Types of test - why are we testing?

Fundamental to any discussion of testing is the purpose of the test. If you don’t know why you are testing, then you probably shouldn’t be testing in the first place. The appropriateness of a test in any given context will depend to a large extent on the reason the test is being given and the uses to which the test results may be put.

Traditionally, we recognize five types of test [although the precise labels may vary from one tester to another].

• Progress Tests measure how well learners have mastered the material [or skills] taught in class and [or] how well they have improved in a given area. Consequently, the focus is on short-term objectives [such as Unit Two: the Past Tense or Unit Four: Expressions of Future Time]. These tests are usually written by the teacher to answer questions such as
  • Have the students learnt the target language well?
  • Have I taught it effectively?
  • Can we go on to the next part of the course?

Progress tests are often given to motivate learners and to reinforce learning.

• Achievement Tests refer to more formal tests that have been designed to show mastery of a particular syllabus or corpus of language. They include end-of-term and end-of-year tests, end-of-course tests, school leaving examinations for certification, and other tests administered by external bodies [such as UCLES KET or PET]. They are similar to progress tests in that they are generally based on a syllabus and measure what has been taught and learnt. However, they are usually standardized and are likely to be similar from one year to the next [and the same in format]. They are rarely constructed by the classroom teacher for a particular group of learners, and they are usually assessed on a pass or fail, or on a grade basis.

• Proficiency Tests are different in that they are not usually based on a particular syllabus but are used to measure achievement in relation to a specific [future] task that the candidate may be required to perform at a subsequent point of time. For example, the test may set out to determine whether the candidate has sufficient English to follow a course of Chemical Engineering for which the medium of instruction is English, or to do a job that requires the use of English. These tests rarely take into account any syllabus that a student may have followed: they are concerned with future [potential] performance rather than past achievement. They are frequently administered to learners with varied language learning backgrounds. The common factor is the purpose to which the language is to be put.

• Placement Tests are a special type of proficiency test. They give an indication of the language levels of learners so that they can be placed in an appropriate class for English.

• Aptitude Tests predict how successful a leaner will be in [for example] learning a foreign language. The rationale is that some people are better than others at learning languages, and aptitude tests aim to predict the learner’s possible performance in learning a language [or that particular language]. The most common aptitude tests set tasks that are related to the linguistic skills possessed by a good language learner [such as the ability to perceive sound and spelling correspondences and the ability to identify patterns in language].

• Diagnostic Tests enable teachers to identify any areas of weakness or difficulty, so that they can then plan and implement an appropriate remedial teaching program. They may be used to assess the knowledge and skills of learners in particular aspects of language before the start of a course [and consequently may be used for placement as well as course design purposes].

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