These analyses evaluate the quality of the items and of the test as a whole. Such analyses can also be employed to revise and improve both items and the test as a whole. However, some best practices in item and test analysis are too infrequently used in actual practice. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Southwest Educational Research Association, Austin, January, 1997. Teachers, employers, and others in evaluative positions use a variety of tools to assist them in their evaluations.
Tests are tools that are frequently used to facilitate the evaluation process.
Test analysis examines how the test items perform as a set. These analyses evaluate the quality of items and of the test as a whole. However, some best practices in item and test analysis are too infrequently used in actual practice. These tools include item difficulty, item discrimination, and item distractors. The larger the percentage getting an item right, the easier the item.