The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-12-02

dent Of the class, and at the signal a
seal which fastens the pages together
may be broken. Instructions to be
followed are given at the top Of each
division in the test.
Thus an economics examination re-
Gently given consisted of two parts.
In the first part, 148 statements were
given and the student was to read
each one and decide whether the state
ment was true or false. If a fact was
correctly stated cross was to be put
in the margin. If a statement was In
correct the student was to show that
he recognized the falsity by putting
dash in the margin.
To take an example: Economics
may well be defined as the science
that deals with the problems of so
ciety" should be marked with a dash
because it is not correct.
The Test Is
All Embracing.
In 148 statements the field of
terms work in economics, from legal
monopolies to the law of diminishing
returns, can be easily covered. A
student taking such test cannot say
that it failed to cover the subjects on
which he had spent the most time.
The second part of this particular
test consisted of 90 items. In each
case the student was confronted by
three or four possible alternatives
from which he was 20 select the cor
rect one. A very simple example
would be: "One reason why the num-
hn,s Of fay. FIT t., a
creasing is because (a) there is not
enough land available. (b) the country
is oversupplied with farmers, (c)
other occupations offer better financial
returns"
In other subjects some of the tests
which have been given include in
complete printed sentences with blank
spaces left for the student to fill in
the words to make the statements cor
rect.
The person rating the papers of
this sort has no decisions to make as
to the degree of accuracy attained by q
| student. The students work is either
right or wrong. In the first test men
| toned for instance, the examiner has
only to compare the line of crosses
and dashes with a correct list
According to Ben D. Wood, assistant
| to the dean of Columbia college, these
tests may be scored rapidly, and in
many cases by clerks who have no
| knowledge of the course at all. He
says:
During the session 1921-1922 the
new type test saved the staff in Con
| temporary Civilization in Columbia
at least 800 hours of drudgery, with
vastly more accurate, reliable, and sig.
| nificant results as shown by expert
! mentally derived data"
The instructors also seem to be In
| favor of the new kind of test. One
professor, however, brings out an in
teresting point. He says: "All the
evidence seems to point to the con
clusion that it is much the most &C
curate method of testing students
knowledge of the subject that we have
yet discovered. 1t does not, however,
in my judgment, test sufficiently the
students power of expression. and his
ability to organize his material.
should therefore feel that in an exam
ination adequate time should always
be given for at least one or two ques.
; tons of the essay type"
similar view is taken by DR.. w
w. Marston of American University
He finds that the new tests stress
ability to recognize truth and falsitJ
when presented, but give little or NJ
opportunity for the student to repro
duce voluntarily what he has learned
Yet students ability to remember
!. and explain in his own words what
! he has been taught is one of the prac
teal purposes of his education.
Attention has also been called to the
possibility of guessing in tests wheI
the student is asked to judge correct
ness of facts. 1t is mathematically
proved that if a person guesses II
which of two boxes a coin is bidder
and the test is repeated number o
: times, he will score about SO per cen
of correct guesses.
If judgment enters into the test, tina
is if he makes a series of guesses al
to which of two lines is the longer
the percentage of correct guesses rises
to so or even 20 per cent.
In test on scientific subjec
therefore, where the student has &C
: quired very slight acquaintance witt
the course, he might come off far bet
ter in an objective test than in ;
test where he had 10 answer in hi
own words a dozen scientific ques
: lions.
: These points seem TO be brought GU
$ with intent to show that the new test
! should supplement the old rather thai
: replace them enirely Each type G
I examination stresses different aspec
s of the students knowledge, and eac
. may be useful.