Testing has evolved significantly with the rise of technology. With online tests, administrators can now formulate assessments that get them the exact results they are looking for, in half the time it would take to craft the same test using pen and paper. Additionally, online tests give administrators the comfort of added security, increasing their tests’ validity, reliability and fairness.
With all the different testing features now available on the market, it’s hard to determine which ones should be used, and which ones are the most essential. Read on to find out which Test Generator features are the most popular among online test administrators, and how these features can be used to enhance your own assessments.
Test Creator Randomization Options
Randomization options are helpful for tests which are administered to different testing groups over a certain period of time. Randomizing the sections of the test, or the whole test in general, can help avoid test takers from sharing answers and cheating.
Test administrators might randomize answers for:
- Multiple choice questions
- Check boxes
- Matching questions
Using Media Banks in Test Software
Sometimes for test administrators, the thought of trying to add media to a test seems complicated and overwhelming. That’s because the test creator program they’re using isn’t responsive enough to allow the inclusion of certain media files. Test Generator's test maker software includes a Media Bank module that enables test authors to import and organize media into banks, which makes adding media—whether to better illustrate a question, or to help engage test takers—is simple. Here are some of the different media formats compatible with the assessment software:
- MP3
- Graphic formats like .gif, .jpg and .png
- Flash and .avi
Adding media sources to items is easy, and can be done by simply importing the media from the computer to the media bank, then to the test item.
Test Easy with Automated Scoring
When administrators are assigning tests to a large group of candidates—such as for nation-wide military recruitment—it is next to impossible to garner the resources, money and manpower to mark each of these tests individually. That’s why when administrators generate online exams, they look for programs which include the option of automatic scoring. While automatic scoring used to be controversial, today’s test creator technology ensures that automatically scored tests, whether they are multiple choice, short answers or true and false, are more reliable, valid and fair than ever before.
Test Generator’s Security Features
As with paper and pen testing, online testing is not cheater-proof. Sometime, online testing even offers cheaters new ways to cheat, such as through hacking and other online security breaches. When using a exam generator, administrators want to know that their content is safe, which is why many assessment programs today include multiple security features to ensure test integrity.
Here are just some of the ways that administrators can enforce TG’s security features for their tests:
- Restrict access to tests between certain times
- “Lock” the test taking window (no print screen or copy/paste options allowed)
- Accept Only First Answer: test takers can’t go back after the test and change answers
- Activate or deactivate test accessibility
What features do you think are the most essential for an online assessment?
