Taxonomy of Aptitude Test Items: A Guide for Item Writers
Carlo Magno · SSRN Electronic Journal · 2009
A taxonomy of aptitude test items is organized based on widely used aptitude tests. The taxonomy is based on three-stage Delphi technique from experts in measurement and test development practitioners. The issues on the need to arrive with a taxonomy of aptitude test items are discussed. The classifications of these items are described and examples of items are provided. The taxonomy created showed that the nature of variables measured for each type varies. Through the taxonomy, item writers can be guided on what items to write given the nature of the construct that needs to be measured. The utility value of the taxonomy is discussed. Aptitude tests are commonly used in the educational, clinical, and industrial settings to determine the potential abilities of individuals for a wide variety of purposes. Most of the people in these settings commonly use available and standardized aptitude tests. However, for some experts in measurement and assessment, available aptitude tests in the market do not provide them with certain needs such as measuring domain specific-variables like potentials of nurses and engineers. These experts address this concern by constructing their own aptitude tests. Constructing aptitude tests involves not only the skills and expertise in psychometrics but also expertise in visual artists, mathematics, drafting, computer graphics, and other related fields in the arts. For a test development expert, his procedural knowledge in constructing the entire test and the theoretical background on test construction is given. The dilemma faced by the expert is identifying certain aptitude test types that can ascertain the measurement of a specified construct needed. Guidelines in test types are provided mostly by assessment references but what is needed is a systematized classification of aptitude test types to guide test developers especially when constructing aptitude test items. Even standardized test manuals are not too keen on reporting the basis of including and creating certain test types such as verbal and figural reasoning. Published articles in the Journal of Psychological Assessment, Psychological Assessment, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, and Educational and Psychological Measurement show absence of resources in classifying certain test types. The closest article to include a classification of test item is the study of De Raad and Barelds (2008) where they constructed a list of 2,365 personality descriptive items from a computerized database of the Dutch language. In the same way, Alreck and Settle (2004) identified numerous scale types used for questionnaires, inventories, and surveys (ex. Lickert, Verbal frequency, Linear numeric etc.). But these classifications are only useful for non-cognitive assessment and not for aptitude and ability tests. One of the major aims of scientific inquiry is to describe and classify phenomenon and the field of psychological testing, measurement, and evaluation should start adhering to this basic scientific premise. There is a need to construct a taxonomy of aptitude test items primarily to (1) aid test developers in constructing items, (2) frame appropriate constructs measured for particular test types, and (3) target particular skills and potentials