QUESTIONS TO ASK REGARDING TEST PREPARATION YES NO

1.	Has a candidate brochure which elaborates upon all components of the examination and the procedures employed been developed?
2.	Are admission cards/letters/notices sent to the candidates in sufficient time prior to the administration?
3.	Are rosters of candidates scheduled for each site prepared?
4.	Are candidates required to bring proof of identity or other admission requirements, and have the candidates been informed of such requirements?
5.	Have emergency procedures been developed and communicated to all testing personnel?
6.	Have supplies needed for the administration been prepared and delivered to the site(s)?
7.	Have seating cards/labels been prepared and placed on the tables prior to the administration (if appropriate)?
8.	Have procedures been developed and communicated to all testing personnel regarding procedures to follow for handling problems at the test sites (late candidates, test booklet misprinting, cheating)?
9.	Has an appropriate site been selected and does it include the following? adequate lighting/heating/cooling adequate writing surfaces/seating adequate restroom facilities concession area/lobby adequate parking for staff/candidates assurance from site staff of no interference unless an emergency handicapped accommodations freedom from outside noise clock in the room which is visible to candidates
10.	Is the room large enough to handle all candidates without crowding?
11.	When possible, are sites selected based on candidates' geographical locations?
12.	Is there a sufficient number of monitors given the number of candidates (i.e. one monitor for every 30-35 candidates)?
13.	Do monitors thoroughly understand their responsibilities?
14.	Have detailed instructions for examination procedures and candidate directions been developed?
15.	Are both the printed and verbal directions clear, concise and specific?
16.	Are instructions appropriate for the type of candidate being tested?
17.	Are directions standard for each administration?
18.	If needed, have sample items/answer sheets been provided to assist candidates in understanding what is expected of them?
19.	Is there sufficient time available for candidates to complete the examination without being under a lot of pressure?
20.	Are examination booklets and answer sheets distributed to candidates in a secure manner?
21.	Are test kept secure before/during/after the administration?
22.	Are the number of exams/answer sheets verified before and after the administrations?
23.	During the administration, is a seating chart prepared showing attendees and absentees?
24.	Do administrators document any unusual events which occurred during the administration?

1.	Are the first few items, relatively easy to encourage the candidate's confidence?
2.	Have a sufficient number of items been developed for each specification (2-4 times the number of items required for each specification)?
3.	Are the items coded as to the specification being tested?
4.	Is each item referenced to available published material?
5.	Is there an accurate sampling of the minimal knowledge, skills and abilities required for the profession?
6.	Are items relevant to the level and experience of the candidates?
7.	Are items realistic and practical?
8.	Do items appropriately measure the knowledge, skills and abilities most candidates should be expected to possess?
9.	Is the language appropriate for the educational level of the candidates?
10.	Do the items measure "real life" knowledge, skills and abilities and not just academic training?
11.	Are test items worded clearly, without ambiguity?
12.	Are items capable of standing independent of other items in the examination?
13.	Does the item contain the central problem from which a person can form a tentative item?
14.	Can the item stand alone?
15.	Are any clues to the correct options eliminated from the item?
16.	Is the item longer than any given option (usually this should be true)?
17.	Have negative questions been used sparingly?
18.	Has excess verbiage been eliminated?
19.	Are key words in the item underlined and capitalized (NOT, MOST, BEST)?
20.	Have specific words (always, all, never ) been avoided?
21.	Has the exact language of textbooks been avoided?
22.	Have trick statements which are mainly true except for an inconspicuous word been avoided?
23.	Are double negatives omitted from the item?
24.	Have unfamiliar, figurative, literary language or complex sentences been avoided?
25.	In multiple-choice items, are all options plausible?
26.	Are words which may have different meanings to different persons (some, often) been eliminated?
27.	If there are only two or three plausible options, have ridiculous ones been deleted ( if only two reasonable alternatives exist, don't try for four)?
28.	Are all options about the same length?
29.	Are options arranged in a reasonable order?
30.	Are patterns of responses avoided?
31.	Is there an approximately even distribution of options being correct (if four choices, each should be correct about 25% of the time)?
32.	Are options parallel in form and content?
33.	Are options grammatically correct?
34.	Have repetitious words been included in the item and not in each option?
35.	Are options consistent with the structure of the item (singular v. plural, male v. female)?
36.	Have overlapping options been eliminated (A is less that 104; B is less than 110; if B is correct so is A)?
37.	Is there only ONE correct option?
38.	Has the option all of the above been used sparingly (if used, it should NOT be correct all of the time)?
39.	If none of the above is used, is it the correct option at least some of the time?
40.	If true-false is included, is there really only ONE correct option?
41.	Has proofreading eliminated grammatical, punctuation and typographical errors?
42.	Has the Board reviewed and approved all of the test items?
43.	Have rare, exotic, or textbook bases been avoided unless essential to the examination?

1	Was an item analysis performed?
2	Are the incorrect foils being chosen equally (that is, at least some percentage of candidates are selecting each foil)?
3	Is the item difficulty at a reasonable level (neither too easy nor too difficult)?
4	If the difficulty is either very high or very low, is the item still important to retain?
5	Are problems, such as mis-keyed answers, corrected prior to the final scoring?
6	Is the result of the item analysis used to improve the overall quality of the examination?
7	Are item analysis results maintained for future references?
8.	Have "questionable" items been removed or revised prior to the next administration?
9.	If items have been eliminated, have all examinations been re-scored?
10.	Have letters explaining deficiencies been sent to failing candidates?

1.	Has a job/task analysis been conducted?
2.	Does the job/task analysis include specific or detailed activities required for the profession?
3.	Are test specifications/objectives developed which reflect the results of the job/task analysis?
4.	Is a logical weighting of the various specifications provided?
5.	Do the selected test formats reflect the results of the job/task?
6.	If an Oral Examination is to be included: Is it necessary? Does it provide additional information not available from written format? Are the criteria for judging responses sufficient to reduce judgment bias? Does more than one person evaluate the candidate's responses? Does each evaluator make an independent rating? Has the candidate's anonymity been maintained? Are the evaluators unassociated with training programs? Are the evaluators unfamiliar/unrelated to candidates? Are the orals taped to document comments, if necessary?
7.	If Essay Questions are to be used: Are they necessary? Do they provide additional information not available from a multiple-choice format? Are there detailed criteria for evaluating and assigning points? Are at least two independent evaluations made? Are essays turned in anonymously (ID number used but no name!)?
8.	If a Practical Examination is to be included: Is the behavior being measured something that could not be tested for by use of a written test? Are the evaluators trained thoroughly prior to the examinations? Are detailed criteria established for evaluating the performance and awarding points? Are there two independent evaluations made for each candidate? Has the candidate's anonymity been maintained?
9.	Are candidates adequately informed prior to the examination as to what will be expected of them (candidate brochure)?
10.	Are candidates informed of the scoring procedures which will be used?
11.	Are passing scores determined logically (avoid using a norm-referenced approach)?
12.	Are individual items representative of what a person needs to know to be a minimally competent licensee?
13.	Are the items reflective of the goal to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public?
14.	Do the items include all levels of the taxonomy and not just recall of facts?
15.	Is the examination reflective of the Board's laws and rules?
16.	Does the test as a whole measure what is was intended to measure (content validity)
17.	Does the test as a whole adequately sample the knowledge, skills and abilities essential for a minimally competent licensee?
18.	Is an item bank developed?
19.	If an item bank exists, has it been reviewed and up-dated within the last year?
20.	Has the examination been revised since the last administration?