Test Development
Right from the start
Our test development process is geared toward achieving your goals
What is the true purpose of your test? What knowledge and skills must it assess? Will the final product meet your objectives? Prometric's proven development process addresses every essential issue.
Thorough Job analysis
We identify the specific key responsibilities and competencies required for effective performance.
- Unmatched Experience developing all types of tests. Prometric's areas of expertise include certification and licensure exams, curriculum development, continuing education and government and regulatory initiatives.
- Establishment of relevance and standards. We evaluate the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to measure a desired level of competency in a given job or profession, including establishment of tasks and subtasks that are required to earn a designation.
Item development
It's more than simply writing questions. Each item must be psychometrically sound and legally defensible.
- Preparation. We determine how items are to be designed to ensure that they are an accurate measure of knowledge – and relevant to the goals of your testing program. Subject matter experts (SMEs) are recruited and trained to write items.
- Writing. Collaborating in workshops, subject matter experts author questions under the qualified direction of a psychometrician.
- Review and editing. We review all items for technical accuracy, bias, correctness and sound language structure, and edit as needed
Test design and construction
We take the individually developed items and create a blueprint for the overall test.
- Beta test. After careful review of the job analysis and item development results, Prometric composes an actual test and administers it to a carefully screened audience.
- Refinement. We analyze how each item performed in the beta test and refine test items as needed. A final test is administered in multiple forms, to preserve security, to candidates in a live testing environment.
- Ongoing adjustments. We perform test maintenance to avoid overexposure of items and to keep content current. We can revise items, adjust exam forms, and conduct studies on standards.
- Key steps in the process. These include test blueprinting, program design, validity design, test definition, data selection, item selection, assembly and equating, parameter setting and score report development.
Psychometric analysis
Our robust staff of psychometricians ensures that your final test meets design objectives, market requirements and legal standards.
- Results analysis. We combine detailed study and expert judgment to measure the relationship between item types and objectives, assess fairness, reliability and validity; and examine performance discrepancies.
- Sorting of usable items. Equivalent forms must match blueprint specifications.
- Determination of passing scores. Our proven methods include the modified Angoff and Borderline Group method.
- Specialized techniques. Including Rasch/Item Response Theory modeling, standard stetting, criterion validity, simulation studies, DIF/DRIFT studies and custom research.
Learn more about our test delivery services.
