WRITING

IDENTIFICATION TESTS

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this presentation, the class will be able to:

Define what an identification test is

Understand the advantages and disadvantages of

identification tests

Learn the guidelines for preparing an identification

test

DEFINITION

Identification Test

It is a type of an examination which can be

scored objectively.

A recall type of examination

usually demands only a short answer

most often used to test ( remembering ) key facts and terms

it is also a form of a Restricted Response Test.

1. QUESTION (enumeration) -- answer few

short words or phrases

2. COMPLETION (fill-in-the-blanks) – a

statement with a key word or missing

words

2 TYPES OF SHORT ANSWERS:

ADVANTAGES OF IDENTIFICATION

TEST

Easy to construct

Low probability of guessing the answer

because it has to be supplied by the

examinees rather than select from the

given answers.

They are good to test the lowest level of

cognitive taxonomy.

DISADVANTAGES OR LIMITATIONS OF

IDENTIFICATION TESTS

Identification tests measure only rote memory.

They are usually restricted to short words, hence, items

tend to measure the recall of specific facts, names, places,

and events and rarely measure more complex outcomes.

Do’s and Don’t’s

Type of Question Do’s Don’t’s

Short-Answer Use own words

Use specific problems

Use direct question

Use questions that ellicit

facts, not opinions

Use Trivia

Long/complex sentences

Fill-in –Blanks Use prompts that omit only

one or two key words at the

end of the sentence

Use questions that ellicit

facts, not opinions

Take out so many words

that the sentence is

meaningless

GUIDELINES IN PREPARING AN

IDENTIFICATION TEST

1. Give the student a reasonable basis for the responses desired. Avoid indefinite statements.

President Noynoy Aquino was born in _____________.

Improved form:

The birthplace of President Noynoy Aquino is __________.

1.1. Avoid overmutilated statements.

The _______ is obtained by dividing the __________ by the ___________.

Improved form: The intelligence quotient is 1. Mental Age obtained by dividing the (1)_____ 2. Chronological Age by the (2) _______.

GUIDELINES IN PREPARING AN

IDENTIFICATION TEST

2. Avoid giving the student unwarranted clues to the desired response.

3.1 Avoid lifting statements directly from the book.

3.2. Omit only words or phrases rather than trivial details.

3.3. Whenever possible, avoid “a” or “an immediately before a blank. These words may give a clue of whether a response starts with a consonant or vowel.

3.4. Do not indicate the expected answer by varying the length of blanks or by using a dot for each letter in the correct word.3.5. Guard against the possibility that one item or part of the test may suggest the correct response to another item.

3.6. Avoid giving grammatical clues to the answer expected.

GUIDELINES IN PREPARING AN

IDENTIFICATION TEST

The authors of the first performance test of intelligence were ___________.

Improved form:

The first performance test of intelligence was prepared by ___________.

3. Arrange the test so as to facilitate scoring.

3.1. Allow one point for each blank correctly filled. Avoid fractional credits or unequal weighing of items in a test.

GUIDELINES IN PREPARING AN

IDENTIFICATION TEST

3.2. Select the items to which only one correct response is possible.

3.3. Arrange the items as far as possible so that the students’ responses are in a column at the right of the sentences

3.4. Scoring is more rapid if the blanks are numbered and the student is directed to write his response in the appropriate numbered blanks.

3.5. Prepare a key for scoring by writing on a copy of the test all acceptable answers.

GUIDELINES IN PREPARING AN

IDENTIFICATION TEST

1. atria/ right atria

2. ventricles/ left ventricle

3. sinoatrial node/ SA

node

1 & 2. Unoxygenated blood from the

veins is received by the ______ of the

heart, while the oxygenated blood from

the heart is ejected into the arteries via

the ________ of the heart.

3. The ______ acts as the heart’s

pacemaker

Minimize questions that call for sheer memory work unless the answer has important analytical

significance

The direction “fill-in-blanks” is usually sufficient, but

student should be informed about how detailed the

answer should be.

Phrase the item so that a unique word, series of

words, or number must be supplied to complete it.

Other guidelines/suggestions

Fill-in-the-blank items

requiring calculations and

solving mathematical type

problems should include in

the statement the type of

answer and degree of

specificity desired.

Write questions that are specific and can be answered in a few

words, phrases, or short sentences.

When there is a need to write a longer answer, provide

sufficient space or use a separate answer sheet.

Use one blank, or certainly no more than two, in any item, since more than two blanks

lead to confusion and ambiguity.

Other guidelines/suggestions

Before writing the item, think

of the correct answer first

and then write a question or

statement for the answer.

SAMPLE ERROR IDENTIFICATION

These sentences may contain errors in grammar, usage, choice of

words, or idioms. There may be one or more errors in a sentence.

The sentence may also contain no errors. Let’s try these

SAMPLE ERROR IDENTIFICATION

These sentences may contain errors in grammar, usage, choice of

words, or idioms. There may be one or more errors in a sentence.

The sentence may also contain no errors. Let’s try these

SAMPLE ERROR IDENTIFICATION

SAMPLE ERROR IDENTIFICATION

KNOWLEDGE IS AS VAST AS THE OCEAN.

NAVIGATE YOUR WORLD. KEEP LEARNING.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

SOURCES:

Dr. Warren Ramos’ Presentation “Writing an

Identification Test”

Measurement and Evaluation Book by Laurentina P.

Calmorin; 3rd Edition