Computer-assisted Test Construction

Abstract

This paper deals with the problem of selecting tests from item banks. In an item bank, items are stored with their characteristics, such as item format, content descnptors, and psychometric parameters (e.g., item difficulty). The test construction problem is to select a test from an item bank that fits all requirements stated by the test constructor. Researchers have approached this problem from a linear programming point of view. The topic of this paper is to give an introduction to this approach. Keywords: test construction, linear programming, psychometrics, educational measurement, computerized testing, test theory.