Kinds of Test

Subjective testing

a test that is subjectively scored (i.e. scored according to the personal judgement of the marker), such as an essay examination, which may be contrasted with an objective test.

Integrative test

an integrative test is one that requires a test taker to use several language skills at the same time, such as a dictation test, which requires the learner to use knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and listening comprehension.

Proficiency Test

- Test global competence in a language. - It tests overall ability regardless of any training they previously had in the language. (e.g. TOEFL :multiple-choices item on grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension.)

Diagnostic Test

- To identify students' strengths and weaknesses. To diagnose specific aspects of a language. - Proficiency tests should elicit information on what students need to work in the future - For example, a writing diagnostic test would first elicit a writing sample of the students. Then, the teacher would identify the organization, content, spelling, grammar, or vocabulary of their writing. Based on that identifying, teacher would know the needs of students that should have special focus.

Norm-referenced test

a test that measures how the performance of a particular test taker or group of test takers compares with the performance of another test taker or group of test takers whose scores are given as the norm. A test taker's score is therefore interpreted with reference to the scores of other test takers or groups of test takers, rather than to an agreed criterion score, which is the case with a criterion-referenced test.

Achievement Test

- Determine whether course objectives have been met with skills acquired by the end of a period of instruction.

Placement Test

- Place a student into a particular level or section of a language curriculum or school. - Placement tests come in many varieties: assessing comprehension and production, responding through written and oral performance, multiple choice, and gap filling formats.

Language Aptitude Test

- Predict a person's success to exposure to the foreign language. - This test is done to determine how quickly and easily a learner learn language in language course or language training program.

Discrete point test

a language test that measures knowledge of individual language items, such as a grammar test with different sections on tenses, adverbs, and prepositions. Discrete-point tests are based on the theory that language consists of different parts (e.g. grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary) and different skills (e.g. listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and these are made up of elements that can be tested separately. Tests consisting of multiple- choice items are usually discrete-point tests. Discrete-point tests can be contrasted with integrative tests.

Objective testing

a test that can be scored objectively (i.e. scored without the use of the exam- iner's personal judgement), which may be contrasted with a subjective test. Tests that consist of true-false and multiple-choice items are examples of objective tests.

Indirect testing

a test that measures ability indirectly by requiring test takers to perform tasks not reflective of an authentic target language use situation, from which an inference is drawn about the abilities underlying their per- formance on the test. An example of an indirect test of writing includes a test that asks test takers to locate errors in a composition; an example of an indirect test of pronunciation is a test where test takers are asked to select a word that has the same pronunciation as the one in the stem.

Criterion-referenced test

a test that measures a test taker's performance according to a part- icular standard or criterion that has been agreed upon. The test taker must reach this level of performance to pass the test, and a test taker's score is interpreted with reference to the criterion score, rather than to the scores of other test takers, which is the case with a norm-referenced test.

Direct testing

a test that measures ability directly by requiring test takers to perform tasks designed to approximate an authentic target language use situation as closely as possible. An example of a direct test of writing includes a test that asks test takers to write an essay; an oral proficiency interview (opi) is an example of a direct test of speaking, which is conducted face to face between an interviewer and an interviewee.