
5. Aptitude Test
To predict someone’s future success
in learning a foreign language ; it is
taken before actual learning begins.
6. Admission Test
To provide information about whether
a candidate is likely to succeed
7. Language Dominance Test
To assess bilingual learners’ relative
strength of the two languages.
Direct Testing
Testing is said to be direct when it
requires the testee to perform
precisely the skill we wish to
measure.
Direct testing is easier to carry out
when it is intended to measure the
productive skills of speaking and
writing.
Indirect testing
Testing is said to be indirect when it
attempts to measure the abilities
which underlie the skills in which we
are interested to measure.
Example: A writing test that requires
students to identify grammatical
errors found in sentences.
Discrete point test
This test attempts to focus on
measuring one of the language
components/elements at a time, item
by item.
It tends to be indirect.
Assumption: language can be broken
down into separate elements.
Integrative test
This test attempts to measure not
only the learner’s knowledge of the
language components/elements but
also the learner’s ability to use two or
more language skills simultaneously
in a context.
It tends to be direct, e.g.: composition,
dictation, cloze tests, note taking
Norm-referenced testing
To show how one individual’s
performance is compared with that
of other individuals: How is the
individual student’s performance
compared with that of other
students.
Criterion-referenced testing
This test classifies students
according to whether or not they are
able to perform some tasks or set of
tasks satisfactorily.
Whether or not the students have
met the established standards.
Objective testing
Method of scoring in which there is
no judgement is required on the part
of the scorer.
Examples?
Subjective testing
Method of scoring in which judgement
is called for on the part of the scorer.
Examples?
Five Criteria to Classify Testing and Tests
1. Purposes/ proficiency, achievement,
Content diagnostic, placement
2. Types/ multiple choice,
Techniques completion, matching, T -
F, etc.
3. Scoring objective vs. subjective
4. Interpretation of norm-referenced vs.
scores criterion-referenced
5. Approach discrete point vs.
integrative
Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)
It saves time and efforts.
It starts with average level of difficulty,
then lower or increase levels of difficulty
according to test taker’s performance.
It needs a bank of test items graded by
difficulty.
Communicative Language Testing
A test is said to be communicative when
it can mirror real-world tasks that
language learners are called upon to
perform.
Many test tasks tend to be artificial,
contrived, and unlikely to mirror
language use in real life situation.
Performance-Based Assessment
It involves oral production, written
production, open-ended responses,
integrated performance, group
performance, and other interactive
tasks.
It is time consuming and expensive.
It is more direct testing because
students are assessed as they perform
actual or simulated real-world tasks.
